Stunning one-word response to record debut; tricky verdict on new rule — AFLW Talking Points

A new crop AFLW young guns made a splash on debut — most notably a Swan with the competition’s best name

Plus the early verdict on slow starts for two perennial contenders and a touchy rule tweak.

Fox Footy expert Chyloe Kurdas speaks to foxfooty.com.au to dissect the AFLW Round 1 Talking Points!

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KIDS ‘REALLY CLOSING IN’ ON ESTABLISHED PLAYERS AMID SWAN’S STUNNING START

Now we know it was dubbed the strongest AFLW draft class yet.

While it was only a small sample size, a host of top players from the 2024 draft crop justified the pool hype with stunning debuts.

Collingwood’s Ash Centra (Pick 1) was on limited minutes against Carlton due to a pre-season hip issue, but pulled down an impressive contested mark then booted a goal with her first kick. Hours earlier, she took the footy world by storm after video emerged of her dribbling/bouncing a footy between her legs – a skill an array of AFL players and coaches tried to replicate across the weekend.

In the same game, Carlton duo Poppy Scholz (Pick 6) and Sophie McKay (Pick 17) both had 11 disposals, with Scholz kicking a goal.

Suns academy graduate Havana Harris justified the Pick 2 bid, booting one goal from 16 disposals, six marks, a game-high score involvements and 431m gained. At the other end of the field, Eagle Lucia Painter (Pick 7) kicked 3.1 from 13 touches, five marks and three clearances to earn the Round 1 Rising Star nomination in a competitive field.

In Canberra, top Giants pick Sara Howley (Pick 4) slotted into her team’s midfield with aplomb, while Essendon duo Grace Belloni (Pick 9) and Holly Ridewood (Pick 12) both excited Bombers fans with three goals between them.

And on Sunday, Adelaide’s India Rasheed (Pick 13) and St Kilda’s Zoe Besanko (Pick 32) kicked three goals between them as they quickly adjusted to AFLW life.

“I feel like they’re showing why they’ve been selected in the draft order that they have been in the top 10 – and you could probably say the top five could have gone No. 1, depending on what the team needed that had the No. 1 pick,” Kurdas told foxfooty.com.au.

“I think all the hype last year was certainly worth it and it just reinforces why having a national draft is so important so the talent gets spread all over the country.

“For the most part, I think certainly the top 10 or 15 picks are just cleaner by foot and they’re more efficient with their ball usage. I think their game sense is a bit stronger because they’ve played a lot of footy, they’ve been really well coached in development programs over a good period of time and I think they’re conditioning is stronger as well.

“The three things you need to do to play elite footy: You’ve got to kick elite, run elite and think elite. I think the gap between the young kids coming up and what’s needed at this level is really closing in.”

Painter earned the Rising Star nomination, but Swan Zippy Fish (Pick 5) must’ve been mightily close.

Young West Coast down Suns in opener | 01:08

Fish finished with 26 disposals – the equal-highest AFLW disposal tally on debut alongside Collingwood’s Bri Davey, who was 22 in the comp’s inaugural match when she was playing for Carlton – to go with 11 rebound 50s, nine intercepts and 549m gained against the Tigers.

“You’d probably say it’s the most prolific debut from a young player beyond that first round of footy,” Kurdas said.

“It wasn’t just that she racked up a lot of touches – the ball did go inside their defensive 50 a lot, so she was in the play – but it was more about how she attacked the ball. She didn’t look nervous, she looked like she’d been playing at this level for years.

“I love her pace. She’s got the ability to play slow if needed and she looks like she’s got all the time in the world. But then she’s got amazing pace with her run and dash. She’s happy to go for the one-two, get it back and then she transitions back really nicely. Her defensive discipline is really solid.

“It just looks like nothing fazes her. In the rooms after the game, I asked her: ‘What was the hardest thing about playing tonight?’ She thought for a second and went ‘nothing’. So I think we’ve got that to look forward to.

“She’s got to be able to back it up, but it was a really good start.”

SWANS STATEMENT

Fish was integral in Sydney’s impressive 20-point win over Richmond at North Sydney Oval.

The Swans blew the game open in the third term, booting 4.3 to 1.3 to set up the victory.

Superstar Chloe Molloy, who missed most of 2024 with an ACL injury, returned with a bang, booting 4.2 from 14 disposals and three contested marks, while fellow 2023 All-Australians Ally Morphett and Laura Gardiner were prolific in the midfield.

Kurdas said she saw glimpses of why she felt confident to predict Sydney would jump back into the top eight this season.

“Scott Gowans really prioritises good systems and expects players to play to that. They also recruit players to play to their systems, but they tweak their system based on who they’ve got as well,” she said.

“I thought their team defence was really solid for the most part … and I thought their recruits that came in were really solid. Darcy Maloney is going to be really handy for them, she was excellent, as was Jas Grierson … She was just really composed, she looked mature, she didn’t look frantic. It’s the most calm and relaxed I’ve ever seen her in her role and I really liked her behind the footy.”

But Kurdas was most bullish on Montana Ham, who finished with 19 disposals, 10 contested possessions, five marks and five inside 50s. She could’ve had a massive night if she’d kicked straight, booting 0.3 for the game.

“Montana has just been interrupted since she’s come into the competition. But she’s bench pressing more than ever – apparently her numbers are off the charts – and we saw that upper body strength on Friday because she just monstered some established opposition players,” Kurdas said.

“You’ve got Laura Gardiner and Sofia Hurley who rack up the touches, but Ham’s contested touches and her ability to get out of traffic is just phenomenal and then use the ball well. She’s really come on.”

GREAT INTENT, BAD EXECUTION? VERDICT ON STARK RULE TWEAK

One of the most significant aspects to the 2025 AFLW season is a new holding the ball interpretation. And it was hard to miss across the weekend.

The AFL in June announced there would be a stricter interpretation of the holding the ball rule regarding ‘genuine attempt’, while players who either dived on or dragged the ball in would be scrutinised more harshly. The intention behind the move is to keep the ball in motion, with a view it’d lead to more scoring.

As reported by Gemma Bastiani on AFL Media on Tuesday, stoppages overall decreased across Round 1, while there was a small rise in free kicks as players continue to adjust.

But there were times across the weekend where the interpretation seemed too hot, particularly in the Giants-Essendon clash in Canberra where 43 free kicks were awarded.

While the match generated the most points of any Round 1 contest (114), Kurdas suggested the array of free kicks disrupted the momentum of the game and arguably decreased the spectacle value.

“I totally support the aspiration to keep the ball in play, bringing the boundary throw-ins and ball-ups in from the boundary – I really like that as a concept – and I love the lasso free kick between the arcs. The intent behind the new interpretation of holding the ball, I like that intent,” Kurdas said.

“There’s a difference, however, between keeping the ball in play and keeping the ball in play skilfully. What we saw (on Saturday night) in Canberra between the Giants and Essendon, players would get the ball and be tackled immediately and it would be a free kick. There was just no legitimate ‘prior’ at all.

“You’ve got to still give the players prior, because we did see one instance where Zarlie Goldsworthy was tackled … and the moment between getting the ball and disposing of the ball, she was looking up to find the right target – it was moments of a second – and got cleaned up. It was called a holding the ball free kick.

“I think we still need to give players the ability to look at the ball to get it – because that’s what you need to do, make sure you watch the ball into your hands – but you’ve got to be able to give the players the ability to look up and find the right target. Because what we saw in Canberra was players were too scared to try and find a credible target because they were fearful of getting tackled and they just threw it out.

“Yeah the ball is out in play, but it makes the spectacle worse. I thought it was a worse spectacle of football because of the interpretation of holding the ball. Whether it was the umpires were just too hot and learning to adjust to the hotness of the call, but I think we have to give the players a reasonable chance of getting it to a legitimate target – because on Saturday it actually slowed momentum down and it stopped momentum in some cases and the ball just ended up in congestion. Then we get stoppages or we get out of bounds footy.

“I’m a fan of the intent, I’m not a fan of the execution at the moment.”

‘QUESTION MARK’: SLOW STARTS FOR PERENNIAL CONTENDERS

Hawthorn’s bid for AFLW redemption after last season’s straight-sets exit started on the right note with a four-point win over Brisbane on Sunday.

The Lions had chances to steal the game in the closing stages but couldn’t take advantage of their opportunities, finishing the game with four successive behinds as they fell short at home

It was the fourth time in five seasons the Lions had lost a Round 1 match – and the third straight time they’d suffered an opening-round loss at Brighton Homes Arena.

It comes after Kurdas last week questioned what the Lions’ 2025 psychology would be like following last year’s humiliating grand final loss to North Melbourne.

“They’re normally pretty good at regrouping and reinventing themselves and adjusting to what the competition calls for. You could potentially make the argument they play right through to the last game – but that was all the way back in November-December last year. And Hawthorn went two deep in finals as well,” Kurdas said on Sunday.

“I think what we’re seeing in the case of this year is just the continued rise of Hawthorn – and they play a very similar style of footy to Brisbane and there’s a number of reasons why – but I do wonder now whether there’s something that just is gnawing at the minds of the Brisbane unit, on-field and off-field about Round 1.

Matthew Clarke, Senior Coach of the Crows. Picture: Kelly Defina/AFL Photos/via Getty Images Source: Getty Images

“Quality opposition, yes, but they’re already one down on the ladder. So it just forces their hand to regroup.

“I’m not too stressed, but I think that’s only a question mark there.”

Hours later, St Kilda defied the odds to register its first win – and highest ever score – against three-time premiers Adelaide to take home a 22-point win.

Adelaide controlled possession early but succumbed to old habits as it struggled to convert despite a sizeable inside 50 differential.

To rub salt into the wounds, premiership player Hannah Munyard left the field late in the third term with a syndesmosis injury. An extended stint on the sidelines would be a huge blow for a Crows outfit already struggling forward of the ball.

After losing both practice matches in a similar fashion, alarm bells will be ringing for Matthew Clarke as the Crows continue to be hunted.

— with NCA NewsWire

‘GROUNDHOG DAY’: GIANT DISAPPOINTMENT

As brilliant as Essendon was on Saturday night in Canberra by registering its highest ever AFLW score, the Giants had a dirty day.

The Giants lost the contested possession count by -23, while nine of Essendon’s 13 goals came from forward-half intercept chains as the Giants struggled to defend on transition.

“A really disappointing performance, unfortunately, for the Giants,” Kurdas said.

“Their susceptibility and ability to step up in those defensive moments, win the contested footy then work super hard in the back-half of the ground – it feels a little bit like groundhog day.”

Giants coach Cam Bernasconi post-game lamented “really poor decisions and some really poor fundamentals” and their inability to convert their first-quarter dominance on the scoreboard.

“We’ve spoken this year about having higher expectations, so we’ve got to expect more from each other,” Bernasconi said.

Giants players look dejected after defeat. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

“In the past we’ve been trying to build – and we are still building – but we need to get going on a few of these things. So when it comes to the poor fundamentals and decision-making, a lot of that is on the player to get to work on it.

“And they will, we’ve got a great group that wants to do it. But they’ve got to be really clear on what they can do around that component. Then when it comes to contest, we need to look at how we can coach it better too.

“They’re a coachable group, so I’m confident they’ll respond.”

But they’ll have to respond without their best player, with four-time best and fairest winner Alyce Parker ruled out for the rest of the season due to a fracture in her right foot.

“Alyce is a significant part of our AFLW program and is a leader both on and off the field,” Giants AFLW football boss Alison Zell said.

“We are devastated to see her sidelined long-term before the home and away season had even really begun but will be right alongside her throughout her rehabilitation process.”

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