Fremantle secured a 14-point win against the Western Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon in their final match of the regular home and away season.
Senior Coach Lisa Webb was full of praise for ruck Mim Strom, who had a career-best performance for the match.
Strom finished the game with 30 touches, 400 metres gained, seven score involvements and seven clearances.
“I thought Mim was superb,” Webb said.
“She always prides herself on her performance and she does her homework, so I think she did a good job today.
“Her ground-level stuff is really important, I thought she took some really great marks but then she could sneak forward and play pretty strongly as that forward 50 ruck as well.”
The 22-year-old had 90 per cent time on ground for the match, and has also averaged that number for the season.
“Her game time is always high, but she’s got that willingness and recovery to be able to get up each week with that and (next) week will be no different for her,” Webb said.
Webb touched on Bulldogs’ ruck Alice Edmonds and how Strom prepared for the match-up.
“Obviously, Alice (Edmonds) is a brilliant ruck as well, but just (Mim’s) ability to continue to grind it out,” Webb said.
“I’ve had a chat with Mim previously and she’s always looked up to Alice and she’s always determined to continue to build on her game and I guess that shone today as well.”
Midfielder Aish McCarthy also had a stand-out game, with 29 disposals, eight clearances, seven score involvements and 469 metres gained.
“I think (Aish) just reads it really well off the tap but also her willingness to accept the square bounce structures that we come up with and she just gets to work,” Webb said.
“She does her homework, she reads the game really well and she can adapt on the fly so she’s got great experience in that.
“She’s pretty hard to move past to be honest."
Fremantle will play a home elimination final this Saturday 9 November against Essendon after finishing the regular season fifth on the ladder.
“(We are) just delighted for our fans, who have been incredible, but (also for) the girls to stay home and just launch into finals,” Webb said.
soaking up those post-game moments with @mummawebb16 🥰
— Fremantle Dockers AFLW (@freodockersAFLW) November 4, 2024
love your work, Webby.#foreverfreo pic.twitter.com/G7joJpxzga
“We know it starts from zero again and that’s really exciting for our group.
“We haven’t been there for a few years, and it is reward for effort for this group. They’ve been really special.
“We’re excited to make finals and now we want to make a real dent in it.”
Tickets for the home final at Fremantle Oval are on sale through Ticketmaster on Monday 4 November at 12pm WST for Fremantle members and 2pm WST for the general public.