A ruthless Brisbane have booked a spot in an AFLW preliminary final, triumphing over Melbourne by 13 points on Sunday afternoon.
Valiant efforts from Melbourne captain Kate Hore weren’t enough to save the Demons who rallied in the final term but, ultimately, found themselves outworked and outpaced by the Lions, losing 9.2 (56) to 6.7 (43).
Kicking on: Brisbane star Dakota Davidson.Credit: Getty Images
Brisbane coach said Craig Starcevich said the team were thrilled to finally beat Melbourne in finals and praised a “super” Ellie Hampson for efforts on field. The 25-year-old recently recovered from shoulder surgery and played for the reserves last week.
“Ellie plays a Cam Rayner type footy in that part of the ground, which is strength and ‘get out of my way’ type of footy,” he said.
“So it’s impressive and it’s a point of difference to have a player like that.”
Ikon Park was bathed in sunshine, but the ground was still wet and soggy from overnight sporadic rain.Melbourne were first on the scoreboard with a handball from Shelley Heath to Tayla Harris who drilled a running goal. Both sides upped the physicality and pressure, but Brisbane struggled with disposals and fumbled several handballs near the goal square.
Demon’s captain Hore closed the quarter perfectly with major – the 30-year-old’s 100th career goal.
One casualty was Demon Eden Zanker, who left the field limping following a head knock. The 25-year-old did pass the SCAT 6 test, but the Demons took an ultra-cautious approach.
In post-match press conference, Melbourne coach Mick Stinear confirmed Zanker was going through concussion protocols and would not play next week.
“She seems to be doing okay, which is the no.1 thing, disappointing to lose a key member of the team for a large part of the game,” he said.
“The aim will be… we got work to do as a team and hopefully give her an opportunity to play again this season.”
Eliza McNamara kept Melbourne’s momentum going in the second quarter executing several crunching tackles. Moments later, Brisbane were finally able to mitigate Melbourne’s damage and showed their finals experience.
Three consecutive goals in three minutes from Dakota Davidson, Ellie Hampson and Neasa Dooley lifted the visitors to lead by three points at halftime.
A prolific Davidson opened the third quarter with another goal, much to the delight of the maroon and gold-clad fans in the stands.
Midfielder Maggie Mahony brought the margin back to three points with a terrific major – the 19-year-old’s maiden AFLW goal. An omnipresent McNamara took a running mark, but failed to score at a pivotal moment for the Demons.
A running Hampson snapped a major on the cusp of the siren, pushing the margin to 14-point lead.
Ryleigh Wotherspoon pounced on the loose ball and converted in the final term, but Brisbane answered quickly with another major. Melbourne ultimately ran out of time.
The Lions have booked a home final and will face either Hawthorn or Carlton.