Fremantle have fallen short by nine points to West Coast in Tuesday night’s AFLW pre-season practice match at Victor George Kailis Oval.
The last proper hit out before the 2022 NAB AFLW season commences, the cross-town rivals fought it out in a high intensity clash.
West Coast enjoyed a strong start to the match, with the first quarter played predominantly in the Eagles’ front half before Freo found slight improvement in the second term.
The Eagles took a 16-point lead into half-time, before closing out the match by nine points at the final siren despite a small bounce back by Freo late in the game.
In promising signs, Ann McMahon and Aine Tighe made their long-awaited returns to football, with McMahon particularly impressing throughout.
It was also the first chance for Fremantle’s young guns to showcase their talent with Amy Franklin, Dana East, Sarah Wielstra Airlie Runnalls and Jess Low all pulling on the boots from Freo’s most recent draft crop.
Franklin was given opportunities at both ends of the ground, while East brought her contested game all day and Low showed composure in Freo’s back half.
Winger Steph Cain used her pace with some dashing runs down the wing, while Maggie MacLachlan performed well, using clean skills in defence.
Fremantle were given opportunities to impact the scoreboard but couldn’t convert some scoring opportunities late in the piece.
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Senior coach Trent Cooper said his side were ‘too fumbly’ throughout the match.
“The Eagles started really well…they were clean and their pressure was really good and we didn’t handle it early,” Cooper said.
Cooper said the hit out will shape Freo’s final preparations on the training track in the leadup to the first game of the season against Adelaide at Fremantle Oval on Sunday 8 January.
“(Hit outs like this) definitely do show up things,” Cooper said.
“You can work with intraclubs and things like that, but until you come up against an opposition who can expose some weaknesses which West Coast did today, then that gives us really good feedback on what we need to work on before round one.
“We’ll be working on that clean possession and then a couple of other different things with our ball movement as well.”
Philipa Seth came off late in the game with an apparent ankle injury, although Cooper said she looked to be moving well after the match.
“I haven’t actually had an update yet, but fingers crossed that it’s alright,” Cooper said.
“It looked bad when she first went down and then I saw her walking to the changing rooms, and I thought she was actually moving not too bad.”
GOALS:
West Coast: Andrea Gilmore 2 | Mikayla Bowen | Charlie Thomas | Hayley Bullas
Fremantle: Gemma Houghton | Bianca Webb | Jasmin Stewart.
