Fremantle and GWS have played out the first ever draw in the NAB AFL Women’s competition at Blacktown International Sportspark, and in the aftermath Freo ruck Kelly Clinch admitted she wasn't sure how to feel.
Clinch played an important role in the middle as Fremantle dominated the clearances 30 to 18.
Fremantle led at every change, but the Giants were relentless and kicked three of the last four goals to leave the sides tied on 43 points apiece.
The draw means both Freo and the Giants secure their first points in the AFLW competition, but also remain winless as an all-important top-two spot falls further out of reach.
“I don’t know whether I should feel happy or sad, but I just feel flat,” Clinch said.
“We had it in our grasp but we didn’t put enough pressure on at the end of the third, and in the fourth quarter.
“We did what we needed in patches, but we just weren’t consistent enough.”
Clinch put in her best performance of the AFLW season as she took sole responsibility of the ruck, freeing up Freo’s other talls in Gemma Houghton and Akec Chuot.
At 180cm, Clinch gave up nine centimetres to her direct opponent Erin McKinnon at the stoppages.
“Erin’s so tall and if she got front position she was dominating,” Clinch said.
“So I had to work hard and get in front and push her out so I could get my hands on the ball.”
Clinch credited Fremantle’s engine room for dominating the clearances despite GWS winning the hit-outs 44 to 19.
Captain Kara Donnellan was again impressive in Fremantle’s midfield with 16 disposals, 10 tackles and a goal, while Lara Filocamo racked up 19 touches.
“It didn’t matter where we were putting the ball, (our) girls were reading it so well,” Clinch said.
“I'm not sure if it was me feeding the ball well, as I felt like they were reading it wherever it was going.”
After working against a 4000-strong Giants home crowd, Clinch said she was looking forward to returning to WA - with Fremantle scheduled to play their next three games at home.
The three-week stretch starts next Sunday as Fremantle take on current league leaders Adelaide at Fremantle Oval.
“It definitely makes a difference, you hear the crowd here and it’s clear they’re not going for you,” Clinch said.
“The support we had last week was great.
“We’ll be moving around - playing one at Freo, then down to Peel and one at Domain.
“We’ve got a bit to prove now. We know we can do it, we just have to do it for four quarters and hopefully we can get three wins in front of our fans.”
