The AFL is seeing the consequences of a condensed AFLW fixture play out in real time, with Collingwood captain Bri Davey set to sit out for two-and-a-half games with concussion.
AFLW players have long voiced their desperation to have the season extended out so that they play more games at the highest level.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Bri Davey set to miss multiple games with concussion.
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The AFL this year listened to the players’ wishes, giving them an extra game in the season, but did so without extending it in length.
The 2024 campaign features 11 games — up from 10 in the past three years — condensed into a 10-week home and away season.
It caused outrage when it was announced, given it would mean teams would have to play mid-week games at difficult times for fans to attend games without missing work.
But more pertinently, as we saw play out last night, the condensed fixture puts players at risk of playing less games than before because of injury.
Davey was hit in the back of the head in a marking contest at Ikon Park on Tuesday night, with a flying West Coast forward Ella Roberts accidentally collecting the Collingwood skipper as she flew through the air.
Davey looked shaken by the hit and was taken off in the hands of trainers after initially laying motionless on the ground for an extended moment.
She must now sit out 12 days of footy as part of the AFL’s concussion protocols.
With the incident occurring early in the second quarter, she will now effectively miss almost three games, with clashes against the Western Bulldogs and Gold Coast in the next nine days.
“Bri Davey out of the rest of this game with concussion and will now miss 2.5 matches with the 12 day protocol,” Channel 7’s Kate McCarthy said.
“I said leading into the season, we will see players playing LESS matches this year with this condensed fixture… 11 games is 10 weeks is ridiculous.”
McCarthy’s frustrations were echoed by a number of others online.
“So, if Bri Davey or other players have concussion during the compressed fixture part they could miss three games Only just clicked with Bri being assessed,” one said.
“Bri Davey in concussion protocols and effectively missing three games thanks to the compressed schedule. Super rough,” another added.
The injury sees Collingwood’s start to the season go from bad to worse as they were crushed by the high-flying Eagles..
After leading at quarter time, the Magpies failed to score a single point until nine minutes before fulltime as they slumped to a 5.6 (36) to 3.1 (19) defeat.
They remain winless after four matches, with only percentage keeping them clear of the Western Bulldogs in last place.
And their misery was compounded when Davey was forced from the field after a head knock in the second quarter and failed to return.
“Anytime you lose a player and a leader like that is really hard to come back from,” said Magpies coach Sam Wright.
“But I’m more disappointed for Bri because she’s put in a lot of work and she’s come back and she’s just a quality human and a quality player. We absolutely missed her tonight.”
Defensively, the Magpies were much improved on their previous two outings, having conceded more than 70 points against the Brisbane Lions and Hawthorn.
But the players still had a long way to go to learn about their defensive positioning and systems, Wright said.
The Eagles started slowly, conceding the first two goals of the game in the opening five minutes, but from then on, it was one-way traffic.
Teenage marvel Roberts amassed 19 possessions as West Coast’s dominant midfield iced the Magpies out of their attacking 50.
On the odd occasion they did bear down on goal, the Eagles’ defending was steadfast.
Belinda Smith’s outstanding diving smother to deny Sabrina Frederick an open goal was a standout.
Up top, Jess Hosking scored a brace while Amy Franklin shook off a painful finger injury to score a goal of her own.
“That’s the team we want to become: one that doesn’t really value the stat sheet or who gets the accolades, but really valuing those actions,” said West Coast coach Daisy Pearce.
“And there were a lot of them tonight. ‘Hosko’ led the way, I thought; Bee Smith’s smother on the goal line, just that desperation to save a goal.”
The Eagles move to third on the ladder after their first back-to-back wins in club history.
With just four rounds completed, they have already set a record for their most wins in a single season.
“They’ve put in a mountain of work and not just this year, but they’ve been building for a long time,” Pearce said.
“It’s a very young team that sometimes takes time to develop.
“The consistency of our training has really improved, bringing experienced people in that lift your overall training standard.
“It teaches those younger, really talented players how to work, and I think that’s probably been the biggest thing.”
– With AAP
