AFLW R3: Richmond vs North Melbourne @ Princes Park, Sun. Feb 23

[one-eyed]

Dimma’s phone call to struggling Brennan

Sam Landsberger
Herald Sun
24 February 2020

Richmond premiership coach Damien Hardwick reached out to Katie Brennan last week as the Tigers wrapped their arms around their struggling AFLW captain.

Hardwick called Brennan after the postergirl’s underwhelming start to the season was dissected on the back of her plunging down Champion Data’s player rankings.

Brennan, 27, kicked one goal from 14 disposals on Sunday as premiership fancy North Melbourne smashed the Tigers by 50 points.

“It certainly was a difficult week (for Brennan), but we wrap our arms around Katie,” coach Tom Hunter said.

“That’s just internally in terms of the girls and the players and the staff, but also the wider footy club.

“Dimma touches base with her, Livo (football performance boss Tim Livingstone) touches base with her. We really want to make sure she feels really well supported and I thought she played her role today.”

Former Western Bulldogs co-captain Ellie Blackburn said Brennan had slipped and urged the Tigers to return her to attack.

“Richmond probably haven’t got the most out of her as what they would’ve liked to,” Blackburn said.

The Tigers have reprogrammed Brennan into a midfielder but Blackburn said she’s “the best hit-up forward in the competition”.

Tiger teammate Phoebe Monahan said: “We love Katie. She’s a great leader for the club on and off the field and we’ll support her through thick and thin.”

Roos coach Scott Gowan was “super worried” that Brennan would bounce back.

“We mentioned it before the game,” Gowan said.

“From the perspective of making sure she’s manned up, not letting her get running chains of footy, if she got a possession not let her double-up and get the hands back, that sort of thing.

“From a football lover I hope she just remembers she is a superstar, and it will turn for her at some stage.”

The Tigers are 0-3 but football manager Neil Balme and Livingstone, who sat in the coach’s box on Sunday, reminded Hunter that Hardwick took until Round 10 to get his first victory back in 2010.

“Livo’s looking at it and going, ‘Yep, this is what we were doing at that time, this is what you’re doing’ and noting similarities,” he said.

“We’d like to get a win this season, because Round 10 for us might be next year. We’ll continue to encourage the girls.”

Gowan was happy with the current eight-round season – even though three losses means missing finals – but called on the AFL to shift the season out of summer when it expands.

“It would be ideal to marry the VFLW up with AFLW, so players that aren’t selected get an opportunity to play (VFLW) and show their worth,” he said.

“Ideally, if we could go a little bit later just to get the heat (down).”

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/aflw/damien-hardwick-among-tigers-to-check-in-with-struggling-skipper-katie-brennan/news-story/7b936d6acfcb07cf96cea8254b9f1366

[one-eyed]

Hardwick, Tigers rally around AFLW captain Brennan

Roy Ward
The Age
24 February 2020

Hardwick and football performance general manager Tim Livingstone both reached out to Brennan while Livingstone and senior advisor Neil Balme spent Sunday in the coaches box.

Tigers coach Tom Hunter said Brennan was standing up to the critics with the support of her club.

"It certainly was a difficult week but we wrap our arms around Katie internally in terms of the girls and the staff and also the wider footy club as 'Dimma' touches base with her, Livo touches base with her - we want her to feel well supported," Hunter said.

"I thought she played her role today, had a little more opportunity to go forward and impact there, I thought we had the balance right as a midfielder and forward."

Hunter said Brennan was regularly around the club and worked with coaches from both teams.

"Katie is always in and around the club so she has great relationships with everyone in the men's department," Hunter said.

"It's a footy department that does both men's and women's. It's a single entity."

Brennan has moved forward and midfield roles this season and Hunter said that balance was still being defined.

"We want to support her through the midfield, we know she is a quality player around the football so we will give her every chance to be successful there, but also balance that out with roles up forward or on the wing," Hunter said.

North Melbourne coach Scott Gowans said his side had paid special attention to Brennan pre-game as he expected her to lift.

Gowans recalled Brennan playing both midfield and forward roles at VFL level before adopting a more attacking role during her time in AFLW.

"We mentioned it before the game, from my experience with Katie Brennan I was super worried," Gowans said.

"I've been on the end of a few Katie Brennan thrashings over the years so we mentioned it in terms of making sure she was manned up, not letting her get into some running chains of footy and get double-up possessions.

"From being a football lover, I hope she remembers she is a superstar and it will turn for her at some stage."

On the question of Richmond's lack of wins so far, Hunter said Balme and Livingstone saw similarities in the way the Tigers rebuilt their men's side.

"Livingstone sat in our box today and I had a chat with him and Balmey and he was reminding me how it looked in 2010 when they had their first win in round nine or 10," Hunter said.

"Livo is looking at it and noting similarities between how they were doing things and we are doing things. We'd like to get a win this season as round 10 for us might be next season."

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/tigers-rally-around-brennan-roos-coach-says-she-s-still-a-superstar-20200223-p543ih.html

[Rampsation]

Brennan and Conti cant do much when most of the others are struggling at the level.

[Damo]

Brennan and Conti cant do much when most of the others are struggling at the level.

The quality is horrendous

AFLW made a massive error diluting the talent pool so fast , and it is impacting significantly on the product

When the wave of current juniors come through there will be a huge increase in the quality of the football being played

[Tigeritis™©®]

Brennan and Conti cant do much when most of the others are struggling at the level.

The quality is horrendous

AFLW made a massive error diluting the talent pool so fast , and it is impacting significantly on the product

When the wave of current juniors come through there will be a huge increase in the quality of the football being played

Didn’t seem to effect North did it? 

Recruit quality girls that have decent skill and know how to play and win ball would be a start

Unfortunately our recruiters liked some names instead of looking for talent.

[Diocletian]

When the wave of current juniors come through there will be a huge increase in the quality of the football being played

Yes one day the standard might just reach the giddy heights of the VFL reserves...

[WilliamPowell]

Brennan and Conti cant do much when most of the others are struggling at the level.

The quality is horrendous

AFLW made a massive error diluting the talent pool so fast , and it is impacting significantly on the product

When the wave of current juniors come through there will be a huge increase in the quality of the football being played

Didn’t seem to effect North did it? 

Recruit quality girls that have decent skill and know how to play and win ball would be a start

Unfortunately our recruiters liked some names instead of looking for talent.

Argh yes N0rt, who struggled to win a game in their first season.

Agree with Damo re the talent pool. Spot on there

And I wish newspapers would report accurately. Balmey did not sit in the coaches box yesterday. He sat in the Gardiner stand a few rows from me. Certainly went to the rooms at HT and after the game but sitting on the coaches box? Nope

Thought the 1st are was the best we've played in our 3 games. Just poor conversion

2nd are was the worst we've played = game over. 3rd was better, by the 4th both sides were cooked.

And I said so many times but the standard of umpiring is diabolical. It certainly doesnt help the standard of the actual games. They were disgraceful yesterday. Wouldn't have made a difference to the result but Suresh they were pathetic the umps

[lamington]

I am definitely disappointed considering how vocal the club was voicing their disappointment on not being given an AFLW license earlier and now fronting up with this. I always expected teething problems but the blow outs are bad. I feel like the club could have pushed harder to try and get talent from women’s rugby, basketball and soccer because some of the players just have horrible field positioning and movement.

[mightytiges]

The results are showing why the Club was vocal in its disappointment in not getting an original AFLW licence. We're effectively an expansion club this year. It's not unexpected to have a poor first season.

As an aside, I think our future home games should be moved to Punt Rd. Fair enough hosting our first ever match at the greater capacity of Princes Park but a crowd of just over 3,000 against North means we can host AFLW games at our home ground that our girls train on.

[Damo]

When the wave of current juniors come through there will be a huge increase in the quality of the football being played

Yes one day the standard might just reach the giddy heights of the VFL reserves...

No chance it will be anywhere near that good

[WilliamPowell]

The results are showing why the Club was vocal in its disappointment in not getting an original AFLW licence. We're effectively an expansion club this year. It's not unexpected to have a poor first season.

As an aside, I think our future home games should be moved to Punt Rd. Fair enough hosting our first ever match at the greater capacity of Princes Park but a crowd of just over 3,000 against North means we can host AFLW games at our home ground that our girls train on.

Doubt very much the AFL will move the games

[Tigeritis™©®]

The results are showing why the Club was vocal in its disappointment in not getting an original AFLW licence. We're effectively an expansion club this year. It's not unexpected to have a poor first season.

As an aside, I think our future home games should be moved to Punt Rd. Fair enough hosting our first ever match at the greater capacity of Princes Park but a crowd of just over 3,000 against North means we can host AFLW games at our home ground that our girls train on.

Doubt very much the AFL will move the games

I’ve got to agree that all home games should be played at punt rd.
If it’s a lock out so be it. Atleast the girls would have a home ground advantage and supporters that want to go won’t have to travel to princess park. Make it a fortress.

I think whoever made that decision to move our home games there got it completely wrong.

[Tigeritis™©®]

Brennan and Conti cant do much when most of the others are struggling at the level.

The quality is horrendous

AFLW made a massive error diluting the talent pool so fast , and it is impacting significantly on the product

When the wave of current juniors come through there will be a huge increase in the quality of the football being played

Didn’t seem to effect North did it? 

Recruit quality girls that have decent skill and know how to play and win ball would be a start

Unfortunately our recruiters liked some names instead of looking for talent.

Argh yes N0rt, who struggled to win a game in their first season.

Agree with Damo re the talent pool. Spot on there

And I wish newspapers would report accurately. Balmey did not sit in the coaches box yesterday. He sat in the Gardiner stand a few rows from me. Certainly went to the rooms at HT and after the game but sitting on the coaches box? Nope

Thought the 1st are was the best we've played in our 3 games. Just poor conversion

2nd are was the worst we've played = game over. 3rd was better, by the 4th both sides were cooked.

And I said so many times but the standard of umpiring is diabolical. It certainly doesnt help the standard of the actual games. They were disgraceful yesterday. Wouldn't have made a difference to the result but Suresh they were pathetic the umps

Wasn’t their first season last year?

Didn’t they win their first 4 games?

Didn’t they finish third on the ladder?

Maybe they just did a better job at recruiting don’t you think?

[Assange Tiger 😎]

Imagine losing 2 games in one season and someone spinning that as “couldn’t win a game”

[WilliamPowell]

Wasn’t their first season last year?

Didn’t they win their first 4 games?

Didn’t they finish third on the ladder?

Maybe they just did a better job at recruiting don’t you think?

N0rt going into last season were favourites to win the comp. They failed to play finals with their list, deemed by some as the best in the comp. When they lost they lost badly not necessarily on the scoreboard but how they played

Much stronger talent pool in N0rt's first season as there had been a gap of 2 years form the start of AFLW. So the talent available had a chance to restock.

4 new teams this season and the talent is spread thinner. Interestingly one of our best talents from the our VFLW program (academy) got drafted by Carlton - Grace Egan. Will admit we stuffed here, we could matches their bid but chose not to, we went Molan instead and IMV that was a bad call
d