THE 2022 AFL Women’s season is almost upon us, so it is time to take a look at each of the competing teams and see where they sit as we head into another season.
Today we will take a look at Fremantle, who made the finals in 2021 but lost to Melbourne in the elimination final. After being denied an opportunity to win the flag that many said was rightfully theirs in 2020, the Dockers came out in the 2021 season on a mission. They won their first four matches of the season, but late season losses saw them ultimately finish fifth on the table.
Fremantle coach Trent Cooper came out during this week with a few interesting comments about their 2021 season, including how sides were able to pull apart their game too easily. He also noted how in his words they didn’t improve from 2020 to 2021, and thought they could just roll into 2021 with their 2020 form, which didn’t work out well for them. He has identified these issues that he will look to change heading into 2022.
Another area of Fremantle’s game the Dockers will be definitely wanting to improve this season is their slow starts. They were notoriously slow starters in 2021 and after the practice match last night, it’s looking like slow starts will once again be a thorn in their side heading into 2022.
Last night in the practice match against the Eagles, they were kept scoreless in the first quarter. Scoring wise, this is what proved the ultimate difference in the game. Yes they were kicking against the breeze, but Fremantle can not afford to use that as an excuse and don’t want to either.
Despite these issues, there are still many positives that outweigh these negatives.
For one, the Dockers’ squad is still laden with the talent that has seen them be one of the top sides since season one of AFLW. Kara Antonio, Ebony Antonio, Gemma Houghton and new skipper Hayley Miller are just some of the talent that continue to star for the Dockers week in, week out.
Then there is Kiara Bowers, who is in a league of her own. She just continues to go from strength to strength, and even won the AFLW Best and Fairest in 2021.
It’s all this aforementioned talent that is the reason Fremantle will still be a premiership contender in 2022. Their midfield alone is daunting prospect for any opposition by itself, but with the addition of young talent like Dana East and Amy Franklin, the Dockers will be even more daunting to come up against.
The Dockers did lose quite a bit of experience and talent at the end of last season. Leah Mascall retired while Evie Gooch moved across to cross town rivals West Coast.
In addition to this, Sabreena Duffy and Ashley Sharp are both on Fremantle’s inactive list for the 2022 season.
Regardless, if the Dockers are able to fix up their issues and make their game a little bit harder to pick apart, Fremantle fans ought to start getting excited about what may be in store for their team in 2022.
2022 squad:
- Ebony Antonio
- Kara Antonio
- Kiara Bowers
- Steph Cain
- Janelle Cuthbertson
- Dana East
- Amy Franklin
- Mikayla Hyde
- Gemma Houghton
- Jessica Low
- Maggie MacLachlan
- Ann McMahon
- Hayley Miller
- Mikayla Morrison
- Emma O’Driscoll
- Gabby O’Sullivan
- Laura Pugh
- Airlie Runnalls
- Roxy Roux
- Matilda Sergeant
- Philipa Seth
- Ange Stannett
- Jasmin Stewart
- Mim Strom
- Aine Tighe
- Tiah Toth (nee Haynes)
- Makaela Tuhakaraina
- Sarah Verrier
- Bianca Webb
- Sarah Wielstra
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