JUST a month out from Round 1, Melbourne’s AFLW group have gone head-to-head in an intra-club match at Casey Fields.
The Demons, split across two teams, hit their home deck on Saturday morning as part of their 2022 preparations, for what was a fairly even contest.
Each team featured a core group of Melbourne-listed players, with the likes of Kate Hore on one side and Tyla Hanks on the other, alongside several from Casey Demons’ VFLW list.
Hore and Hanks were both impressive around the ground, joined by Lily Mithen in making her presence known.
The midfielder was all smiles coming off the track, admitting it was a step up from a regular training session.
“It was nice to play some competitive footy. It was a real genuine hit-out,” Mithen told Melbourne Media post-game.
“We got here, had a team meeting, in the polo, so it felt as real as what an intra-club can feel like.
“There will be some sore bodies tomorrow which it’s been a while to be honest, to play a genuine four-quarter game of footy, so it was super fun.
With players switching between sides throughout the game, the overall group’s effort, intensity and accuracy were the main focus for senior coach Mick Stinear.
New Demon Tayla Harris looked right at home in the red and blue, finishing with four late goals, while draftee Tahlia Gillard also found her feet nice and early.
For Mithen, there were plenty of standouts among her teammates.
“Maggie Caris in the ruck, I thought she was phenomenal,” she said.
“She got it down the throats of us mids and sort of set up forward half footy really well for us.
“Daisy (Pearce) competed really well up forward, Goldie (Sinead Goldrick) had great run off half back, Libba (Libby Birch) and Gab (Gabby Colvin) were solid key defenders and Hanksy (Hanks) was solid in the middle.
“It was all the usual suspects, with a lot of young girls stepping up, as well, and competing.
“It was really competitive from all aspects.”
The group will now turn their attention to next Saturday’s official AFLW practice match against Collingwood, which will be another key component of their Round 1 preparations.
The Demons’ 2022 campaign kicks off on January 8. You can join the journey by signing up as a member here, which gains you access to all home games at Casey Fields.
See below for all the action shots from the match, courtesy of Kelly Defina/Getty Images via AFL Photos.
