On Sunday afternoon, Brisbane and Adelaide will play off for the 12th time in their AFLW history, the most of any pairing in the competition’s history.
They are the truest of AFLW adversaries, with their rivalry born out of do-or-die finals battles and dramatic, momentum-swinging home-and-away matches.
The Lions and the Crows are also the most successful clubs in the league, winning two and three premierships respectively.
Now, nine seasons in, they once again sit first and second on the ladder. Separated only by percentage, their reign looks set to continue in 2024.
Internal improvement
This year, both Brisbane and Adelaide have leant on internal improvement from their respective playing lists.
The recruitment of new players, particularly through the draft, is always key to building lists, but these sides reliably maintain a steady stream of improving players, under whom younger recruits can bide their time.
While each club has debuted two players so far this season – Brooke Boileau and Amy Boyle-Carr for the Crows, Evie Long and Sophie Peters for the Lions – they have been able to come in and simply contribute, rather than be relied upon in a more serious fashion.
One player in particular for each side has made big strides in the first half of the 2024 season, epitomising the club-wide attitude toward internal growth, as well as exemplifying key areas of the way each team wants to play.
For the Crows, it’s Jess Allan, and for the Lions, it’s Jade Ellenger.
Adelaide’s tall puzzle
Jess Allan’s return to the ruck for Adelaide has unlocked her and the team’s best footy. (Getty Images: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos)
Last year, Allan returned to the Crows after two seasons at Greater Western Sydney, and another two on the sidelines focused on her career outside footy.
Her arrival, and ability to hold down the No.1 ruck role, created a positive domino effect for Adelaide.
With Allan in the ruck, fellow tall Caitlin Gould was afforded the freedom to play as a pure key forward – something the Crows desperately needed in the absence of Ash Saint who had moved across town to Port Adelaide – and therefore allowed Gould to be the biggest improver at the club last year.
Now, with the pair in their established roles of ruck and forward, it is Allan who is taking her game to a new level.
Her strength in the air, and neat connection with her midfielders, has allowed Adelaide to average the most clearances in its history with 29.8 per game, while Allan also kicked the first goals of her career in week one.
What Allan also provides her Crows is defensive coverage once the ball has been sent forward.
Adelaide is seriously disciplined, trapping the ball in attack and setting up its back line in an arc that sits a kick outside of its attacking 50.
Allan reliably fills a hole in that structure, allowing the Crows to intercept any of the opposition’s attempts to exit, and send the ball straight back into an attacking position.
Brisbane’s run and gun
Jade Ellenger’s foot speed from halfback has been key for the Lions. (Getty Images: James Worsfold)
The Lions’ running game has been a staple of the AFLW for several seasons now, and this year is no different. What has changed, however, is the areas in which their experienced runners position themselves.
Sophie Conway, a 2023 All-Australian on the wing, has spent more time playing inside the contest this year, and Ellenger has launched her attacking dash from the halfback line rather than the wing this year.
While Ellenger’s time off halfback did begin in part last year, it has become a more honed positional shift in 2024.
Ellenger’s evolution
| Avg disposals | Avg tackles | Avg metres gained | Avg score involvements | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 14.6 | 3.5 | 293.7 | 1.8 |
| 2024 | 15.8 | 4.8 | 352.4 | 3.0 |
Just like Allan for Adelaide, Ellenger has also increased her scoreboard impact, kicking two goals against West Coast last week.
Her serious endurance makes Ellenger the ideal rebounding halfback option, able to press up the ground and become part of Brisbane’s wave of players using quick hands and foot speed to get the ball inside 50, but she is also reliably getting back into defence to limit the opposition from attacking themselves.
With such a shift from Ellenger, the Lions have been able to blood both Long and Peters in a wing role, preparing the next wave of Brisbane runners to maintain its reign.
Now, as the two sides prepare to go head-to-head on Sunday afternoon, it will be a top of the table clash between two clubs with distinct, well-organised brands.
Key to their preparation will be not just preparing for the star names each team boasts, but the depth players who are on the improve, most notably Allan and Ellenger.
