Aine McDonagh has fired Hawthorn to an 11-point win over the Western Bulldogs that was soured by captain Emily Bates’s serious leg injury.
Bates was taken off the field on a stretcher at the Kennedy Community Centre today after her right leg twisted underneath her in a tackle late in the third quarter.
The decorated 30-year-old, who played her 100th AFLW match a week earlier, was expected to be taken to hospital for further assessment.
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The Hawks also lost Laura Stone (concussion) after an early head clash with an opponent and were 11 points down at half-time.
But Daniel Webster’s side piled on five unanswered goals in the third quarter — four of those before Bates’s injury — to set up their 6.5 (41) to 4.6 (30) victory.
The result lifted Hawthorn (3-2 win-loss record) into the top eight, leapfrogging the Bulldogs (3-2) on percentage.
Irish key forward McDonagh kicked a career-best four majors, extending her lead at the top of this season’s goal-kicking list.
Eliza West (24 disposals), Tamara Smith (20) and Jasmine Fleming (19) also shone for the Hawks, as did ruck Lucy Wales.
Isabelle Pritchard had match-high tallies of 31 disposals and eight clearances for the Bulldogs, with Elisabeth Georgostathis (19 disposals) also busy.
The Bulldogs kicked three of the first four goals but were held scoreless in the third quarter as the Hawks took control of the contest.
Meanwhile, Sunny Lappin kicked three goals and sparked the second-half surge that led to Gold Coast’s 30-point win over Collingwood.
The Suns (3-2) kicked four goals to one in the third term — two of those to Lappin — to set up their 9.8 (62) to 4.8 (32) victory in Carrara.
Maddy Brancatisano kicked two goals, Charlie Rowbottom had 29 disposals and Dekota Baron provided the highlight of the day with a towering mark-of-the-year contender.
Mikayla Nurse suffered a nasty cut on the face after a head clash with Suns teammate Lucy Single late in the match.
Tarni White had 29 disposals for Collingwood (0-5), which remains winless this season.
Cats and Eagles score historic victories
Georgie Prespakis of the Cats and Ebony Marinoff of the Crows. (Getty Images: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos)
Later on Saturday, Geelong’s Georgie Prespakis and West Coast’s Ella Roberts starred as their teams each recorded a first win over their opponents.
The Cats (4-1) retained a top-four spot, scoring a fourth-straight victory and their first in seven attempts against the Crows (2-3), with an 8.9 (57) to 6.10 (46) win at Adelaide’s Unley Oval.
Gun midfielder Prespakis was dynamic for Geelong, racking up match highs of 32 disposals, 19 contested possessions and nine clearances.
In Perth, West Coast (1-4) posted their first win of the season in a 6.10 (46) to 6.5 (41) victory over Brisbane (2-3).
It was their first AFLW win over the Lions in four attempts after three heavy defeats.
Young Eagles superstar Roberts put in a mammoth performance, leading the game in possessions (33), contested possessions (19), clearances (11), tackles (eight) and metres gained (700).
AAP
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