Fremantle made a four-goal comeback to defeat West Coast by 10 points in an entertaining scratch match at Lathlain Park on Saturday.
 
In a clash that was locked out to the public due to the AFL’s Covid-19 protocols, Fremantle won 5.7 (37) to West Coast’s 4.3 (27).

Freo’s goals came via Gemma Houghton (2), Sabreena Duffy (2) and Gabby O’Sullivan.
 
Kiara Bowers once again led Fremantle in the middle while Jasmin Stewart was also impressive as she builds for her second AFLW season.
 
It was an all-round performance for a Fremantle backline that kept West Coast goalless in the second half, but defender Janelle Cuthbertson was the standout, taking a number of crucial marks when the Eagles went long into their forward line.
 
Cuthbertson said she was pleased with how Fremantle improved through the clash.
 
“It was good to finally get a hitout. It’s nice not to be running around chasing (Fremantle forwards) Gemma (Houghton) and Roxy (Roux). It was good to finally get a practice match and we’re looking forward to round one now,” Cuthbertson said.
 
“It took the first quarter for us to get going. We were playing on their terms early a little bit. Once we settled, we started to play the game how we wanted to play and got used to the conditions. 
 
“I think we were able to get on top but overall, we have a lot to work on still.
 
“We have that first hitout out of the way and we have two more weeks to get cracking.”

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More than a scratchie?
While there was nothing on the line, both teams played hard and competitive footy with some big hits coming from both sides. Freo’s lead was just one point at three-quarter time and they were able to grind West Coast down by winning the territory battle in the final term. With just two minutes to play, Sabreena Duffy’s set shot on goal from 30m shut the door on the Eagles.
While the result clearly meant something to the local rivals, as soon as the siren went both teams came together in the middle of the ground in a sign of the strong camaraderie that exists in women’s footy in WA.

Eagles’ four-some start
West Coast’s early domination started in the midfield and spread across all three lines. Fremantle struggled to win a clearance early, and in windy conditions that blew across the ground, West Coast were able to make the most of their opportunities thanks to Aisling McCarthy’s three goals.
 
Five minutes to win it
Fremantle appeared to flick a switch with five minutes to play in the second term. Down by four goals, Ebony Antonio won the footy in the middle of the ground and found an open Gemma Houghton, who used her pace to secure Freo’s first major. 
Freo quickly won the next two clearances and generated two more goals through Houghton and a Sabreena Duffy bomb from just inside 50m. After trailing by 24 points, Freo had cut the margin to a goal at half time.
 
JC saves the day
Cuthbertson was praised by her teammates in the rooms at half time for one passage of play where she smothered a West Coast shot on goal and followed up with a tackle to earn a stoppage. In the final term with Freo leading by a point, the defender took two strong marks on the line within a minute to prevent West Coast scoring. The former elite tennis player is preparing for just her second season of football and said that any chance to play a competitive game was invaluable.
“I feel a lot more comfortable out there,” Cuthbertson said. 
“Last year there were a lot of moving pieces, being new to the game and trying to get comfortable with the group. 
“I’ve now had a season with the girls and a winter playing WAFLW. I feel a lot more relaxed and have a good understanding of my role. 
“I think I can attack drills at training a lot more which has really helped my confidence in my game play.”

And most importantly…
While players took some big hits on both sides, senior coach Trent Cooper was pleased that Freo were able to get through the game unscathed.
“It was a good hit out and it was everything you want from a pre-season game as there were no injuries,” Cooper said. 
“We feel we have a few things to work on before round one, so we’ll go back and assess the tape. It was pleasing that after we gave up a start, we clawed our way into the game and finished it off strongly.”