Collingwood have shown their AFLW finals credentials with an impressive 29-point away win over Brisbane on Saturday.
A midfield masterclass from Pies pair Brittany Bonnici (26 disposals) and Brianna Davey (22 disposals) and strong marking from forward Sarah D’Arcy was instrumental in the 5.13 (43) to 2.2 (14) victory.
The Lions nearly made the visitors pay for wasteful kicking at goal with a third-quarter comeback, but Collingwood finished strongly to claim their third straight win over the Lions.
The afternoon was soured for Collingwood however by a compound fracture to ruck Sharni Layton’s right finger.
Only players and officials from both teams were in attendance at Brisbane’s Hickey Park, with supporters not permitted to attend AFLW matches due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite the lack of a crowd, it was a bruising first quarter played at a frantic pace.
Layton fractured her finger in the opening minutes and did not take to the field again, while Brisbane winger Sophie Conway also came off early following a crunching tackle but was able to return.
Despite the loss of Layton in the ruck, Collingwood capitalised on their domination of possessions and weight of forward 50m entries with goals to Sarah Rowe and Sophie Alexander helping them to a 15-point quarter-time lead.
Collingwood continued their stranglehold in defence in the second period, holding the Lions goalless to halftime while jumping out to a 24-point lead thanks to a Chloe Molloy set shot goal.
The visitors were nearly made to pay for their wastefulness in front of goal in the third quarter, with the Lions scoring the only two majors for the term.
Catherine Svarc gave the Lions hope when she kicked Brisbane’s first with a nice running goal from about 25m out, while a late Dakota Davidson effort cut the deficit to just 14 points at the final break.
But it wasn’t enough to save the match, with D’Arcy making up for her earlier inaccuracy to kick the sealing goal for the Magpies in the last quarter.
Rheanne Lugg, Emily Bates and Kate Lutkins were among Brisbane’s best.