VFL Women’s Round 6: Talking Points

Despite having the odds heavily stacked against them in 2017, Box Hill’s VFL Women’s side has improved in leaps and bounds over their first five matches. Come this Sunday, there will be no ifs, buts or maybes about the competition’s youngest side: the strength, talent and maturity of Paddy Hill’s team will be measured against the best in their Round 6 clash with the Darebin Falcons.

Hill lauded his side’s performance in their hard-fought Round 5 defeat against the Eastern Devils, saying he had “22 role players” in the Hawks’ “best four quarter effort” thus far. An experienced and successful team like Darebin are set to demand a higher level of performance.

Here are five talking points ahead of Round 6…

1. The pain of disappointment and discipline F
   or the third match in a row, Box Hill were left wondering what might have been as their last quarter dominance didn’t translate onto the scoreboard against the straight-shooting Devils. Hill says turning the pain of defeat into fuel for improvement has been a hallmark of his young side.
   “We certainly created enough opportunity, we just need to be better at capitalising on it. As opposed to the Cranbourne game, it felt like we could repeat this effort. I think the girls are really confident after playing against a really good opposition that they produced the sort of effort that can be replicated week in, week out. “I was impressed at how we used each other in contested situations and outnumbered our opposition at the source and the chain away, that was a far cry from anything else we’ve done this year. I was really, really happy with the resilience they showed each time throughout the day that the Devils challenged us, we were able to respond.”
2. No stargazing allowed
   16 Falcons played AFLW in 2017 with seven as either marquee or priority selections. For the Hawks, the mental challenge to meet Darebin eye-to-eye will be a significant part of the battle. When they come up against some of the best players in the country, Hill wants his charges to be focusing on nothing but “their own game”.
   “The main focus for us is we can’t get caught up in worrying about who we’re playing, they’ve just got to worry about their own role and worry about what we need to do to fit within our own game plan. That’s what we did on the weekend, we had a lot of girls that played their roles. And if we can do that, anything’s possible.”
3. Standing up to the opposition
   Is it possible to go too far in proving to your red-hot favourite opposition that you aren’t intimidated? Hill says it is, and that chest-beating at the detriment of performance is not the way he coaches.
   “You’ve got to always be respectful of your opponents. I think you can go too far that way and get off your game so I think it’s certainly about standing up for yourself and not being intimidated by the opposition. I certainly won’t be encouraging them to go out of their way to do anything like that however I do encourage them to always stand up for themselves.”
4. Our own matchwinners
   Box Hill’s best players have to maintain their form and the up-and-comers have to challenge themselves to go to the next level when they come up against Darebin on Sunday.
   “Emma Mackie had a sensational game last week and her numbers were great, it’s almost unbelievable that you can do that in 80 minutes of footy [Mackie had 35 touches and 18 clearances]. Mel’s [Kuys] last quarter was really good last week, I watched back over the tape and in the last quarter she really dug deep for the team, her running was really good. I really liked the work last week of Clare O’Donnell, she’s really understanding her role in there a bit better. She had a couple of handball receives and a nice goal. I thought Ebony Nixon really stepped up last week and played her best game.”
5. The key Falcons
   Box Hill will have to bring their A-game against a side with winners on every line. If they’re to open their account against Darebin, shutting down matchwinners will be a must.
   “Darcy Vescio is a must-stop because not only does she get up and down the ground but she kicks goals. In my time watching the AFLW she was as good as anyone I saw. They’ve got a pretty strong midfield, Jess Dal-Pos is in pretty good form and there’s probably three or four stars across every line.”