The Gunnedah Poochettes returned to the winners’ circle as they comfortably accounted for the Tamworth Swans in last Saturday’s AFL North West women’s clash at Riverside 5.
The second-placed Poochettes won 8.10.58 to 2.5.17 despite missing about eight first-choice players, with the team having a starting 15 and one interchange player while the fourth-placed Swans had no interchange.
After the fixture was relocated for the same reason as the relocation of the men’s fixture, the Poochettes landed three goals and six behinds in the first term while the Swans landed a solitary behind.
The hosts were kept scoreless in the second term while the visitors kicked one goal and one behind, and then Gunnedah kicked 3.1.19 to 1.2.8 in the third term before each team nabbed a goal and two behinds in the final quarter. Laura Ewington, Macey Carlyon and Amy Clark landed two goals each for the victors while Elyshia Beaumont and Audrey Hannaford kicked one major apiece. Jessica Pallot was the sole goal-kicker for the beaten team.
With skipper Alexa Walker among the missing personnel, Poochettes coach John Woolaston said his team played “real well” under the circumstances.
Woolaston said the absence of several players didn’t necessarily change the roles of anyone who did play, as “it was just being accountable” while the younger and inexperienced players could be “relied on a bit more” than previously.
Woolaston said his team dropped one of its wings while the Swans dropped one of their forwards and played the extra wing, enabling Gunnedah’s Abbey Ruttley to ‘play loose’.
“(She) really nullified forward 50 entries from them,” he said.
Woolaston said Virginia Griffiths was put in a back pocket and given instructions to beat her opposition to the ball when it came that way, while Emily McKenzie was in the forward pocket with the instruction to attack the ball.
“It was good to see two players like that just getting involved without getting complicated,” he said.
While Woolaston identified Walker as one of the team’s main talkers, the coach said he didn’t need one player trying to fulfil Walker’s role.
“I just need(ed) everyone talking and from the way they played, they definitely did that,” he said.
Woolaston also credited Ewington, with the coach saying she “really impressed working in multiple positions, putting in the hard yards, and showing the leadership she has developed this year”.
“She really set the standard for the team,” he said.
With the Poochettes having a bye this weekend, Woolaston said the players needed to make sure they maintained their fitness.
