MELBOURNE has claimed a pre-season win over Collingwood in an official practice match at Casey Fields.
The two sides came together on Saturday morning in tough conditions with the heat and wind settling in early.
The first quarter saw Collingwood kick with the wind, but thanks to strong displays from Melbourne's defence, the Pies were kept to two goals for the term.
An unexpected pause in play hit the game at the quarter-time break, with lightning and thunder resulting in a 20-minute delay.
After a quiet third term from both sides, the Dees came out firing in the last 20 minutes of the match, producing a final-quarter surge of four goals to zero.
The defensive efforts from Melbourne played a major role in the win, keeping the Pies to just three goals over the four quarters.
Jackie Parry proved her strengths in the ruck, working alongside Lauren Pearce, while Libby Birch was a force down back.
Forward Kate Hore also had an impressive day out, snapping up four of the side's six goals.
Reflecting on the 19-point win post-match, Hore explained how important today's game was in implementing the side's training practices.
"It was really good to test ourselves against a quality opposition like Collingwood," Hore told Melbourne Media.
"We practiced some of our control-play, fast-play, which we've really been working on at training, so it was good to be able to implement that today."
The group will now take a week-long break over the Christmas period, before returning to training on Monday 27 December to continue preparations for their Round 1 clash against the Western Bulldogs.
With the break scheduled just two weeks out from the club's season opener, Hore explained that the side were prepared for a balanced period.
"It'll be a nice time to relax," Hore said.
"We'll be spending time with friends and family, but at the same time, we're pretty close to the season so the girls will definitely be getting some training in over the break."
You can join the girls in preparing for season 2022 by signing up as an AFLW member here, gaining you access to all home games at Casey Fields.
FINAL SCORE:
Melbourne 6.5 (41)
Collingwood 3.4 (22)
GOALS:
Melbourne Hore (4), West (1), Hanks (1)
Hear more from our post-match chat with Hore below.
