'Still grinds my bones': AFLW star tees off at league

2 years ago 132

Star Melbourne defender Libby Birch has criticised the AFLW's pending contention dates and deficiency of connection with players connected the eve of this season's finals campaign.

In an opinion portion published by The Age, Birch elaborate immoderate of the difficulties faced by AFLW players arsenic they manoeuver the semi-professional quality of the league. This includes the abbreviated seasons and deficiency of foresight causing players to, "upend their lives connected a whim".

Season six of the AFLW wrapped up successful April this twelvemonth aft it was announced conscionable the period earlier that play 7 would beryllium brought guardant to statesman successful August - leaving lone a four-month turnaround period.

With play seven's home-and-away play present complete, 8 teams volition contest this month's finals series. However, Birch said this should not distract from the 10 different squads who are present adjusting backmost to their mean lives and stomaching the unknowns of yet different uncertain contention coming adjacent year.

"The uncertainty that AFLW players look makes this clip of twelvemonth harder than it needs to be," she wrote.

"With the rushed transportation betwixt seasons six and seven, determination was nary clip to formulate semipermanent strategies.

"This has near america successful a presumption we are each excessively acquainted with. Our contracts upwind up astatine the extremity of the year, but determination person been nary decisions connected database numbers for 2023, and nary dates person been acceptable for delisting and resigning periods.

"The contention had a motion and commercialized play aft play six but does that mean we person different 1 station play seven? If so, that volition beryllium 2 subordinate question periods successful the aforesaid twelvemonth – which is simply a lot. Seventy-six players moved betwixt the 2022 seasons. If that's the lawsuit again, that's 76 players who person nary thought which nine they volition beryllium astatine adjacent season."

With nary timeline acceptable for erstwhile the adjacent play volition begin, Birch said the governing assemblage indispensable usage the off-season to guardant plan.

"As a contention and organisation, the AFLW needs to get amended astatine this. The AFL can't proceed to inquire players to alteration their lives astir astatine the driblet of a hat. This twelvemonth we did that, but present it's clip to find consistency successful our scheduling and wide year," she wrote.

"After the finals, determination volition beryllium a important off-season – the cleanable clip to get this each sorted. It inactive grinds my bones that the men's contention dates are released firmly successful beforehand and the women's crippled is ever conscionable near to marque it up connected the run."

For the archetypal time, the 2022 AFLW play 7 finals bid volition feature 8 teams successful a four-week finals format. This follows the aforesaid operation arsenic the AFL finals.

At the completion of the regular season, the apical 8 successful bid consists of: Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Richmond, Geelong, Collingwood, the Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne.

Week-one finals match-ups

Friday, November 4

Second qualifying final: Melbourne Demons vs Adelaide Crows, 7:10pm AEDT astatine IKON Park

Saturday, November 5

First qualifying final: Brisbane Lions vs Richmond Tigers, 4:10pm AEDT/ 3:10 p.m. section clip astatine Metricon Stadium

First elimination final: Geelong Cats vs North Melbourne, 7:10pm AEDT astatine GMHBA Stadium

Sunday, November 6

Second elimination final: Collingwood Magpies vs Western Bulldogs, 3:10pm AEDT astatine Victoria Park

Team Selection

Melbourne - The Demons person made nary changes to its starting broadside arsenic it prepares to look disconnected against the reigning premiers.

FB: T. Gillard, L. Birch

HB: S. Heath, M. Gay, S. Goldrick

C: B. Mackin, T. Hanks, S. Lampard

HF: A. Bannan, K. Paxman, K. Hore

FF: D. Pearce, T. Harris

R: L. Pearce, O. Purcell, L. Mithen

INT: M. Chaplin, C. Sherriff, E. Zanker, E. West, M. Fitzsimon

EMG: C. Wilson, J. Ivey, M. Caris

Adelaide - Three-time premiership skipper Chelsea Randall returns to the Crows' lineup from an ankle injury. While, guardant Lisa Whiteley has been omitted.

FB: S. Allan, N. Allen

HB: C. Biddell, C. Randall, Z. Prowse

C: S. Thompson, A. Hatchard, M. Newman

HF: R. Martin, D. Ponter, E. Jones

FF: C. Gould, A. Woodland

R: M. McKinnon, E. Marinoff, T. Charlton

INT: K. Muller, A. Ballard, H. Button, N. Kelly, H. Munyard

EMG: L. Whiteley, B. Tonon, M Rajcic

Brisbane - TBC

Richmond - TBC

Geelong - TBC

North Melbourne - TBC

Collingwood - TBC

Western Bulldogs - TBC

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