A nightmare collision has sidelined Essendon’s best player and a teenage gun and set in motion a calamitous opening round 64-21 loss to Fremantle on Saturday.
Young forward Amber Clarke ran into the path of an oncoming Bonnie Toogood as the Bombers co-captain steamed towards a high ball inside Essendon’s forward 50 early in the second quarter of the Windy Hill clash.
The pair appeared to clash heads before Clarke’s head sickeningly hit the ground left her knocked out cold.
The 19-year-old was stretchered off the field, while Toogood, who limped from the field and was in tears on the sidelines, was assessed in the rooms and ruled out of the game with ice on her right knee.
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Bombers coach Natalie Wood said the reigning best and fairest was “devastated” not to be able to lead the side after suffering the knock.
“Bonnie copped a pretty heavy knock to her knee – we’ll get that scanned and see how that comes up,” Wood said after the game.
Trailing by eight points at the time of the collision, Fremantle raced away with four consecutive goals as Toogood’s opponent, veteran recruit Ash Brazill, dictated play after being freed up as an intercept defender.
Wood did not deny the heavy collision had badly affected the Bombers on the field.
“We’re still three seasons in, and those moments – they’re big. We heard that collision from the sidelines, and that jolts everyone,” she said.
DEMOTED SKIPPER RESPONDS
If Hayley Miller felt any disappointment when she was surprisingly demoted to the joint vice-captaincy for an injured Ange Stannett, it is not showing in her football.
Miller led from the front during the Dockers’ second-quarter surge, tackling relentlessly and engineering two goals, which included a clever toe-poke across the face to set up Aine Tighe.
Tighe (3.1) is already forming a potent combination with West Coast recruit Aisling McCarthy, who was the Dockers’ best with 23 disposals and two goals in a superb club debut.
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BANNISTER’S ACL COMEBACK
Daria Bannister has endured an incredibly luckless run with injury but on Saturday again bounced back with a determined performance.
Just like she did on return from an ACL for North Melbourne in 2019, Bannister kicked the opening goal of the game before a clever banana gave the Bombers their second before halftime.
RAZOR SHARP CALL
Bannister’s goal came through a theatrical piece of officiating from the not-so-retired Ray Chamberlain, who will be mentoring younger umpires during the AFLW season.
With no fewer than four Essendon forwards crowding her – but not shaping to tackle – near the goal line, an intimidated Dockers defender backed over the line after a few seconds of hesitation, and was pinged for a deliberate rushed behind.
‘RUTHLESS’ DOCKERS EYE CROWS UPSET.
Piling on another five unanswered goals with the breeze in the final term, Lisa Webb’s Fremantle flexed its muscles in a promising start after two consecutive seasons missing finals.
It comes ahead of a big clash against powerhouse Adelaide in Perth next Sunday.
“They were just ruthless, and it’s something that we pride ourselves on, consistency over four quarters,” Webb said.
“We’ve still got a lot to improve on, but it was a pleasing start.”
OTHER AFLW RESULTS
GWS Giants 10.12 (72) defeated Western Bulldogs 1.3 (9)
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