Devils take control over Demons as Brisbane def Melbourne in AFLW Rd 1
Devils Emily Bates, Samantha Virgo and Kate McCarthy debuted for the Brisbane Lions at Casey Fields today in front of a crowd of 6,500 in Round 1 of the AFLW. The Lions ran out victors 4.1-25 to Melbourne's 1.4-10 in tough conditions in Melbourne with wind and rain affecting the contest for most of the day.
Melbourne seemed to have control of the match in the early stages before a break in play just before half time, due to concerns over lightning around the ground, halted their momentum and allowed the Lions to regroup. The Lions kicked 3 goals to none after the break and looked in control for most of the final quarter. Emily Bates lead the disposal count for Brisbane with 13 touches, 11 being kicks, and a huge 8 tackles in what was surely a best on ground performance for the Lions. Sam Virgo had 11 possessions in a backline that looked very solid all day, not allowing the Demons to score despite them having 10 more inside 50's than Brisbane, and Kate McCarthy put the icing on the cake with the final goal of the game sealing the upset victory over Melbourne. Both Virgo and Bates were named in the best in the AFL match report.
We are extremely pleased to see all the girls perform extremely well at the top level and hope to see much more throughout the AFLW season.
Brisbane's next match is on Sunday February 12 at 6:05pm AEST at Fremantle Oval against the Fremantle Dockers. You can watch this game on Fox Footy (Channel 504) or stream it free at www.afl.com.au.