SUBIACO has remained undefeated after three rounds of the West Australian Football League (WAFL) Women’s competition following a couple of big wins. In the featured game of the round, the Lions won a real grind against a young Swan Districts outfit to ensure Subiaco extended their unbeaten streak.

It was an entertaining contest despite being played between the arcs for the majority of the match, as the the Lions, led by top-age talent Abbey Dowrick won 5.7 (37) to 2.4 (16) in perfect conditions. Dowrick slotted three majors and was the difference between the sides in the end, having an additional couple of chances roaming at half-forward, in what could have been an even bigger day for the talent.

Swan Districts repeated the effort of the game from the week before with an early goal to Sarah Wielstra from the work of Mikayla Hyde who was a little far out to score but found her teammate at the top of the goalsquare. The next 10 minutes of the first term belonged to Subiaco as they dominated forward half possession, and Dowrick took her chance with a snap off a couple of steps, along with a kind bounce that cleared the goalsquare pack to bounce through.

Three minutes later, late inclusion Kia Buckley made sure the coaches gave her some consideration to retain her spot with a strong fend-off on Eliza Gelmi and then put it through from 15m out. Some late pressure from Swans forced the Lions to rush a behind, but then an end-to-end play almost resulted in a second goal to Dowrick who marked all alone but shanked the kick to the right.

The number 23 soon made good on her miss with a chance early in the second term to make no mistake thanks to a thumping goal from 35m out and extend the lead after an earlier Janelle Cuthbertson miss. Jess Cox was having a strong day for the Swans, working well with the likes of Wielstra and Emily McGuire, whilst Mikayla Hyde was busy on the inside. while Mikayla Morrison had a quiet first term, she showed how she does not many touches to do some serious damage with an elite sidestep close to goal and then slammed the Swans’ second major home 12 minutes into the term.

The Swans had some impressive play in the backend of the second term, as Nyra Anderson‘s clean hands at ground level, McGuire’s booming kick and the work of Mikayla Hyde and Tara Stribley through the middle was eye catching. Hayley Cole had a chance in transition but missed to the right as Maggie Maclaughlin took a number of late intercept marks to end the half with Subiaco nine points ahead.

Unfortunately for the young Swan Districts side, it could not muster up a goal in the second half as the Lions had to work incredibly hard for the three they kicked to end the game. The third term was an odd term wither neither side scoring until a behind from Philippa Pienaar in the 15th minute broke the drought. Both sides had battled between the arcs, and it looked like the teams would head into half-time with just one additional behind separating them. Jacqueline Toth had other ideas as she pounced on Shanae Davison who dove on the ball late in the term, won the free kick and then moments before the siren drilled the goal from 15m for a 16-point advantage at the final break.

Swan Districts was not going to roll over though, as Stribley and Brianna Hyde were moving the ball well with some speed, but once again it was the thorn in the side for the Swans all day that broke the camel’s back. After three and a half minutes of early forward possession for Swan Districts, Subiaco rushed the ball inside 50 for the first time to a pack, it spilled and Dowrick did the rest with a quick kick from 40m and had her third for the term.

From there, the battle between the arcs continued as both half-back lines tried to create something, but neither side was able to really get a good look deep with the back 50s set up well. McGuire was trying her best with her ranking long boot as Davison, Brianna Hyde and Bianca Webb had really worked into the game as the match went on and opened up in terms of space. Lindal Rohde had a chance for Subiaco later in the term after smothering a kick in the forward 50, then having a running shot but missed to the left.

Swan Districts had its best chance for the match with Brianna Hyde and Cox combining, but the latter just did not quite settle on the shot running into goal for a behind, which was the home side’s first score of the final term. Once again up the other end less than two minutes later, Subiaco punished the Swans with a late bump from McGuire on talented middle-ager Charlie Thomas who sensed no one was manning the mark following the 50m penalty and ran in for a nice goal late in the match. The final scoring opportunity of the game came from Morrison who after being loose inside 50, had a shot on goal in the last 15 seconds but missed to the right, signalling a 27-point defeat.

Dowrick was the clear standout for the Lions, with Toth, Pisconari and Miller always damaging, while Maclaughlin, Pienaar and Cuthbertson showed some nice signs throughout the contest. Cole was among the Swans’ best with Cox, McGuire, Wielstra and the Hyde sisters, whilst 15-year-old Olivia Cripps was also strong in defence.

SWAN DISTRICTS 1.1 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.5 (17)
SUBIACO 2.3 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 6.8 (44)

GOALS: 

Swan Districts: S. Wielstra, M. Morrison.
Subiaco: A. Dowrick 3, K. Buckley, J. Toth, C. Thomas.

ADC BEST:

Swan Districts: J. Cox, H. Cole, M. Hyde, E. McGuire, S. Wielstra
Subiaco: A. Dowrick, J. Toth, D. Pisconari, H. Miller P. Pienaar

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In the other Saturday game, Peel Thunder handed reigning premiers East Fremantle their second consecutive match with an impressive 13-point triumph at David Grays Arena. The Thunder booted the only goal of the first half in a low-scoring match, before booting four goals to three in the second half, and most importantly being more accurate in the half, kicking 4.1 to 3.3 to win 5.5 (35) to 3.4 (22). Kira Phillips booted another two goals for the Thunder, with Krystal Carter, Kate Bartlett and Kate Ditchburn all booting one apiece. For the Sharks, Stephanie Sparke kicked two majors, with Kahra Sprylan snagging one.

On Sunday, it was a cause for celebration in the final term when South Fremantle finally recorded its first goal of the season after two scoreless weeks to open the year for the league’s newest side. Getting a behind on the board in the opening term, the Bulldogs were able to get past the drought of the first eight quarters to finish with a scoreline of 1.3 (9). Unfortunately Claremont was far too good, and as one of the premiership contenders, booted nine goals from 21 scoring shots to win by 57 points. Mhicca Carter booted three goals on debut, with former Calder Cannons and Melbourne AFL Women’s talent, Krstel Petrevski also kicking a major for the Tigers. Brooke Whyte snagged three majors in the win, as did Bella Zadnik and Amy Franklin. for the Bulldogs, Chloe Taylor made history as her club’s first ever goalkicker.

WAFL WOMEN’S ROUND 3 RESULTS:

Swan Districts 2.5 (17) defeated by Subiaco 6.8 (44)
Peel Thunder 5.5 (35) defeated East Fremantle 3.4 (22)
South Fremantle 1.3 (9) defeated by Claremont 9.12 (66)

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Pic: WAFL