Source : the age
Hawthorn coach Daniel Webster hailed his players’ ability to dig deep for an 11-point AFLW win over the Western Bulldogs after losing captain Emily Bates to a suspected serious knee injury.
Bates will have scans on her right knee in coming days after the leg twisted underneath her in a tackle at the Kennedy Community Centre on Saturday.
Umpires held up play for several minutes before Bates was taken off the field on a stretcher as teammates showed support for their much-loved skipper.
The Hawks also lost Laura Stone (concussion) after an early head clash with an opponent and were 11 points down at halftime.
But they piled on five unanswered goals in the third quarter – four of those before Bates’ injury – to set up their 6.5 (41) to 4.6 (30) victory.
It lifted Hawthorn (3-2) into the top eight, leapfrogging the Bulldogs (3-2) on percentage.
Three-time All-Australian Bates reached her 100-game milestone a week earlier, but is now set for a lengthy period on the sidelines.
Webster said he was proud of his players’ response to the injury.
“It’s incredibly difficult [to remain focused]. I’ve seen numerous times in AFLW different ways where this has really impacted groups,” he said.
“Credit to our players, they kept their minds on the job, as challenging as that was, and were able to dig deep and finish the game off.
“Now we’ll get around Batesy once we work out what’s going on with it and support her as best we can.”
Hawthorn’s Irish key forward Aine McDonagh fired in attack with a career-best four majors, extending her lead at the top of this season’s goal-kicking list.
McDonagh has kicked 16 majors in five outings this season.
Eliza West (24 disposals), Tamara Smith (20) and Jasmine Fleming (19) also shone for the Hawks, as did ruck Lucy Wales.
Isabelle Pritchard had game-high tallies of 31 disposals and eight clearances for the Bulldogs, with Elisabeth Georgostathis (19 touches) also busy.
The Dogs kicked three of the first four goals but were held scoreless in the third quarter as Hawthorn took control of the contest.
AAP
Geelong’s Georgie Prespakis and West Coast’s Ella Roberts have both starred as their respective AFLW teams recorded a first win over their opponents on Saturday.
The Cats (4-1) retained a top-four spot, recording a fourth-straight victory and their first in seven attempts against the Crows (2-3) with an 8.9 (57) to 6.10 (46) win at Unley Oval.
Gun midfielder Prespakis simply was dynamic, racking up match highs of 32 disposals, 19 contested possessions and nine clearances.
In Perth, Daisy Pearce’s West Coast (1-4) posted their first win of the season in a 6.10 (46) to 6.5 (41) victory over the Brisbane Lions (2-3) at Perth’s Mineral Resources Park.
Sunny Lappin kicked three goals and sparked the second-half surge that led to Gold Coast’s 30-point win over Collingwood.
The Suns (3-2) kicked four goals to one in the third term – two of those to Lappin – to set up their 9.8 (62) to 4.8 (32) victory at People First Stadium.
Maddy Brancatisano kicked two goals, Charlie Rowbottom had 29 disposals and Dekota Baron provided the highlight of the day with a towering mark-of-the-year contender.
Mikayla Nurse suffered a nasty cut on the face after a head clash with Suns teammate Lucy Single late in the match.
Hawthorn coach Daniel Webster hailed his players’ ability to dig deep for an 11-point AFLW win over the Western Bulldogs after losing captain Emily Bates to a suspected serious knee injury.
Bates will have scans on her right knee in coming days after the leg twisted underneath her in a tackle at the Kennedy Community Centre on Saturday.
Umpires held up play for several minutes before Bates was taken off the field on a stretcher as teammates showed support for their much-loved skipper.
The Hawks also lost Laura Stone (concussion) after an early head clash with an opponent and were 11 points down at halftime.
Sydney have lost former All-Australian Brenna Tarrant to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a hammer blow to their AFLW flag hopes.
Tarrant, 24, will have surgery and miss the rest of the season and likely a large chunk of the 2027 campaign.
The defender, who was All-Australian in 2024, had played all four games in 2026, averaging 2.3 marks, eight disposals and 2.3 spoils.
“Sydney Swans defender Brenna Tarrant will miss the remainder of the 2026 AFLW season with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament,” the Swans said in a statement on Friday.
“Tarrant will require surgery, but that will be determined upon further medical advice in the coming days.”
Tarrant is the third AFLW Swan, after Alice Mitchell and Alex Neyland, to suffer an ACL injury this year.
AAP
For many first-year players, season launches can be intimidating affairs; with speeches, panel discussions and a swarm of new faces.
For Irish recruit Saoirse Lally, any lingering nerves at St Kilda’s launch quickly evaporated during a hilarious exchange with her new coach, Nick Dal Santo.
Lally and teammate Sophie Butterworth were chatting with families in the room, when Dal Santo showcased some Aussie slang, and asked his new Irish recruit “How are you travelling?”
A puzzled Lally replied, “By car”.
Good afternoon, folks.
Welcome to our rolling coverage of AFLW round five action. The first match today is Hawthorn versus Western Bulldogs at the Kennedy Community Centre.
