Sunday s NAB AFLW Grand Final is a David v Goliath battle - but both North Melbourne and Brisbane would argue they re David. Sarah Black takes a look at each side s claim to be the underdog
Brisbane Lions win historic first AFLW premiership over the Adelaide Crows
updated 12
AprApril 2021 at 1:23pm
The Brisbane Lions had tasted defeat twice on the biggest stage, before overcoming the highly fancied Adelaide Crows to claim their first AFLW premiership.
(
Print text only
Cancel
In a letter addressed to Lions fans before the start of the 2021 AFLW grand final, Emily Bates penned what she called a true cliche : It s as old as the game itself. But it has never been truer. A champion team will always beat a team of champions.
Against the star power of Erin Phillips, Ebony Marinoff, Anne Hatchard and the other usual suspects, Brisbane did indeed prove Bates who would finish the final as the game s equal highest possession-getter and the cliche true in their 18-point victory over Adelaide.
AFLW Grand Final preview and prediction
By
2021-04-14T11:41+10:00
In a rematch of the inaugural AFLW Grand Final, Adelaide will take on Brisbane on Saturday afternoon with everything on the line.
The Crows will be looking to claim their third premiership from four tries, if you discount the cancelled 2020 season, and cement their legacy as the dominant team of the first era of AFLW.
A lot has changed since 2017, but Adelaide still has 12 members of that Grand Final side on their list and their core players remain.
Brisbane meanwhile only has seven, with the majority of their side picked off by expansion teams.
Print text only
Cancel
When it comes to the ever-expanding world of AFLW, it seems the more things change, the more they stay the same.
In many ways the 2021 season has been revelatory, the most significant step forward for the competition since its maiden voyage in 2017.
Even the most casual of onlookers would have been able to recognise the improvement in the overall standard of football in 2021. Perversely benefiting from a lack of expansion this year, the season has just felt settled from the outset, allowing the strong clubs to continue their natural growth without mass player pillaging and the newer clubs to find their feet at their own pace.