Pies' midfield allows Molloy AFLW freedom

Saturday, 27 February 2021:

DAISY PEARCE.
DAISY PEARCE.


Collingwood using Chloe Molloy in attack is the "luxury" that a rival captain says highlights the Magpies' midfield power and makes them a genuine AFLW premiership threat this season.

The versatile 22-year-old would be capable of filling a starting on-ball role at just about any club in the competition.

But with Brittany Bonnici, Jaimee Lambert and co-captain Brianna Davey all fit and firing in the centre square, Pies coach Steve Symonds can afford to use his most explosive player where she can hurt opponents directly on the scoreboard.

Molloy is among the league's leading goalkickers this year with six in four matches, helping send the unbeaten Magpies' flag credentials soaring ahead of Sunday's meeting with fellow contenders Melbourne at Victoria Park.

"I'm not surprised by Collingwood, but I'm certainly impressed by them," Demons captain Daisy Pearce said on SEN this week.

"Their midfield is very powerful, hard-working, and they spread the ground as well as any team in the competition.

"Then because their midfield has been so dominant they've had the luxury of playing Chloe Molloy up forward rather than having to use her through the midfield or at half-back, where she's more likely to maximise her potential.

"They consider her forward now and, God, she's dangerous."

Molloy, once a No.3 draft pick, burst onto the scene in 2018 when she claimed the fledgling AFLW competition's Rising Star award.

She missed all of the following season with a serious foot injury, but returned last year and has gone on to develop into the match-winner many keen observers believed she would.

Molloy kicked two of the four goals in last week's low-scoring victory over North Melbourne and will be crucial to the Magpies' chances of extending their winning run against Melbourne.

"Chloe's a special talent, there's no doubt about that," second-year Magpies coach Symonds said.

"We're lucky because we get to see her on a day-to-day basis, which we really enjoy, and she's starting to get some real consistency about her game as well.

"She's come off a long-term injury 12 months ago and that sometimes takes a little while to get up and going (from).

"But there's not too many moments now where she doesn't have an influence on the game, whereas before she probably ebbed and flowed a little bit."

Collingwood entered round five as one of only two unbeaten teams, along with ladder leaders Fremantle.






AAP