Small forward Makaela Tuhakaraina has made her case to be cemented in Fremantle’s best 21 after putting on a classy performance in Freo’s seven-point win over Richmond at Ikon Park on Friday afternoon.
Kicking two goals and setting up a further two scores, Tuhakaraina didn’t need to have many possessions to make her presence felt on the field, finishing her game with eight touches and three tackles.
The close finish was Fremantle’s third game in a row at Ikon Park to be decided by under 10-points after a heartbreaking three-point loss to the Western Bulldogs in Season 7 and an epic come-from-behind win against Carlton in Season 5.
“It was a bit hectic, especially towards the end, we were under a lot of pressure and obviously Richmond fought it out until the very last siren,” Tuhakaraina said.
“I was a bit worried that I might get smashed especially with a few players from Richmond having the outnumber on us but me and Ange (Stannett) managed to get back and we provided a lot of pressure as a team, so it was really good.
“The backline held up very nicely and I’m very proud of our girls."
Having only played in the team’s round one RAC Derby win over West Coast, Tuhakaraina hasn’t let missing out on selection impact her spirits.
“It’s obviously a bit hard, you just have to keep pushing and work hard, don’t put your head down, keep pushing through and get around the girls as much as you can”, Tuhakaraina said.
“It’s good to be back out there and hopefully I get another game soon.”
Both Tuhakaraina and Roxy Roux have had to work their way back into Fremantle's starting 21 through practice matches and senior coach Lisa Webb said she was proud to see them bring their strengths.
"We had 'Tux' come in and also Roxy and I thought they showed a lot," Webb said.
"They've been playing in scrimmages trying to find their way and I thought today their contest work and their ability to show what they bring and their strengths was something I'm really proud of.
"There's a lot we can take from this win."
Tuhakaraina was full of praise for fellow forward Aine Tighe and the leadership that she provides the 20-year-old on the field.
“She plays amazing every game, I can’t wait to see what she has for the rest of the season, I absolutely love her, it was an amazing performance,” Tuhakaraina said
“I’m always confident that she’s going to take those overhead marks, but I think we read off each other very nicely, she communicates to me really well and obviously I communicate to her as well.
“She’s a really big leader for me in the forward line and I follow off her as much as I can.”
