Melbourne has put some distance between themselves and the chasing pack with a thumping win over Adelaide in their AFLW clash.
Key points:
- The Giants beat St Kilda by 20 points to move within a game of the finals spots in Saturday’s opening match
- But Melbourne doubled the gap by hammering Adelaide by 28 points
- There are two rounds left before finals start, with the top six making the cut
A 20-point win over St Kilda put the Giants one win behind the sixth-placed Demons in the race for that last finals spot, but Melbourne immediately doubled the gap by hammering the Crows 6.7 (43) to 2.3 (15).
Melbourne held on to sixth spot and is now tied with four other teams on 20 competition points, although second-placed Fremantle and third-placed Brisbane have a game in hand, as does Collingwood, one game game clear atop the table.
Kate Hore slotted three times as the Demons took down the two-time premiers, who were led by usual suspects Ebony Marinoff (24 disposals and nine tackles) and Anne Hatchard (21 disposals) but only marked inside 50 once all night.
Earlier, GWS forwards Cora Staunton and Rebecca Privitelli sparked the Giants as they tamed the torrential rain in Moorabbin, booting four goals to none in a match-winning first quarter to run out 7.3 (45) to 3.7 (25) winners on Saturday.
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Veteran Staunton, who turns 40 this year, and Privitelli were the game changers with three goals each.
The Saints worked their way back into the game as they outscored the Giants 18-0 in the second quarter, but were scoreless after half-time until the dying seconds when Caitlin Greiser slotted a major on the siren.
They trailed by less than a goal late in the third quarter before GWS extended the lead back out to 20 points at the final break.
Only one point was kicked to the southern end of the ground for three quarters until Staunton broke Saints’ hearts with the first and only major of the final term.
The result was GWS’s third win of the season, while the Saints slump to a 2-5 record.
Georgia Patrikios was St Kilda’s best with 27 possessions and 10 tackles, while Alice Burke, daughter of Saints legend Nathan, showed some promising signs in her second appearance at the top level.
Meanwhile, the Western Bulldogs missed a chance to climb into those top six spots against North Melbourne in Hobart.
The Kangaroos started with three unanswered goals and never looked back, holding off a fightback from the Dogs to win 5.7 (37) to 3.8 (26).
AAP
