GNFLW grand final: Brigades complete undefeated season after winning the 2023 flag over Chapman Valley

Brigades’ women’s side completed a remarkable undefeated season with a dominant 7.1 (43) to 0.2 (2) victory over Chapman Valley in the grand final to claim the GNFLW premiership. The Hawks won their third women’s flag, with the majority of the game’s total score coming in the first quarter, as Brigades put up quick goals early while the Royals struggled to hit the scoreboard. A long run by Brigades’ star Gemma Dix helped take the ball from one 50 to the other, leading to one goal. The first quarter ended with the Hawks up 5.1 (31) to 0.1 (1) and the Royals looked slow to get in the game with minimal forward entries. Brigades put up another quick two goals in the second quarter, but the game’s scoring went cold as both teams picked up their defensive pressure. The Royals managed to get another minor score in the third quarter, but neither team scored again in the game. For Brigades, no one player dominated the scoreboard, with Gabrielle McLaren scoring two goals and one goal each from Tessa Daly, Gemma Dix, Breeanna Hamlett, Patriah Papertalk and Ashlee Simpson. After the game, the best on ground medal was awarded to Dix, who continues to build on her impressive 2023 campaign, which included winning the 2023 women’s fairest and best award earlier in the week. The East Fremantle award was awarded to Brigades captain Jessica Giudice-Nairn. Brigades completed a perfect season and continue to win every grand final they reach, while Chapman Valley’s poor record in grand finals only grew, having just one win and four losses in the big game. However, for the Royals, reaching the grand final was a large accomplishment after they nearly missed out on playing finals completely, sneaking in on percentage. Brigades became the first team in GNFLW history to go undefeated and coach Drew MacGregor was proud of his team for getting the job done. “It’s unreal, you can’t even imagine, the effort that has been put in by everyone to go a full season undefeated is pretty unheard of,” he said. “I’m just that proud of the girls, the club, the team, everyone puts in and it’s unreal.” While the Hawks were favoured before the game, MacGregor still had his nerves but fully backed in the girls to get the job done. “I’m not one to get nervous but before the game, I was shaking a bit, but proud is an understatement,” he said. “They’re incredible, their effort, they got what they deserved in the end. The effort came down to them, the numbers, the commitment, they sacrifice so much to be here and they are so deserving of it.”