Carlton and Sydney win tense AFLW semifinals; concern over Geelong injuries

Carlton and Sydney advanced to the AFLW preliminary finals on Saturday 14 November after winning tense semifinals by five and three points respectively. Carlton beat Hawthorn 6.7(43)to 6.2(38)at Princes Park, while Sydney held off Geelong 8.2(50)to 7.5(47)at Kardinia Park. Carlton will meet Melbourne; Sydney faces two-time defending champion North Melbourne. Geelong was eliminated.

Darcy Vescio marked her 100 th game with two goals, including Carlton's winner before 4,701 fans. Hawthorn began with three goals and led by as much as 19 points, at one stage winning clearances 10-1. Tara Bohanna reduced Carlton's quarter-time deficit to 11, then Lila Keck provided a spark and Lily Goss converted after a disputed 50-metre penalty against Casey Sherriff to make the half-time gap four points.

Vescio's free-kick goal put Carlton ahead for the first time in the third quarter. Mackenzie Eardley answered for Hawthorn, but Vescio helped force the ball forward for Sophie McKay to evade three opponents and score from the goal square. Eardley struck again before Vescio took a contested mark and kicked the decisive goal. Aine McDonagh had a late chance for Hawthorn with two minutes left but missed from close range.

Hawthorn lost Eliza West to a left-knee injury before the crucial final stages. She finished with 31 disposals after collecting 25, along with 10 tackles,14 contested possessions and three clearances, in the first half alone. Jenna Richardson was important in defence, Jac Dupuy kicked twice, and Carlton defender Harriet Cordner had six marks and 11 intercepts in their duel. Carlton captain Abbie McKay recorded 29 disposals and nine clearances.

Sydney's victory secured the club's first AFLW preliminary-final appearance. Chloe Molloy kicked all three of her goals before half-time, including a sharp-angle snap, then took a vital defensive mark with about 80 seconds remaining. Montana Ham cleared the ball in the last seconds as Geelong pressed for a match-winning score.

The match was interrupted for nine minutes after Geelong ruck Piper Dunlop clashed heads with Sydney's Tanya Kennedy in the third quarter. Dunlop first stood up, then became unsteady and fell; Lexi Hamilton caught her as trainers rushed in. She left on a motorised stretcher and was taken to hospital for precautionary assessment. The league's account said she was awake and communicating before hospital scans.

Sydney led by 16 early in the last quarter, but Chloe Scheer and Jacqueline Parry goals brought Geelong within four points. Scheer then hit the post for the final score, leaving a three-point gap that neither side changed. Scheer finished with three goals. Sydney youngster Maddie Quinn impressed with 22 disposals, a goal and 18 hitouts. Geelong's season ended with two finals losses after just one defeat in the regular season.

Geelong also lost Amy McDonald to a hamstring injury just before half-time. Rachel Kearns spent much of the second half off with a hip problem and later joined Dunlop at hospital, according to the league report. Georgie Prespakis was assessed after another heavy collision and finished with 22 disposals; Kennedy had 17 and five clearances in their closely watched matchup. The Sydney-Geelong crowd was 5,656. Sydney's next final is at Ikon Park, with the date and time not confirmed in the match report.

Illustrative Perth Stadium exterior photographed in 2017, not either semifinal venue or the matches reported.