AFLW Coach Mick Stinear says a dominant second quarter set his team up for the win over Adelaide Crows at Casey Fields on Saturday night.
The Demons won the second-round clash by 32 points after a tight contest in the first term. Stinear said he was pleased with his players’ response at the first break.
“Adelaide’s physicality and pressure around the ball – it just took us a quarter to adjust to it,” he said.
“We had our fair share of the ball in the first quarter, but we rushed and didn’t execute with the footy in our hands.
Aliesha Newman celebrates a goal during the win over Adelaide (Photo: Michael Willson/AFL Media)
“The girls, to their credit, responded really well and took the game away from Adelaide in that second quarter.”
Star midfielder Karen Paxman played the game on her own terms, racking up 21 disposals, two marks and one tackle.
The leading possession-getter looked strong and healthy, despite leaving the ground early last week due to a back injury.
Stinear said Paxman did a “power of work during the week” to ensure she was fit for the game.
“This time last week, we were concerned, as it was a back spasm that was pretty debilitating at the time,” he said.
“It caught everyone by surprise, including her … but we’re not suspecting it to be a future problem.”
“To do what she did today was fantastic, and that’s the sort of quality player she is.”
Stinear said 29-year-old Paxman worked on her overall game leading into season 2018.
“She’s taken her running capacity to another level – just that speed and endurance combination,” he said.
“She’s clean around the footy and she’s worked on her stoppage craft for centre bounces and around the ground stoppages.
“It is exciting to see where she can take it. Only 12 months at an AFL level, and she’s a high-class player.”
Draftee Kate Hore was influential up forward with 20 disposals and three tackles, while co-captain Elise O’Dea and midfielder Lily Mithen each finished with 19 touches.
Brooke Patterson in action during the win over Adelaide at Casey Fields on Saturday (Photo: Michael Willson/AFL Media)
Captain Daisy Pearce recorded 17 possessions of her own, combined with an impressive 11 tackles.
Stinear said it was the likes of O’Dea and Pearce in the midfield that helped drive the team’s performance.
“They’re all quality players, but they’re just able to share the workload at the moment, so we’re not relying on any one player,” he said.
“That’s allowing them to perform from the first quarter through to the last quarter, and they’re all adding other dimensions to their game.
“In 16 [players] a side, that’s pretty critical.”
Despite the large winning margin, Stinear said there is still a lot to take out of the match.
“We’ve just got to try and improve every week. There were some really good patches today, some areas where we lapsed and some room for improvements with how we use the ball,” he said.
“It’s a short, compact season, but individually if you keep trying to get better, and as a team if we keep trying to get better, the success will take care of itself.”
