After 8 rounds of fierce competition in the 2024 ORRFW home and away season we now move onto the next stage of competition, with the top four teams on the ladder competing in the finals. Two of the 2023 finalists Manildra Mystix and Pomona Wood Nymphs have made the finals again in 2024, finishing first and fourth respectively. For the second season in a row Manildra host Pomona in week 1 of the ORFFW finals. The Junee Jets have soared this season to rise from ninth on the ladder in 2023 to finish second in 2024. After being a middle of the road team in 2023 with four wins and four losses to finish sixth the Wongan Hills Wallabies raised the bar in 2024 to lead the ORRFW for points scored and finished third on the ladder. Semi finals match-ups: Semi Final 1 @Esther ’s Manildra Mystix (1st 7w-1l) vs @anthak ’s Pomona Wood Nymphs, (4th 6w-2l) Semi Final 2 @Chloe ’s Junee Jets (2nd 7w-1l) vs @Schmitty ’s Wongan Hills Wallabies (3rd 6w-2l) Previews for the two semi finals will be added later today. 2025 TS Interleague knockout The eight teams that finished fifth to 12th on the 2024 ORFFW ladder are out of premiership contention and the draft order for these eight teams has been determined, being reverse ladder order. The 12th placed Eastern Park Dragons have the coveted number 1 pick in the 2025 ORFFW Pre-Season Draft. With the introduction of a 2025 TS Interleague knockout the eight teams that finished fifth to 12th will still take the field in ORRFW Round 9 in qualification games for next season’s TS Interleague knockout comp. Info on the 2025 TS Interleague knockout format: 2025 TS Interleague knockout – a 16 team (4 week) knockout to run across rounds 2-5 with 8 teams from the FW and 8 teams from the Premier League. The Round of 16 will be 8 PL vs FW matchups, then the QF/SF/GF bracket will be drawn with as many PL vs FW matchups as possible in the QF round. FW – 4 finals teams from 2024 then 4 qualifiers through a 2 week (round 9-10) 5th-12th place playoff in 2024 2024 Round 9 – 5/6/7/8 playoff winners (*2) qualify and losers (2*) play in Round 10. 9/10/11/12 play-off winners (*2) advance to the next round and losers (*2) eliminated. 2024 Round 10 – 5/6/7/8 losers and 9/10/11/12 winners playoff for the final 2 FW spots, playoff winners (*2) qualify and losers (2*) eliminated. The 2025 TS Interleague knockout qualification games are: Devils 5th vs Galahs 8th Belles 6th vs Valks 7th Krushers 9th vs Sirens 11th Blazers 10th vs Dragons 12th (extra time for their round 8 draw) Can the 12 ORRFW coaches please post your Round 9 teams in the thread below before the opening AFLW game of the round, Hawthorn vs Melbourne at 7.45pm AEDT today Thursday 24 October.
Semi final preview Semi Final 1 @Esther ’s Manildra Mystix (1st 7 wins - 1 loss) vs @anthak ’s Pomona Wood Nymphs, (4th 6wins - 2 losses) The semi final clash between Manildra Mystix and Pomona Wood Nymphs is the first meeting between the two teams in 2024. For the second season in a row Manildra host Pomona in week 1 of the ORFFW finals. There was a significant change at Manildra with inaugural Mystix coach @TheTassieHawk handing over coaching duties of the top of the table Manildra team to @Esther after Round 5 of the 2024 home and away season. Coaching changes in elite sports are far more common for teams on the bottom of the ladder than teams on top of the table. Esther was able to draw on her previous experience as a Head Coach in the ORFFW and the Mystix maintained their status as the pacesetters to finish on top of the ladder with 7 wins and one loss in 2024. 2024 is the fifth consecutive season that Manildra Mystix have finished in the top three on the ladder at the end of the home and away season and they are the only ORFFW club to achieve this feat in five seasons from 2021 to 2024 (there were two seasons in 2022). Manildra have been a home and away powerhouse but luck has not been on their side in the finals. As host of the 2021 Grand Final Manildra fell agonisingly short of winning the premiership, losing by a solitary point to the Scone Sirens in the Grand Final 752 to 753. In each of the past three seasons – 2022, 2022B and 2023 Manildra have been defeated in a home final in the first week of the finals with the margin being between 60 and 90 points in these three games. The Mystix can draw inspiration from some AFL teams such as Port Adelaide in 2004 and Brisbane in 2024 that have broken through to win a premiership after an extended run of making the finals. Manildra Mystix have had a set-back with F1 Kate Hore a late withdrawal for the semi final against Pomona due to a quad injury. Hore averaged 85.4 points per game in the home and away season to be convincingly ranked as the ORFFW’s number 1 forward. The Mystix have a very capable replacement for Hore in the F1 role with teammate Chelsea Randall not only the second ranked forward at Manildra but the second ranked forward in the league, averaging 70.3 points. Pomona had several seasons of falling just short of making the ORFFW finals. In 2023 Pomona broke through to finish third to qualify for the finals. In a 2024 semi final Pomona had a 61 point road victory against Manildra to advance to the Grand Final. In a shoot out Pomona as the visitor again crashed the party, defeating minor premiers Lake St Clair 961 to 937. Pomona were the second team in a row to win the premiership after finishing third at the end of the home and away season, following on from 2022B premiers Timboon Trailblazers. Pomona fans are hoping it is a case of history repeating and that they can make it three consecutive road finals victories this weekend to again end Manildra’s season. With the second pick in the inaugural ORFFW draft Pomona selected midfielder Ebony Marinoff. Fast forward to 2024 and Marinoff is the clear-cut best player in the ORFFW and has a sizeable gap over the chasing pack. During the 2024 home and away season Marinoff has averaged an incredible 150.6 points per game, a phenomenal 35% more than the second ranked player in the ORFFW, Junee Jets midfielder Ash Riddell (111.6). Semi Final 2 @Chloe ’s Junee Jets (2nd 7 wins - 1 loss) vs @Schmitty ’s Wongan Hills Wallabies (3rd 6 wins - 2 losses) 2024 is the first time that the Junee Jets and Wongan Hills Wallabies have made the ORFFW finals and with the two clubs meeting each other in a semi final we are guaranteed to have one club make their first ever Grand Final appearance in 2024. The semi final is the first encounter between the Jets and Wallabies in 2024. The Junee Jets had three wins and five losses in 2023 to finish ninth on the ladder. The Jets averaged 783 points per game, ranked 11th out of 12 teams. Incredibly @Chloe’s Jets had a meteoric rise in 2024 to have seven wins, a solitary loss and finished second on the ladder. Junee’s 877 points per game ranked third in the ORFFW in 2024 and was an improvement of 104 points on last season which equates to eight points per player. There were several ingredients to Junee’s outstanding 2024 season with a mixture of players continuing in the same role, players having a role change and some new recruits joining the Jets. Ash Riddell been tremendous as Junee’s M1 again in 2024 to average Riddell 111.6 points per game to be the second ranked mid in the league. Caitlin Gould has thrived in a new role, moving from the ruck to the forward line and is averaging 68.3 points per game to be the third ranked forward in the league. In the 2024 ORFFW mini-draft midfielder Aisling McCarthy joined Junee from Manildra Mystix. McCarthy has been able to provide leadership for the Jets and has relished the increased responsibility to be the ORFFW’s seventh ranked midfielder, averaging 100 points per game, a 47% improvement from averaging 68 points per game in 2023. A team rising from being ranked 11th for points scored in one season to win the premiership the following season may seem far-fetched but a similar storyline has played out in previously in the ORRFW with the Scone Sirens rising from 11th on the ladder in 2020 to remarkably win the premiership in dramatic fashion in the following season. The Sirens had a fairytale rise to finish fourth on the ladder in 2021 and defeated the Mystix by a solitary point in the Grand Final to win the premiership. Will we see a reprise of an ORRFW Cinderella story with the Jets in 2024? Whilst Wongan Hills Wallabies were a middle of the road team from a win-loss perspective in 2023 with four wins and four losses to finish sixth they fared much better from a points scored perspective, ranking third. The Wallabies were unlucky to miss the finals in both 2022B and 2023. Wongan Hills have led the ORFFW in 2024 with 922.5 points per game and finished third on the ladder with six wins and two losses. The Wallabies Mim Strom has averaged 107 points per game this season to be the number one ranked ruck, 28.8% ahead of the second ranked player on this line, the Devils Lucy Wales (83.1). Wongan Hills also has one of the best midfielders in the ORFFW with Charlie Rowbottom averaging 106.1 points per game to be the fourth ranked mid. The Wallabies only need to look back to last year for a precadent of an ORFFW team narrowly missing the finals for several seasons and then breaking through to win the premiership in their first finals appearance. Like the 2023 Pomona Wood Nymphs who went on to win the premiership Wongan Hills start their finals campaign on the road. Wongan Hills finished third on the ladder in 2024, the same position that the last two ORFFW premiers did. 2024 finalists In the previous two ORFFW seasons there has been a dominant home and away team that has fallen at the last or second last hurdle. In 2022B Manildra Mystix won all eight home and away games but had a 68 point home loss in week 1 of the finals to Timboon Trailblazers. Lake St Clair won all eight games in 2023 and hosted the grand final but suffered a 937 to 961 Grand Final loss to Pomona Wood Nymphs. The 2024 ORFFW home and away season has been very different to the past two home and away seasons and there hasn’t been a standout team. Two teams, Manildra and Junee have each had seven wins and one loss in 2024 but neither team ranks in the top two for points scored. Whilst the Mystix and Jets have home ground advantage in their respective semi finals they face opponents that have a points for advantage over them this season. Third placed Wongan Hills lead the league for points scored and the team ranked second in this category Pomona Wood Nymphs finished fourth on the ladder. In 2022B and 2023 the gap from the highest scoring finalist to the fourth highest ranked finalist was more than 100 points per game. All four 2024 finalists rank in the ORFFW’s top four for points scored and the gap from first to fourth in this category is less than 50 points per game which is remarkably close. With so little separating the four clubs that made the 2024 ORFFW finals the battle for the premiership is wide open, setting up an enthralling finals series.
Timboon Trailblazers: DEF: Charlotte Thomas, Maddi Gay, Sarah Goodwin (Tess Craven) MID: Lucy Single, Abbie McKay, Tarni White, Jasmine Fleming (Alicia Eva) RUC: Alice Edmonds (Fleur Davies) FWD: Bec Privitelli, Niamh McLaughlin, Dakota Davidson (Mia Austin) INT: Kaitlyn Srhoj, Shineah Goody (Mikayla Williamson) OTHERS: Brooke Barwick, Isabella Grant, Chloe Molloy (injured)
Junee Jets will remain mostly unchanged this week DEF: E. Heads, C. Gunjaca, M. McDonald MID: A. Riddell, A. Anderson, M. McCarthy, S. Conway (S. Cain) FWD: A. O'Loughlin, C. Sherriff, C. Gould (E. Hampson) RUCK: B. Moody (S. Nalder) INT: S. Thompson, S. Lampard (J. Crockett-Grills)
The Krushers team to play the Sirens looks like: Def: Lucy Cronin, Eilish Sheerin, Mackenzie Eardley (Ash Brazill (OOP) Mid: Mimi Hill, Bess Keaney, Jaimee Lambert, Hannah Priest (Darcy Moloney) Ruck: Lauren Bella (Darcie Davies) Fwd: Aishling Moloney, Issy Huntington, Katie Brennan (Mikayla Pauga) IC: Hayley Miller, Lily Goss (Kaitlyn Ashmore) Not picked or injured: Bri Davey, Madi Scanlon, Lily Johnson, Jess Rentsch
Lake St Clair Devils team to host the Galahs No change Def: Sinead Goldrick, Grace Kelly, Georgia Clayden (Zoe Prowse) Mid: Jasmine Garner, Monique Conti, Claudia Whitfort, Olivia Vesely (Kirsty Lamb) Ruc: Lucy Wales (Lauren Wakfer) Fwd: Kate Shierlaw, Georgia Garnett, Eden Zanker (Ruby Svarc) Int: Emma King, Emma Swanson (Lily Mithen)
Now add Hayley Miller and Darcy Moloney to the injury list. Absolute bare bones team now. Kaitlyn Ashmore comes in as IC with no emergencies for IC or Midfield
Sorry for late team Wallabies Round 9 Team: Def: Harriet Cordiner, Jenna Richardson, Beth Lynch (Jae Flynn) Mid: Charlie Rowbottom, Emily Bates, Tyanna Smith, Ella Roberts (Isabella Lewis) Ruc: Mim Strom (Tunisha Kikoak) Fwd: Georgia Gee, Cynthia Hamilton, Tara Bohanna (Taylor Smith) IC: Abbey Dowrick, Eliza West (Kate Dempsey) In: Abbey Dowrick, Georgia Gee Out: Kate Dempsey, Taylor Smith
Thanks for the epic preview, DMA! Unfortunately the commitment from the coaches of Pomona and Manildra do not match yours, as we have both forgotten to post our teams before the first lockout today! Ive just had a look and we both have three players each who played in the Hawks Dees game. We will both need to post our semifinal teams without those players.
Here is the Pomona side, subject to any late changes Pomona Wood Nymphs - Semi final In: Sachi Syme, Nicole Bresnehan Out: Tilly Lucas-Rodd, Jodie Hicks D: Laura Pugh, Nicole Bresnehan, Serene Watson (Brooke Brown) M: Ebony Marinoff, Jade Ellenger, Mia King, Jenna Bruton (Jasmine Stewart) R: Sabrina Frederick (Lexi Hamilton) F: Courtney Hodder, Danielle Ponter, Ashleigh Saint (Kellie Gibson) I: Bec Beeson, Sachi Syme (Jodie Hicks)
This is the third week in a row I have forgotten to post before the first lockout, sorry. I only had one player out as a result the last two weeks, but this week I had three players in the game Here is my team for the semi final Out: Tamara Smith, Kate Hore, Eliza McNamara, Dana East In: Chantel Emonson, Nicola Xenos, Isabelle Pritchard, Amy McDonald D: Emma O’Driscoll, Chantel Emonson, Chelsea Biddell (Jasmyn Smith) M: Maddy Prespakis, Isabelle Pritchard, Allison Drennan, Charlotte Simpson (Amy Smith) R: Kim Rennie (Kate Darby) F: Nicola Xenos, Chelsea Randall, Zali Friswell (Dana East) I: Amy McDonald, Sarah Rowe (Gabby Seymour) I expect Xenos wont play but Dana East is out of position as a midfielder playing forward
D: Jess Hosking. Ruby Schleicher, Tarni Evans - Gabriella Pound M: Laura Gardiner, Keeley Sherar, Sofia Hurley, Mikayla Bowen - Gabby O'Sullivan R: Jess Allan F: Charlotte Mullins, Gemma Houghton, Sarah Grunden - I: Ellie McKenzie Eilish O'Doyd - Caitlin Wendland Appologies, missed the fact we were still playing
Updated side for round 9: Def: Harriet Cordiner, Jae Flynn, Beth Lynch (Lulu Beatty) Mid: Charlie Rowbottom, Isabella Lewis, Tyanna Smith, Ella Roberts Ruc: Mim Strom (Tunisha Kikoak) Fwd: Georgia Gee, Cynthia Hamilton, Tara Bohanna (Taylor Smith) IC: Abbey Dowrick, Kate Dempsey (Haneen Zreika)
FTR - Tracey thought she had posted a team about 30- mins after me, but clearly it didn't go through for whatever reason, not discovered until after the first game today and way too late to be able to actually name a team unfortunately.
Thanks for the update, Len. We gave such late notice of the games continuing so we are willing to be a bit flexible for the non-finals games this round. The board have already discussed it and decided we will rollover Scone's team from last round. We will accept your posted team, Len.
Results are in - spreadsheet can be located on the Results page. In summary - a huge congratulations to @anthak and @Schmitty for getting the Wood Nymphs and Wallabies to the big dance!! Commiserations to @Chloe and @Esther for falling just short. In the interleague knock out competition the results went the way of the Belles, Devils, Trailblazers and Krushers. Bring on the grand final!!