Fremantle’s AFL Women's team were met with extreme weather conditions as they faced Collingwood in their final hit-out of pre-season at Fremantle Oval on Saturday morning, overcoming a slow start for a 30-point win over the Pies.

The match was halted in the final minutes of the second quarter due to lightning and both sides were forced to re-group and stay focussed, returning to the field 20 minutes later and continuing the match.

The pausing of the match almost seemed beneficial for Fremantle, who were trailing by five points just before half-time, using the 20-minute break wisely to come out strong for their second-half performance.

Stand-in captain Hayley Miller said while it was different weather conditions than what the side is used to, she was proud of their efforts and ability to reset.

“I think it was a really mature performance from us – we didn't panic,” Miller said.

“It was probably a different game than what we're sort of used to having previously played in summer and then most of our season sort of works into summer.

“So, to have a proper wet weather game, and a bit of lightning as well, it's probably perfect prep for when things don't go the way you expect them to.

“The girls had to take half an hour and reset, go and play three minutes and then have half time. The way we were able to reset after that and come out firing in the second half was really good.”

Fremantle kicked five of their six goals for the match in the second half, keeping Collingwood to just one point in the 40 minutes.

 “We train it week in and week out, what we want to do when the ball comes in high and long, and where the rest of us need to be set up,” Miller said.

“When we were able to get the ball going forward, it allows our backs to set up behind the ball and then it's almost impossible to get it back out – they're like a brick wall back there.”

Senior coach Lisa Webb had similar thoughts to Miller, crediting the side’s maturity and composure in the second half.

“I thought our girls showed great maturity after the first quarter,” Webb said.

“Our first quarter wasn’t ideal, but I thought they showed great grit to work through and reset themselves and that's something I'm really proud of today.

“The way that they started to move the ball was a bit more composed, and once we got the game back on our terms, I think we limited their scoring.”

Webb touched on the mental side of the game, and what she drives into the group when things aren’t playing out as planned.

“A lot of it comes back to trusting in the process and trust what we're doing,” Webb said.

“We talked a little bit about our 'anchor zone' as well – so, what we need to get back to (in those times).

“Although lightning happened, we knew what we needed to focus on, and that's getting back to the things that we can do better.”

Webb praised Miller’s versatility, pressure and leadership for the match, impressed by her consistent four-quarter effort.

“I loved Hayley's game. I thought she was exceptional today," Webb said.

"She's so versatile and when we put her forward, we all saw what she could do, especially in these conditions.

“She was fantastic in the midfield, she lays big tackles and scored two goals too, but probably the most important thing for us, she was a great team player.”

The side will re-group and take learnings from Saturday’s practice match before they face Essendon in round one of the 2024 NAB AFLW Season in two weeks.

“We just wanted growth today – that was the most important thing,” Webb said.

"We showed under very different conditions to last week that we can adapt, and I guess now is (about) building because Essendon is going to be really difficult in round one.”