Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Sydney have dug deep to return to the AFLW’s top four with a crucial 14-point win over a flailing Brisbane at a damp Henson Park.
After their men’s team enjoyed premiership glory on Saturday, the Lions were desperate to cap off a historic weekend with another victory for the club on Sunday.
But with the game in the balance, Sydney emerged from the three-quarter time break firing, and their big-time players stepped up to help boot two match-defining majors to claim the 5.7 (37) to 3.5 (23) win.
The four points move the Swans (6-1) back above Carlton (5-2) amid congestion at the top of the ladder while also keeping their hopes of claiming an unlikely minor premiership intact.
But last season’s grand finalists Brisbane (2-5) inched closer to missing out on finals for the first time since 2019 despite midfielder Isabel Dawes (24 disposals) producing a prolific display.
Cynthia Hamilton drew first blood for the Swans before the visitors suffered a scare when superstar ruck Tahlia Hickie limped off with a suspected ankle injury, but she returned in the second term.
Former Lions forward Taylor Smith extended the home team’s seven-point quarter-time advantage before Brisbane flicked a switch and interchange Rania Crozier kicked their first major.
After a see-sawing third term, Lions forward Dakota Davidson nailed a late banana kick to close the Swans’ lead to just 23-22 at the final break.
But just 30 seconds into the last period, Hamilton produced a soccer-style strike to give the home team some breathing room before midfielder Tanya Kennedy sealed the win.
Ruck Ally Morphett (20 disposals, 28 hitouts) and Kennedy (14 disposals, eight tackles, one goal) were busy for the home team while Hamilton kicked two majors.
At People’s First Stadium, although forward Jesse Tawhiao-Wardlaw empathetically rediscovered her goal-scoring groove, Gold Coast kept St Kilda winless in a 10.9 (69) 6.3 (39) victory.
The Saints were looking to leave Essendon as the sole team with zero points after seven rounds, and Tawhiao-Wardlaw booted a career-high five majors to threaten a boilover.
But the Suns kicked a stunning four goals in the third quarter before scoring four of the five final term majors to put the result beyond doubt.
Regardless of the loss, Tawhiao-Wardlaw will take some confidence after she’d kicked just two goals to start the year, despite being the club’s leading goalkicker for the last two seasons.
Although Gold Coast’s fourth consecutive victory cements their position inside the top eight they will sweat on defender Annabel Kievit as she hobbled off the field in the fourth quarter after slipping and landing awkwardly on her foot.
