NOWRA’S Maddy Collier and her GWS Giants have fallen in a tight contest in humid conditions against Brisbane, losing to the Lions by two points in the AFLW opening round.
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With seven players making their debut in Sunday's game, all eyes were on who would make a shining start to their AFLW careers.
Among them was Yvonne Bonner, a Gaelic football player with only a dozen AFL training sessions in under her belt. She booted the first goal of the match with a free kick but it was Brisbane's Jess Wuetschner who made the greatest impact with three goals in a 28-26 victory.
The Giants had taken a seven-point lead into half-time when their Cora Staunton kicked another goal 15 seconds before the break.
The second half begun with another goal from Wuetschner, who delivered the ball straight through the posts in the second minute and brought the Lions within one point of the Giants. It didn’t last long: an around the body kick from Bonner was delivered neatly to near the Giants’ posts, where Christina Bernardi picked the ball up and kicked it through.
The Lions had spent the first half of the game waiting for forward Sabrina Frederick-Traub to kick into gear: Frederick-Traub turned the game around in the Lions’ final match against the Giants last year, taking Brisbane to the grand final.
While Frederick-Traub didn’t manage to score a goal in Sunday’s first half, where she was followed closely by Giants defender Tanya Hetherington, she shone for the Lions in the third quarter.
Her kick into the 50-metre zone was tapped through the posts by Wuetschner for her third goal.
Frederick-Traub then finally scored herself in the final minutes of the third quarter, putting the Lions in front by one goal after being behind for most of the game.
The siren beat the Lions to a fourth goal being counted, but it was enough to lift Brisbane's spirits as they entered the final quarter with a six-point lead.
The Lions came close to advancing this in the fourth quarter, but desperation from the Giants’ Pepa Randall made a near-goal a behind. It became anybody's game once again after another goal from Staunton brought the Giants within just one point of the Lions.
But the game was destined to remain within a hair’s breadth. Although the intensity picked up in the last five minutes and GWS held onto the ball, the Lions’ tight defence stopped them securing their dream of a week one victory.
“It’s bloody good to be back, that’s all I can say,’’ Frederick-Traub said.
