This week,

The AFLW is wearing more Indigenous guernseys!

Welcome to Balls of Steel’s AFL Beat!

So, remember when I said last week that we are starting to see which teams are good and which ones aren’t? Well, we had a few upsets this week that showed there may be more contenders than I initially considered.

There was also a last minute switch in games from what I had announced last week due to COVID.

There is much to go over. Let’s get right to it!

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Week 3 Recaps

Geelong Cats 9 – 24 Western Bulldogs

By all accounts, the Cats played pretty well and gave the Doggies all they could. I still don’t see any goals, though. We need more on attack before we can truly contend. Good defense will hold down the opposition, but it won’t be enough to win as was the case here.

Here are the highlights:

GWS Giants 18 – 8 Gold Coast Suns

This was a carbon copy of the Cats-Doggies game. There is a LOT to like about the Suns, but they just can’t get any offense going. Once they figure that out, they’ll be in good shape.

Here are the highlights:

St. Kilda Saints 16 – 40 Carlton Blues

The Blues came out fierce in this game and did not let up. The Saints tried valiantly to make a game of it, but every time they made a push, the Blues answered. A very good win for the Blues, who desperately needed a win to stay within sight of the Six.

Here are the highlights:

Melbourne Demons 60 – 51 North Melbourne Kangaroos

This was, without a doubt, the best match of the season and, arguably, the best match in AFLW history. It was high-scoring and intense and exciting to the end. I look forward to a possible rematch in Finals.

Here are the highlights:

Adelaide Crows 13 – 43 Fremantle Dockers

This was a big upset considering the Dockers were forced to leave Western Australia due to COVID restrictions and play in Adelaide. A very comprehensive victory for the Dockers who have now won 10 games in a row after going undefeated last year.

Here are the highlights:

Richmond Tigers 31 – 48 Collingwood Magpies

The Tigers played their best game of the season despite a last-minute change of opponent but still couldn’t overcome the Pies. They are getting better each week, though.

Here are the highlights:

Brisbane Lions 65 – 20 West Coast Eagles

This game was moved to Australian Monday because West Coast had to leave Western Australia due to COVID restrictions and Victoria is under lockdown. So, the Eagles went east to play Brisbane while their original opponent, the Tigers, stayed in Victoria to play the Pies.

At the end of the day, the Lions prevailed although the Eagles hung with them for the first half. A tremendous third quarter by Brisbane, however, put the game away.

Here are the highlights:

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Ladder

Here is how the teams stand after Round 3:

P	TEAM	W	L	T	PTS	%
1	Brisbane Lions	3	0	0	12	502.9
2	Fremantle Dockers	3	0	0	12	225.5
3	Collingwood Magpies	3	0	0	12	170.3
4	Melbourne Demons	3	0	0	12	156.9
5	North Melbourne Kangaroos	2	1	0	8	200.0
6	Adelaide Crows	2	1	0	8	172.4
7	Western Bulldogs	2	1	0	8	112.5
8	Carlton Blues	1	2	0	4	113.2
9	St. Kilda Saints	1	2	0	4	65.3
10	GWS Giants	1	2	0	4	47.7
11	Richmond Tigers	0	3	0	0	44.4
12	West Coast Eagles	0	3	0	0	36.1
13	Gold Coast Suns	0	3	0	0	32.4
14	Geelong Cats	0	3	0	0	24.3

And now, the glorious return of the Balls GraphTM:

[gview file=”https://www.doorfliesopen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/AFLW-Ladder-2021R3.pdf”]

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Footy Tipping Contest

Here is how we stack up after Round 3:

P	TIPPER	Round Tips	Round Margin	Total Tips	Total Margin
1	SonOfSpam	5	1	17	38
2	BC Dick	5	5	15	19
3	BALLS	4	10	13	35
4	Game Time Decision	4	10	13	60
5	Litre_cola	3	2	12	22
6	BFC	4	4	11	30
7		4	6	10	29

Congratulations to SonOfSpam and BCDick for getting top scores this week and continuing to set the pace!

We are still a tightly-packed bunch, so anything can happen. There is still time to join this year’s competition! Remember that Away Team wins count for new players, so you won’t start from 0. Please follow the link below to join in the fun:

https://mobile.footytips.com.au/competitions/?competitionId=454009&ff=ladders

I remind you, as always,

DON’T FORGET TO PUT THE FOOTY TIPS IN!

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Balls’ Sechs

• Last week, I said that Brisbane, North Melbourne, and Adelaide were the class of the league. Both Adelaide and North Melbourne lost this week. This is why I don’t gamble.
• I am, of course, an idiot for not including the Dockers in my top three. They are riding a 10 game win streak that will probably become 11 since they are scheduled to play Gold Coast at home next Round.
• Melbourne and Collingwood are still undefeated but I’m not sure how good they really are. The Demons made a strong statement in beating the Roos. Time will tell if they can keep that level of performance up.
• Among the teams with at least one loss, Carlton and Western are SUPPOSED to be good, but they haven’t performed consistently and Adelaide this week looked like the team from last year, not the one from the first two games.
• In the race to the Wooden Spoon, my two favourites are Geelong and Gold Coast. I’m hoping each team at least gets one win. I’m pretty sure that Richmond, who went winless last year, will get a victory at some point this year.
• West Coast played toe to toe with Brisbane for a half and couldn’t maintain the intensity. That has been their story all year. Once they can play four full quarters, they will be a team to reckon with.

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Round Four Schedule

The Round 4 schedule was announced at Half Time of the Richmond-Collingwood game. Of course, it’s different from what was previously announced. As of now, the schedule stands as written below.

Here are this week’s games (all times Pacific):

Friday, February 19, 2021

12:10 AM – St. Kilda Saints v Geelong Cats at RSEA Park

8:10 PM – Carlton Blues v Richmond Tigers at IKON Park

10:10 PM – Fremantle Dockers v Gold Coast Suns at Fremantle Oval

Saturday, February 20, 2021

12:10 AM – North Melbourne Kangaroos v Collingwood Magpies at Marvel Stadium

6:10 PM – Brisbane Lions v Adelaide Crows at Hickey Park

8:10 PM – Western Bulldogs v Melbourne Demons at Whitten Oval

10:10 PM – GWS Giants v West Coast Eagles at Blacktown International Sportspark

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That’s all for this week. See you next week!