ISABELLE Pritchard faces an anxious wait, with the match review officer almost certain to cite a stray final-quarter elbow from the Western Bulldogs’ star.
Late in the game, as the Dogs were cruising to a 57-point win over Essendon as part of the AFLW’s Pride Round, Pritchard took a strong intercept mark. But as she worked to get back off the mark, battling with Bomber Maddy Prespakis, Pritchard threw an elbow that connected with Prespakis’ temple.
The Bomber was forced from the field, with blood streaming from her head, and she looked rattled as the gash was being patched up.
“(Prespakis) was pretty swollen around the eye, so yeah, hopefully she’s okay … To be honest, I’ve heard about (the incident), but I actually haven’t seen it yet,” Essendon coach Natalie Wood said following the game.
“We’ll have a look, and if it needs to get looked at, I’m sure the AFL will.”
Bulldogs coach Tam Hyett also noted that she is yet to see the incident.
“I haven’t seen it yet, so I can comment when I’ve seen it. (It) was a good mark, that’s the part I saw,” Hyett said.
Essendon’s loss was a significant fall from grace after a strong fortnight in which it challenged ladder-leaders North Melbourne and Melbourne in consecutive matches. It took until the final 10 seconds to register a goal and avoid the lowest score in the club’s AFLW history.
“Credit to the Bulldogs, their pressure around the ball, their ball use, their assertiveness to get to the football, outnumber at (the) contest, it was much more superior than ours,” Wood said.
“I don’t ever question or fault the group’s desire, their connection, and their intent, but our ability to translate that into execution and high performance is varied at the minute, and that’s something we need to work through.”
For Hyett, the victory wasn’t just a sign of how far the Dogs have come under her tutelage, but also a win for selection integrity, after captain De Berry was dropped for the game.
“We have selection considerations and whether you’re the captain or not, you’re still upheld to those, and De’s probably been a bit quiet the five weeks that she’s been in,” Hyett said.
“So, we just wanted her to go and play the scrimmage tomorrow, play on a bit of instinct, and get her hand on the footy. She’s a talented player, and I’m sure she’ll do that.
