Orla O'Dwyer's Brisbane power into AFLW Grand Final

The Lions will be playing their fourth Grand Final in seven seasons

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 18: Alexandra Anderson, Courtney Hodder, Orla ODwyer and Tahlia Hickie of the Lions sing the team song during the 2022 S7 AFLW First Preliminary Final match between the Brisbane Lions and the Adelaide Crows at Metricon Stadium on November 18, 2022 in the Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

AFLW Preliminary Final: Brisbane Lions 46 Adelaide Crows 23

Brisbane Lions have secured a home AFLW Grand Final next Sunday after a dominating 23-point win in front of a crowd of over 2,500 at Metricon Stadium against Premiership rivals Adelaide Crows.

The Lions, who will be playing their fourth Grand Final in seven seasons, will be giving their new facility at Springfield the biggest home-warming when they unveil their new Brighton Homes Arena, at a cost of $80million Australian Dollars.

The opening ten minutes of this final were frantic and explosive across the Oval but it was the Lions who got the opening goal through lively forward Cathy Svarc late in the opening quarter.

But, the hosts burst out of traps in the second quarter with four unanswered goals as Brisbane took the Adelaide defence apart. A pair of goals each from Jesse Wardlaw and Courtney Hodder in the second quarter saw their side lead 31 points to 2 at the long break.

Welcome to the O'Dwyer family who travelled from 🇮🇪 to 🇦🇺 to watch Orla O'Dwyer play. #AFLW | #AFLWLionsCrows pic.twitter.com/2jC8uQgmCC

— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) November 18, 2022

Dakota Davidson struck her first major of the game inside three minutes of the start of the third quarter before two quick goals from Caitlin Gould and Danielle Ponter brought the margin at three-quarter time back to 25 points.

But when Davidson got her second goal at the start of the final quarter, it was too big of a hill to climb for the Crows. Despite a Chelsea Randall goal in that period, the Lions romped home in the end.

Orla O’Dwyer, who did have a behind of her own in the second quarter, had 14 disposals and a tackle to boot in what was another strong performance from the Tipperary woman. 

Her parents, Brian and Mary and her sister Aine were at Metricon Stadium on Friday supporting her.

In what was her first season at the Crows, Niamh Kelly can keep her head held high. 11 disposals in today’s game and was showing all over the field. She did have an assist to Gould’s third-quarter goal. Clare’s Ailish Considine missed today’s game with the lingering hamstring injury which has hampered her all season.

The Lions face the winner of tomorrow’s second Preliminary Final between Melbourne and North Melbourne.