Essendon were a big winner from the AFLW midweek footy stretch, bouncing back to record three wins in the space of just nine days.
Following their 1-3 start to the campaign, an emphasis on strong preparation held the side in good stead to recapture winning form, which held true in their tough nine-point win over Gold Coast on Sunday.
Assistant Coach Paul Groves was impressed by the mentality of the team on the road, with their unity and durability key components from a challenging but successful run in the fixture.
“It’s been very interesting to say the least, playing three games in nine or 10 days,” Groves said.
“There’s a lot of different challenges you probably haven’t come up against in this sort of setting, so the reviewing and previewing all happened in one meeting. To top it off with the away trip at the end of those three games and for us to walk out with three wins in that period is amazing.
“The work by all our crew behind the scenes over the last 48 hours to prepare them for the heat was outstanding.”
The Dons’ midfield depth was critical in securing the result over the weekend, with strong contributions from bull Georgia Nanscawen (28 disposals) and star Maddy Prespakis (22 disposals, two goals) propelling the on-ball brigade.
A comprehensive 44-26 win in the inside 50 count reflected that ability to get the ball moving ahead of centre, with Groves hoping that connection going forward can keep improving.
“I thought our mids were exceptional,” Groves said.
“(Gold Coast have) got some really quality players in there but ‘Maddy P’ was outstanding. She did a bit of a role on Charlie Rowbottom that freed up ‘G Nans’ (Nanscawen), ‘Caino’ (Steph Cain) and ‘Brok’ (Brooke Walker) in there as well.
“We ran it out really well at the end there and obviously Gold Coast to their credit fought back pretty strongly at the end. We dominated inside 50’s so that connection piece is going to be what we focus on.
“I thought we won clearances really well, that gave us time in forward half so the next step is just converting on all those inside 50’s.”
The return of Co-Captain Bonnie Toogood has added another spring in the team’s step, with a welcome boost in on-field leadership and energy ahead of another important run of games.
Equipped with a slightly longer break this week, the Dons are already keen to crack into Friday night’s primetime slot against Toogood’s former side in the Western Bulldogs at Whitten Oval.
“It’s pretty handy (having Toogood back),” Groves said.
“The team walk a little bit taller with her in the mix, so it’s good for her to get through it, tick that off and look forward to next week against the Bulldogs back at Whitten.
“We have a five or six day break now going into the Bulldogs, so it’s a bit of a luxury for us. We’ll work pretty hard this week and get ourselves right.”
