AFLW Round 6 Round Table Are more mobile front lines the way to go? Can Monique Conti win the best and fairest?

Our AFLW experts, Marnie Vinall, Marissa Lordanic and Jesse Robinson address some of the burning questions ahead of Round 6.

How important is a moving forward line to a team’s success?

Marnie Vinall: I don’t think it’s a surprise that teams with more mobile and athletic forward lines – which are great both in the air and on the ground – are the teams that score more goals and position themselves higher on the scale in the middle time of the season. Last week’s Brisbane-Collingwood clash is a prime example of just how important this game is: Lions stars Jesse Wardlaw, Zimmie Farquharson and Emily Bates are all quick, mobile and athletic and can win their own ball. Bates has averaged 296.5 yards this season compared to the great Pies Sabrina Frederick who averages 48.1 and struggles to make an impact. I know these are different types of players but these are forward lines made up of players who run and recover and have more impact on the court which proves to be more beneficial than those who require a ball clean for key forwards who throw their hands up and hope for over-the-head marks, in a competition that has a problem with inaccurate kicks in every way? Well yes.

Marissa Lordanic: This is a very interesting talking point because there’s probably a natural assumption that you stick the big girls forward and then they’ll do the work. But it’s a positive thing that the AFLW has evolved in such a way that this game plan has become very old very quickly – teams need more means to achieve goals. With the team’s defenses improving every week, long kicking a tall forward is a predictable method. Freo’s multi-dimensional forward line is my prime example – they’re made up of mobile players, but they also have a great mix of players who are also high performers. A la the Demons with Tayla Harris’ ability to plant a pack and create opportunities for her crumbs. I’m interested to see how (or if) Collingwood can solve this glaring problem and find its own answer to this question…

Jesse Robinson: The short answer is: very. Teams push so far up the pitch while defending, the ability to get away from stops in numbers and have mobile forwards who either back up or be in position to win the ball back once it hits the ground is important. But as is always the case in footy, the key forwards still do, with Woodland, Harris and Brennan leading the goalscoring charts this season.

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Can Monique Conti still win league B&F despite Richmond results?

MV: You know what? She can, but I also put Maddy Prespakis in this conversation. There are so many midfielders racking up big numbers on game day without their team winning, but I’m not sure it will matter much.

ML: Conti continues to do Conti things, but it’s really no surprise. It’s a star. I thought after Richmond’s first-round victory and a series of losses that followed, does it still count? She is their best player and does so much work on the field for her team, I dare say the referees take notice of her performance as well.

JR: If Richmond was marginally better, she’d have a shot at being up there, but given Richmond’s struggles over the previous weeks, it’s hard to see her garnering enough votes to get the job done. That doesn’t take away from her amazing season and proof of the level she can perform with a real pre-season behind her. That said, I hope I’m wrong and she wins!

Which Round 6 match are you most looking forward to?

MV: Gold Coast-Geelong definitely tickles my craving. At the start of the season, they were both touted as wooden spoon contenders, but they surprised most of us with how competitive they were in games. The Suns are tied on points with the Lions and Magpies if they win this game so there’s quite a bit to do with it so to pair that possible outcome with the fact that I expect it to go as far at the end makes me jump out of my seat. I can not wait.

ML: I keep watching Suns-Cats too. I feel like it’s going to be a toss-up as to who ends up winning – it’s going to be a game of crack. I’m also excited for the West Coast home game against a struggling, inaccurate and currently vulnerable Collingwood. If the Pies produce their recent mark of footy and the Eagles, who come into the game with great confidence after recording their first win, can translate their energy into another solid performance on the pitch, then I wouldn’t be shocked if we saw another upset.

JR: I had huge doubts about whether Fremantle would contest this year, but they have become a fixture every week. They will sting after their first loss last week and finally back home they should put on a show, while the Blues are desperate for a game to bounce back from three big straight losses. This game was also one of the games of the season last year.