Our season at Adelaide Crows continues to go from strength to strength, but there's no denying that Covid-19 continues to cast a long shadow over the season, with logistical headaches par for the course for all 14 AFLW teams.
Erin Phillips delivered a towering performance last weekend as we stretched our winning record to four games against a previously undefeated Melbourne team. Winning at home is always important, but particularly so at the moment when road games can present so many challenges. We're second in the table, but have a game in hand on league leaders Fremantle.
Erin grabbed the headlines with her three goals in our 4.11 (35) to 3.3 (21) win at Norwood Oval, but there's much more to her game than her goalscoring prowess.
She made an impact all over the field, finishing with 17 disposals and six tackles. Her tackle pressure was relentless.
Ebony Marinoff and Anne Hatchard shone in midfield, and Sarah Allen and Marijana Rajcic snuffed out danger in defence in a strong all-round team display.
I kicked a behind which just skewed wide, so I've been practicing a bit of goalkicking during the week.
We travel to Melbourne to face Carlton on Sunday and we'll fly in and out on the same day. During normal times, we'd arrive for the day before. Even with the benefit of access to a charter, it's not the optimal preparation. However, it's inevitable with the concerns and restrictions in terms of internal travel.
Fremantle and West Coast are currently in Victoria for a run of games, but some have been postponed due to Covid. There's obviously a desire to get those teams home, so that players and staff can return to their family, friends and jobs. At present, they'll also have to quarantine.
Rules differ state by state. We have to wear masks while we train at the gym in our facility and when we're indoors at the club. We also undergo antigen testing four times per week. Away from the game, our home lives remain somewhat sheltered due to the risk of transmission and concerns over close contacts.
It does feel like we are in a wait-and-see moment in terms of how rules will evolve and when they will be relaxed.
Pre-Covid, we were getting crowds of between 5,000 and 6,000, with current attendances down by about 50%.
It's a steep decline, but one that is understandable. Travelling fans have become a rarity and there is a certain degree of a fear factor limiting crowds. South Australia had comparatively few cases until Omicron struck.
Landing a place on the AFLW Team of the Week is no small feat, but Áine Tighe's inclusion came as no surprise.
She's been phenomenal for Fremantle. Aileen Gilroy and Orla O'Dwyer are also in top form right now. Aileen tops the entire league for intercepts, while Orla is number one for metres gained.
It's great to see the Irish contingent thrive and put their collective and individual stamp on the game.
West Coast were the only side not to don a customised jersey to celebrate the recent Pride Round.
The optics surrounding that decision weren't great and it did generate some bad feeling, but the club have since come out and admitted they got it wrong, while defending their record on matters concerning diversity in sport. It's a learning curve.
Looking ahead to Carlton on Sunday, we have a few absentees going into the game, but we have strength in depth.
They are a strong side and have home advantage, but we've trained well and tightened up on areas that we needed to work and improve on. We can get the win.
