Where and When: Essendon, June 15th, 11:30am at Windy Hill.
2018 saw Essendon introduce its first VFLW side into the league and Hawthorn were the team they faced in Round 1. It was a disappointing inaugural game for the Dons, with the Hawks defeating them by a whopping 39-points.
They then met each other for the second time in Round 7, where Hawthorn, once again, held the lead at every major break to come away as 27-points victors.
On Saturday, Essendon will host the Hawks at Windy Hill, with both sides coming off the back of bye rounds.
Hawks will be looking to secure their third win of the season, bringing in new recruit and debutant Jordan Membrey. The 23-year-old will be running out on Saturday for the first time in the brown and gold and is sure to bolster the side’s midfield and forward line with her AFLW experience.
Hawthorn defender Jess Sibley will be celebrating her 100th game milestone on Saturday and will no doubt be in her best form for the big day. Sibley is a consistently strong defender and herself and the backline will be hoping to shut down Essendon’s strong players including Captain Coutney Ugle.
Bullas was Essendon’s best and fairest recipient last season and this season she has been no different in performance being named in the side’s best on three occasions. The 22-year-old plays an integral role in the team’s midfield and is also a danger in front of goals.
Another familiar performer for Essendon is Maddy Collier, who was named in the best against Hawks last season and has currently been showing strong form, named in the best in Essendon’s win against Carlton.
Both sides will be gearing up for a big contest on Saturday and with Essendon having not yet defeated Hawthorn, the game will be all the more interesting.
