Fremantle will go into Sunday’s RAC Derby at Fremantle Oval with an unchanged lineup.
With the club emerging from a five day lockdown through the Perth, Peel and South West region, senior coach Trent Cooper has decided to back the same 21 that defeated GWS in round one by 30 points.
It means Sarah Verrier and Mikayla Hyde have retained their spots after making impressive debuts against the Giants.
Fire-fighter Evie Gooch is also set to play after a week of fighting fires to Perth’s north east, however she will be on call and will prioritise her DFES duties if required.
Katie-Jayne Grieve and Maggie MacLachlan will be the emergencies.
Like West Coast, Fremantle will go into the clash with only one training session under their belts for the week after being in lockdown from 6pm Sunday to 6pm Friday.
Freo were quick to hit the track, coming into the club on Friday night for a session before using Saturday for recovery.
The game will be broadcast live through Perth and WA on 7mate and Fox Footy but will be locked out to spectators under guidance from the WA Government, which has a maximum capacity of 150-people permitted at the venue (inclusive of players, coaches, umpires, broadcast and venue staff).
The game will also be streamed live via Kayo and the official AFLW app.
While fans won’t be in attendance, the clash will still be a chance for WA to come together after a challenging week that saw bushfires and a lockdown hit parts of the state.
To add weight to the occasion, naming rights sponsor RAC have pledged $2000 per goal and $500 per mark in the clash.
Despite rain being expected, Cooper hopes his team can do their best to contribute to the total.
“RAC, who are the sponsor of the RAC Derby, they’ve really come to the fore. They’re donating $500 for every mark taken and $2000 for every goal. That’s fantastic,” Cooper said.
“We’ll be trying to contribute as much as possible to that. In some ways we’re hoping that there’s plenty of rain, so that won’t mean as many marks and goals, because that will be good news for the fires as well.
“We’ll be doing our best to keep that ticking over to help the community, who have been so badly affected by the fires.”
