3 minute read
Midfielders Maddy Prespakis and Georgia Nanscawen were outstanding as Essendon upset West Coast by 16 points on Saturday in their AFLW clash in Perth.
Star onballer Maddy Prespakis has overcome a quad injury and a controversial disallowed goal to dominate in Essendon's 16-point upset AFLW win over West Coast.
After losing co-captain Bonnie Toogood last week to a long-term knee injury, the Bombers rebounded superbly on Saturday in Perth and won 6.5 (41) to 3.7 (25) for their first win of the season.
Prespakis was outstanding throughout, racking up 27 disposals in a best-afield game.
Fellow onballer Georgia Nanscawen also was prominent in the win, with 25 possessions and six clearances.
Georgia Gee was a late withdrawal for the Bombers with a calf injury, but debutant Chloe Adams seized her moment and kicked a goal in the first quarter as Essendon took control.
It is the first loss for the Eagles' high-profile coach Daisy Pearce, and her review will focus heavily on their disastrous opening term, when they somehow managed no inside-50s despite good conditions.
West Coast are yet to have successive AFLW wins.
Prespakis had ice on her right quad after the match, with coach Natalie Wood revealing the onballer had to pass a fitness test before dominating against the Eagles.
"No injury concern - I carried a bit of a contusion in my quad this week, so a bit of blood on the muscle ... it just restricted the movement a little bit," Prespakis told Fox Footy
"I fought through it really well today and there was no way I was missing out (on the win)."
The Bombers started as outsiders after losing Toogood among four changes, following last week's loss to Fremantle, while the Eagles were coming off a first-up win.
"You lose an integral leader and focal point up forward (Toogood), but all that did with our group was (to) get them really busy and really hungry, for other people to find opportunities to fill that void," Wood said.
Essendon swamped West Coast in the first term, with 14 inside-50s to none and 16 more contested possessions, as second-gamer Emily Gough and Adams kicked goals to put them in control.
They should have been three goals up, with a Prespakis shot after the siren also going through. But the umpires controversially ruled she had run off her line in taking the kick and the goal was disallowed. The replay strongly suggested it was a fierce call on the Bombers star.
"I don't reckon I did (go off the line) ... I thought it was a goal," Prespakis said.
West Coast rallied and only trailed by five points in the third term, but Essendon steadied to lead by 17 points at the last break and held on through a goalless final quarter.
While Pearce was pleased with the Eagles' resilience, she said the first term was telling.
"They gave us a bit of a lesson in that first quarter ... if you're not ready to go from the very first bounce, then good opposition will make you pay," she said.
Forward Ella Roberts starred for West Coast despite a blood nose in the second half.
Defender Beth Schilling helped keep the Eagles in the game, racking up seven marks.
Essendon's Ashleigh Van Loon limped off late, but Wood said it was nothing more than cramp.
The Bombers play St Kilda at home next weekend, while the Eagles face the Western Bulldogs then Collingwood in a Melbourne road trip.
