Final season, Brisbane’s Emily Bates gained all three of the AFLW’s particular person awards; the league greatest and fairest, the gamers affiliation MVP, and the coaches affiliation champion participant award.
This season, Brisbane gained the minor premiership, and Bates once more starred, rating second within the workforce for disposals, contested possessions, clearances and tackles.
However Bates can see who’s coming for her crown: Richmond’s greatest participant, Mon Conti. And he or she desires to close her down within the finals this weekend.
‘I would like to have a crack at her’
Talking on The W with Sharni and Sam podcast, Bates clearly holds Conti within the highest regard as a participant.
“Mon Conti, we all the time discuss her; she’s a participant like no different, and in some nice type as nicely,” Bates stated.
“I would like to have a crack at her, I do not care if I get zero touches.
“She’s such an influential participant, so dampening her affect will go an extended approach to hopefully us getting that win.”
Whereas the project on Conti will possible go to her teammate Cathy Svarc — who’s averaging 9 tackles a sport, good for third within the league — Bates is clearly wanting to go head-to-head with the very best.
It follows, then, that Conti is the participant Bates is tipping to win the MVP this 12 months.
“It is a tight race, clearly, between Mon Conti and [Jasmine] Garner,” Bates stated.
“I really like each of their seasons, however I believe the way in which that Mon strikes … she’s simply such a clean operator, lovely abilities, and I simply love the way in which she goes about it, she all the time has a smile on her face.
“So, I believe I will go together with Mon Conti.”
Revenge is greatest served within the finals
The one blemish on Brisbane’s home-and-away file this season is an 18-14 defeat to Richmond in late September.
They now have an opportunity to avenge that loss, and puncture the momentum of a Tigers workforce presently on an eight-match unbeaten streak.
“It is a new season, this finals collection,” Bates stated.
“It is fairly becoming that we’re versing them on this first week.
“You by no means wish to lose a sport, however generally these losses are vital in a season, and I believe it simply gave us that little little bit of a actuality test that issues do not simply occur, it’s a must to go and win these video games.”
Bates continues to be smarting from that common season stumble, the place the Lions kicked a depressing 1.8.
“That sport was an fascinating kind of affair,” she stated.
“We gained clearances, we gained inside 50s, however we clearly did not win on the scoreboard.
“To Richmond’s credit score, they’d an awesome gameplan that day and shut down plenty of the issues we needed to do.
“I believe it will be a little bit of redemption time for us. We’re actually excited to have one other crack at them.”
Lions prefer to ‘hunt in packs’
The Lions are the fittest workforce within the comp, and Bates says they like flexing that cardio supremacy, as they did in spherical 10, demolishing the Magpies by 45 factors.
“We actually confirmed our health ranges, and the way in which we run in packs, and hunt in packs,” she stated.
“That is how we wish to play.”
Striving for that athletic benefit has develop into a part of the Lions’ id.
“This low season it was all about high-intensity working … any kind of conditioning that replicated video games,” she stated.
“And it is beginning to repay as a result of we’re discovering, late in quarters, we will nonetheless go at that very same depth and apply that very same strain, whereas plenty of groups cannot include us.
“It is given us plenty of perception that we all know we will run anybody off their legs.
“And it is even simply the tradition that we have created on the Lions; we’re so aggressive with one another … ‘I wish to begin beating her at this’, it is that wholesome competitors that makes everybody regularly wish to enhance.”
Though it’s uncertain anybody is beating Bates in any form of athletic contest.
“Within the 2km [run] … I shaved slightly below 30 seconds off my PB,” she stated.
“Which was vital for me as a result of I knew I would have to enhance my working; clearly you cop a bit extra consideration after you win sure awards.”
That additional MVP consideration could also be one thing Mon Conti has to take care of subsequent season.
However to be the very best, Richmond and Conti need to beat the very best, and Bates and Brisbane are prepared and ready to show they’re simply that.
