Brisbane and Adelaide have made a habit of playing each other at the pointy end of the AFLW season.
Boasting a combined five of a possible seven premierships between them, Saturday’s preliminary final at Brighton Homes Arena will be the fifth time the two sides have met in the post-season.
Never has an AFLW grand final not featured at least one of the Lions or Crows. They are, undoubtedly, the two dominant teams of the early AFLW era and their ongoing rivalry is the biggest in the competition’s short but storeyed history.
One player who has been front and centre for all the Brisbane-Adelaide battles is Lions midfielder, Ally Anderson.
The two-time premiership winner and Season 7 league best and fairest has featured in all 12 of their head-to-head meetings dating back to 2017, including two grand finals and one preliminary final.
Brisbane’s games record holder and midfield maestro has played a major hand in the rivalry and in recent years, been at the forefront for the Lions’ incredible five-game winning run over the Crows.
“We just really enjoy playing them,” said Anderson.
“It’s always a really good game of footy and always close. It comes down to the final siren pretty much every time we play them.”
The past three meetings between the two sides has been decided by less than a goal – all in Brisbane’s favour.
Earlier this year, in front of a blockbuster crowd at Brighton Homes Arena that turned out to also celebrate the men’s premiership triumph, Anderson’s 스포츠토토사이트 Lions clawed their way back from nine points down in the final three minutes to snatch victory against their familiar foe.
The 30-year-old amassed a game-high 32 disposals and three clearances to once again will the Lions home.
Despite the recent lopsided head-to-head, Anderson knows better than anybody not to underestimate the Crows.
“We obviously have won the past few against them but those games have all been decided by only a few points. It could have gone either way and we know that,” she said.
Last year the Lions stunned the Crows with a two-point victory in the opening week of the finals series at Adelaide Oval, which set the platform for their subsequent premiership success later that month.
Now the Crows will want to flip the script when they land at Brighton Homes Arena on Saturday with a point to prove and grand final berth on the line.
The two sides know each other so well that any small advantage can prove a decisive factor. Anderson hopes having the home crowd support will help drag the Lions over the line.
“(Home ground advantage) definitely matters – any edge you can have on your opponent in a prelim final absolutely helps,” she said.
“The last time we played them here, having that home crowd behind us gave us some extra motivation. Any edge we can find, we will use.”
Adelaide hasn’t beaten Brisbane in three seasons, but Crows coach Matthew Clarke says the Lions’ recent history of success against his side won’t count for much when they play off for a spot in the AFLW Grand Final.
The Crows and the Lions have been the two dominant sides of the AFLW since its inception.
While the Crows have the edge on the Lions when it comes to premierships, Brisbane has had the wood on Adelaide when it comes to head-to-head results in recent years.
Adelaide hasn’t beaten Brisbane since the first game of season six in 2022, with the Lions on a five-match winning streak against the Crows.