IN the final practice match ahead of the 2022 AFL Women’s season, it was West Coast who got the win over Fremantle in windy conditions.

Fremantle fans must have felt a sense of déjà vu in that first quarter, with another slow start from the Dockers. It was all West Coast in the first quarter, as they slotted 2.1 to Fremantle’s no score. Fremantle only had one decent opportunity to score but it petered out, but they were kicking against the breeze. West Coast fans will have been delighted by what they saw from Andrea Gilmore and draftee Charlotte Thomas.

Gilmore was an excellent strong, tall marking target up forward and scored the Eagles’ first goal. Thomas on the other hand was absolutely everywhere in the first term. She was creating plenty of opportunities and even scored a goal herself.

“A dangerous forward half player with clean skills and a nous for goals.” – Peter Williams on Charlotte Thomas, October 19, 2020 via 2021 AFLW Under 18s to Watch.

West Coast would have been worried early about Isabella Lewis, who suffered a facial injury after a tough bump. She was able to return to the field in the second term though. Fremantle was finally able to get the goal on the board through an unconventional goal from Gemma Houghton.

Possession wise it was a very even quarter. Both sides had an even amount of the ball, but West Coast’s possession was a lot cleaner. Their kicks in particular were very good – very straight and direct. Mikayla Bowen kicked a goal from directly in front after earning a free kick. West Coast didn’t have to wait long for another one as Gilmore kicked another goal only minutes later.

Fremantle almost had their second goal with a few minutes to go but it ultimately hit the post. They’d found plenty space coming down the ground and got it into the forward line with relative ease. As the half-time siren came, the margin was 16 points in favour of the Eagles.

For West Coast, it was the likes of Gilmore, Thomas and Bowen who all played well in the first half. Eagles fans should be particularly excited about Thomas, who although playing her first game at AFLW level looked right at home.

Fremantle’s usual suspects all played very well in the first half. Houghton, Kiara Bowers, Hayley Miller and Gabby O’Sullivan all played very well across the midfield/forward line.

There was an interesting positional change from the Eagles early in the second half. Dana Hooker was moved forward early in the term after playing the first half in defence.

The first half of the third term was very even. There was lots of end to end action with both sides having plenty of opportunities to score, but neither side could score a goal. Hayley Bullas was able to finally break the goal scoring deadlock with just over seven minutes to go with a brilliant snap from the boundary.

In the end that was the only goal of the term as the Eagles took a 20-point lead into the three quarter time break. Both sides had plenty of forward 50 opportunities, but just couldn’t convert, particularly the Dockers.

Fremantle had much of the possession early on and were able to convert and put their second goal of the match on the board. The Dockers scored another one about halfway through the term to shrink the gap to a mere nine points. Fremantle had a lot more of the possession in the final term, but West Coast did have their chances to score. They just could not convert.

In the last few minutes of the terms the ball was stuck in the Fremantle forward 50. Despite that, the Dockers just could not make the most of the ball and get any goals out of it. In the end it was the Eagles who recorded a nine-point win.

Ultimately it was West Coast’s strong start that made the ultimate difference. Fremantle played well after quarter time, but was just unable to recover from their slow start. This will be something that Trent Cooper and his team will be very keen to work on before Round 1.

This is not to take anything away from West Coast, who played very well and will take a world of confidence out of this game. They beat the Dockers for the first time, who are a song side and have been a premiership contender for several years. They had a fantastic first quarter, and were able to capitalise on that good start and get the win.