There is an old saying in Football that does get used frequently, it goes along the lines of:
"Games Are Won And Lost In The Midfield"
And given that I've seen posts from several social media outlets that ask you - the readers - which player would you rather take, which to be quite frank, it is the main inspiration in this article today. I've decided that today on Bulldogs Centre, we'll do another one of these 'Who would you rather take' scenarios.
Imagine that you have the choice to pick between two ultimately talented midfielders to build a midfield brigade of a new AFLW franchise around. Both ladies were marquee players for their respective clubs in the 2017 AFLW season, One of these players is the poster girl of the AFLW and the other is one of the brightest stars in the women's league, which leads to my question:
Who would you take to build your midfield around - Melbourne captain Daisy Pearce or Western Bulldogs star Ellie Blackburn? Both individuals have a case, which makes the question all the more difficult and I will explain the cases of both players today in a special piece on Bulldogs Centre.
Now there may be some of you that are asking why the league's reigning best and fairest winner Erin Phillips was left out for this conversation, and to them, I'll say this. Phillips will be 33 in May this year and will most likely have a couple of seasons left at best.
Now that all of that is underway, let's take a look at both players with a bit more depth.
Why I'd Pick Ellie Blackburn
Before the 2017 AFLW season, Ellie Blackburn played all of the exhibition games alongside Daisy Pearce with Melbourne and having seen a few of those exhibition games, you could tell that under the tutelage of Pearce, Ellie Blackburn had the potential to be something awesome. But having experienced the Western Bulldogs' women's team first-hand in 2017, Ellie Blackburn showed that without what she brought to the team, the club would've been in an even worse shape. The Dogs only had two wins from seven games last year, and in both wins, Blackburn played a starring role. Against Fremantle in round one, she recorded 12 disposals and a goal and was amongst the Doggies' best players on the night. Six weeks later in their win over GWS, Blackburn had 25 disposals and a goal in a best afield display.
She finished the year in the top three in the league best and fairest votes, four behind winner Erin Phillips and three votes ahead of Daisy Pearce. In her last three games, she would poll three votes in each of the games. Everyone knew about her talent, but it felt as the season went along, she would get stronger and stronger with each outing, but she would consistently be in the Bulldogs' best players each week.
She would average 19 disposals per game and almost one goal per game, kicking 6.12 for the year. which does lead to the one problem that there is in her game right now, and that is her accuracy in front of goal - reverse the goals and points she kicked in 2017, and it could've been an entirely different story. Regardless of her shots on goal, it's very hard to argue what a strong season she put in and it came as no surprise that she was both named in the AFLW's first-ever All-Australian team and was named a joint-winner of the Western Bulldogs' club best and fairest, alongside midfield jet Emma Kearney.
The one thing that did take me by surprise is how well she adapted playing as a leader and particularly playing as the interim captain following the injury to Katie Brennan early in the season. The one game that springs to mind is her performance against the Blues, she kicked three goals, all of which came in the first half, and played a key factor in the Dogs' comeback in the fourth quarter, which saw them down by as much as 25 points, before falling short by a single kick, but from that performance alone, you can tell that she is a legitimate leader and has the hallmarks to be a future captain somewhere down the line.
And to top all of that off, Blackburn is still only 23 years of age and has a ton of football left in her, and you can bet your bottom dollar that she will have a stack of achievements to her name when it is all said and done.
Why I'd Pick Daisy Pearce
She may be six years older than Ellie Blackburn and she does head into her 30s in May this year, but Daisy Pearce is a household name in the world of AFLW and if her 2017 campaign for the Demons is anything to go by, then she still has a ton of her best footy ahead of her.
In 2013, Pearce made history as Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs held the first-ever Women's Draft, with the Demons using the number one overall pick on her, and since then Pearce has been the face of Melbourne's Women's Footy, as well as Women's Footy in general. What makes Football experts rave about her as a player is clear - her ability to win the contested ball and excel as a leader and make the players around her better was a key reason why the Demons were so close to playing off in the Grand Final last year.
In 2017, the Demons captain averaged 22 disposals, five tackles and three clearances per game. Watching her against my Bulldogs last year, she did as she pleased, recording 26 disposals as the Dees proved too strong. By season's end, Pearce would be named captain of the All-Australian team and was Melbourne's inaugural best and fairest winner. Being named the best on ground for Victoria in their State of Origin triumph over the Allies was just the cream on the cake - on this night, she would amass a whopping 37 disposals and kicked a goal.
It's these sort of statistics that saw Pearce rewarded with a stack of accolades at state level, the VFLW. Playing for Darebin, she became captain of the club at just 19 years of age and remained captain up until the end of 2016, which is a testament to her leadership, Pearce has captained eight premiership teams, 2008-10 and 2013-17 as well as playing in the 2006 and 2007 premierships. She's a five-time Darebin best and fairest (2005, 2009-12) and is a seven-time league best and fairest winner (2009-11, 2013-16). It's not that hard to see how so many people rate her. If you went to a Melbourne game during last year's AFLW season, you could've counted on Daisy to be in the thick of the action.
However, if there is one flaw in Pearce's game, it is that she is not a goal-kicking midfielder, like Blackburn is. She kicked only one goal during the 2017 AFLW season, but the stats will tell you that she doesn't mind giving the goals off to those around her, nearly averaging one goal assist per game, showing that she will get her team mates involved. In the interest of comparisons, Blackburn averaged zero goal assists in 2017, but she kicked six goals.
The Final Decision
It's hard to ignore what Daisy Pearce has achieved in her years as a footy player. She has done nearly everything there is to achieve at state level, but whether or not she can become an AFLW premiership player and a best and fairest winner of the league remains to be seen, but it won't surprise me if she remains in the frame for years to come.
However, from a non-bias standpoint I would pick Ellie Blackburn over her, because at 23 years of age, she is a proven star of the game, she is very good in the midfield, can win her own football, and she can definitely go down and kick herself a goal or two, and the really scary part is that she is only going to get better as the years roll on - she is just about ready to enter the prime years of her career.
Dare I say it, but if the Western Bulldogs are good enough, then Ellie Blackburn will have herself a couple of league best and fairests by the time her career is over. Watching her last year, it looked at various stages of the season Blackburn put most of the team on her back and did whatever it took to make sure the Dogs stayed in the fight.
If she gets the assistance that her and Emma Kearney were sorely lacking last season, then not only is the side going to be formidable, but this talented pair, Blackburn in particular, has serious potential to cause some serious damage to the AFLW in years to come.
The Western Bulldogs AFLW Season Preview Will Be Up On Bulldogs Centre Next Friday, You Don't Want To Miss It.