Mansfield’s Bonnie Toogood starred up forward for the Dogs, kicking two crucial majors and gathering 15 disposals in what was easily her best performance of the season.
Making the half-forward flank her own, she ran the Crows defenders ragged, constantly pushing up the ground to take six marks and be a constant aerial presence for her side coming out of the defensive 50.
Toogood was particularly lively early, registering the first goal of the day courtesy of a free kick, before quickly setting up the next to get her team off to the fast start it needed.
She then came up clutch when the Crows were coming hard in the final term, taking a critical contested mark inside 50 and converting to give the Dogs a 15-point buffer they wouldn’t surrender.
While it was a memorable day for the Western Bulldogs, hearts broke for debutant Aurora Smith, with the Shepparton United export going down with what appeared to be a serious knee injury in the first quarter.
Geelong was unable to replicate its heroics from the previous week’s thrilling win against West Coast, falling to Gold Coast by 11 points in an entertaining Friday night clash.
Benalla’s Becky Webster was once again a standout for the Cats through the middle of the ground, battling around the contest all night on her way to picking up 15 disposals.
She also registered another nine tackles, as she continues to grow the defensive part of her game and become one of the competition’s most well-rounded midfielders.
Kyabram’s Julia Crockett-Grills provided consistent forward pressure for the Cats as she continues to grow as a small forward.
While only picking up seven disposals and being unable to hit the scoreboard, the coaching staff would have been buoyed by her tackling prowess, as she recorded six for the game.
Grace Egan was a standout on the wing for Carlton in her second game back from injury, picking up 22 disposals as the Blues fell to a clinical Fremantle by 42 points.
Providing a consistent option for her team, Egan never stopped trying, doing all she could to try and turn the tide in Carlton’s favour.
She also managed to mix some inside work to her work on the outside, registering four tackles as the Shepparton product continues to grow into one of the league’s elite players.
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