By Tyler Lewis
MELBOURNE AFLW
2020 SEASON PREVIEW
SEASON 2019: It was a difficult year for Melbourne in conference A. If the Dees were placed in conference B they would have sat at the top of the table and played preliminary finals football. But in conference A, the log jam at the top had the Melbourne side finish fourth. The Demons won four games and lost three, two of the three losses were heartbreaking nail biters that could have gone either way until the final moment.
BEST AND FAIREST: Karen Paxman
LEADING GOAL KICKER: Tegan Cunningham (8)
ALL-AUSTRALIAN SQUAD: Karen Paxman, Tegan Cunningham, Lauren Pearce, Elise O’Dea
SEASON 2020
COACHES: Mick Stinear (Senior coach), Jane Lange (senior assistant, game style and education), Peter Mercoullia (forwards coach), Corey Maynard (midfield coach) and Pat McKenna (backline coach).
CAPTAIN: Daisy Pearce will return to lead her Melbourne side once again after time away from the game to start a family. The 2017 All-Australian captain will be a more than handy addition to the Demons this year who will mount an attack at the premiership. Pearce will float straight back into where she did her best work, the midfield, and will no doubt not have lost her reliability as the Dees skipper.
DRAFTEES: Maddy Brancatisano, Cat Phillips (expansion signings), Sinead Goldrick, Niamh McEvoy (rookie), Jacqueline Perry (pick 54), Brenna Tarrant (pick 72), Gabrielle Colvin (pick 77), Krstel Petrevski (pick 78),
OUTS: Jordan Hickey, Brooke Patterson, Talia Radan, Ashleigh Woodland (delisted)
PLAYER (S) TO WATCH: Sinead Goldrick and Niamh McEvoy will be interesting watches this year crossing codes from Gaelic football. Many players have crossed over from Gaelic in the past and the AFLW has several players that play dual sports, but players with a Gaelic background are notoriously good players with ball in hand.
MOST IMPORTANT MATCH: R4 vs Collingwood. While the Magpies may not be fancied as a big a threat to the Demons than Fremantle and Carlton in its mid-season road trip, the match at Marvel is a crucially important game for Melbourne. The roof will more than likely be closed for a highly skilful and fast affair in front of a monster crowd in what will be an important day for not only everyone involved but the entire nation.
SQUAD:
Tegan Cunningham, Meg Downie, Maddison Gay, Karen Paxman, Elise O’Dea, Daisy Pearce, Sarah Lampard, Libby Birch, Kate Hore, Chantel Emonson, Shelley Scott, Katherine Smith, Lily Mithen, Lauren Pearce, Aliesha Newman, Niamh McEvoy, Casey Sherrif, Jacqueline Perry, Brenna Tarrent, Harriet Cordner, Madeline Guerin, Sinead Goldrick, Shae Sloane, Tyla Hanks, Eden Zanker, Shelley Heath, Krstel Petrevski, Grabrielle Colvin, Ainslie Kemp.
FIXTURE:
R1 vs North Melbourne, 08/02, 3:10, Casey Fields
R2 vs Western Bulldogs, 14/02, 7:40, Whitten Oval
R3 vs St Kilda, 21/02, 7:40, RSEA Park
R4 vs Collingwood, 28/02, 5:40, Marvel Stadium (double-header with State of Origin for Busfire relief)
R5 vs West Coast Eagles, 08/03, 3:10, Casey Fields
R6 vs Carlton, 14/03, 7:40, Trager Park (Alice Springs)
R7 vs Fremantle, 22/03, 4:10, Fremantle Oval (Perth)
R8 vs Gold Coast Suns, 29/03, 4:10, Casey Fields
