AFL Central West women take centre stage
All five AFL Central West women’s teams make their way to George Park Bathurst for a Female Football Gala Day. Following the Dubbo Demon’s withdrawal, the AFL CW Women’s competition needed to find more matches. Five matches make up the day, with each team playing twice. Additionally, the day will allow our representative coaches to select an inaugural AFL CW Women’s Representative team who play AFL Sapphire Coast on July 6.
Orange Tigers vs Cowra Blues – 11am George Park #1, Bathurst
Orange Tigers got back to winning ways last weekend on the wide open GP2 field. In what was a hard fought victory against the Bushrangers, the Tigers showed determination and found an extra gear towards the end of the match. They will hope that both matches this week will be slightly easier against the 4th and 5th placed sides. Cowra were challenged by the GIANTS and will need to be at their best this week to be competitive. There are plenty of talented players in the Cowra team led by Sarah Day however are a low scoring team against a strong defensive Tigers unit.
Bathurst Bushrangers vs Bathurst GIANTS – 11am George Park #2, Bathurst
The hosts would have quickly forgotten the last time these two sides met back in Round 1. In that game, the Bushrangers new faces were greeted by the GIANTS to the tune of 72 points. The Bushrangers have certainly improved since that match but this is a GIANTS team that just doesn’t concede points. Unbeaten, the #1 ranked offence, and the #1 ranked defence spells trouble for the Bushrangers however on the larger GP2, it should be closer than Round 1.
Bathurst Bushrangers vs Parkes Panthers – 12:45pm George Park #2, Bathurst
It’s tough to back up and play immediately after their first but against Parkes, the Bushrangers will do just that. Parkes have their first match of the day and will be fresh, however will need to bring their absolute best in this contest. Parkes can certainly win this match, they will need to get off to a fast start to maximise their opponent’s fatigue and then defend solidly.
Bathurst GIANTS vs Cowra Blues – 2:30pm George Park #1, Bathurst
The two sides met last week, and the GIANTS had the game won by half time. With this both sides second match, squad depth will be tested. The GIANTS should run this one out with their extra rotations and will be looking to improve to six-from-six.
Orange Tigers vs Parkes Panthers – 2:30pm George Park #2, Bathurst
Having a large squad should allow the Tigers to rotate heavily and keep their players fresh for the Panthers. Additionally, with both sides playing two matches on GP2, fresh legs will be crucial to remain competitive. Parkes will be coming straight off their Bushrangers match so their smaller squad will definitely be challenged. Expect the Tigers to have too much talent across the field and pick up a victory here.
Keep up-to-date with all AFL Central West related news by following us on Facebook
