EBONY Marinoff has become the first AFLW player to surpass 1000 career disposals, steering Adelaide to a crushing 40-point win over GWS.
The Crows suffered a shock one-point defeat to the Western Bulldogs in Round 6 but were never seriously challenged in a 5.15 (45) to 0.5 (5) victory on the rebound at Sydney’s Henson Park on Saturday.
The margin was great enough to lift the premiership favourites back to the top of the ladder on percentage above Fremantle, with both sides boasting 6-1 records.
Star on-baller Marinoff gathered 22 disposals to surge into four figures, taking her overall tally to 1005 in a sparkling career.
Not a noted goal-kicker, Marinoff finished off some teammates’ hard work with a major in the final quarter to put the icing on the cake as the margin blew out.
She also registered with a game-high 16 tackles – double the tally of teammate Teah Charlton, who was the next most prolific tackler on the ground.
“I’m just out here playing footy like I feel like I do best in terms of the sport that I play and the job that I do,” Marinoff told Fox Footy post-match.
“I’m super-stoked to come out and really respond after a really disappointing loss against the Doggies.
“It was very pleasing. We just wanted to get back to ‘Crows footy’ and that press mentality and just compete.
“I certainly feel like we did that today but there were probably too many points (behinds) on the board, so we’ll get back to goal-kicking (practice) as we do every week.”
Anne Hatchard (24 disposals) and Eloise Jones (20) also starred for Adelaide, while league-leading goal-kicker Ashleigh Woodland kicked two second-half majors.
It took Woodland’s tally to 14 for the year, just two shy of the single-season record.
The Crows wasted their dominance early with some wayward kicking at goal in slippery conditions before taking control of the match in the second quarter.
Woodland booted her first goal early in the second half to increase the Crows’ advantage to 22 points and they never let up.
GWS duo Cora Staunton and Alyce Parker both hit the post in the second half but that was as close as the Giants got to a goal.
The home side narrowly avoided the lowest-ever AFLW score for the second-straight week, having kicked 1.1 (7) against Melbourne in round six.
Only Richmond, who registered 0.3 (3) against St Kilda in 2020, has posted a lower total in the competition’s history.
Saturday’s game was the first of three in eight days for GWS as they play catch-up after a raft of COVID-19 cases in the squad forced an earlier match to be rescheduled.
They will host winless St Kilda at Blacktown on Wednesday before taking on Carlton in Canberra four days later.
(C) AAP 2022
