TWO of the three West Australian Football League (WAFL) Women’s matches were affected partially or fully by wet weather, as each of the losing sides only managed the one goal for Round 14. Peel Thunder all but secured third spot with a huge win over Swan Districts, as Claremont locked up second spot courtesy of a South Fremantle thrashing, and Subiaco came back from conceding the first goal against West Perth to keep its finals hopes alive.

Peel Thunder has produced its most impressive performance of the season – bar goal inaccuracy – to put away fellow finals hopefuls Swan Districts by 45 points. The Thunder showed no mercy early on, racing out to a commanding lead and not giving the Swans much room to move, with inclusions Krystal Carter – who booted the first two goals of the game – Ella Roberts and Sabreena Duffy all having an impact. The Thunder held the Swans goalles until the final three minutes of the match when AFLW-listed Ashley Sharp slammed home her side’s only goal of the match with a clever long-range effort. It mattered little in the end though, as the Thunder picked up the 7.12 (54) to 1.3 (9) win.

The more potent forward line of the Thunder looked that much more damaging, with competition leading goalkicker Kate Bartlett slotting 3.3 from 14 disposals, whilst Carter (nine disposals, 2.2) also managed multiple goals. Duffy returned to fit into the midfield rotation on her way to 18 disposals, two marks and three inside 50s whilst wingers Kaitlyn Srhoj and Jaide Britton, and excitement machine Aisha Wright all broke the lines at various times. In defence, Ebony Dowson and Cassie Davidson ensured the Swans did not get too many good looks at goal.

State Academy members Jaime Henry (15 disposals, four marks, two tackles and two inside 50s) and Abbygail Bushby (21 disposals, six marks, four inside 50s) were the losing side’s best, whilst defender Isabella Edgley (18 disposals, six marks) provided great run out of the back half. Mel Hardy, Lauren Osborne and Aimee Ralph also stood tall during the Swans’ defeat.

Swan Districts is one of three sides with a bye in Round 15, while Peel Thunder are at home yet again, taking on Claremont from 4:15pm at Lane Group Stadium next Saturday, May 28.

PEEL THUNDER 3.4 | 4.7 | 7.10 | 7.12 (54)
SWAN DISTRICTS 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.3 (9)

GOALS:

Peel: K. Bartlett 3, K. Carter 2, K. Phillips, E. Roberts
Swan Districts: A. Sharp

RMC BEST:

Peel Thunder: K. Srhoj, J. Britton, S. Duffy, K. Bartlett, E. Dowson
Swan Districts: J. Henry, A. Bushby, I Edgley, L. Osborne, M. Hardy

Dealt some heavy blows at the selection table, South Fremantle was unable to match the Claremont run and gun gamestyle, as the Tigers did not hold back on their way to an 82-point thrashing at Revo Fitness Stadium. Much like the Swans the day before, the Bulldogs could only manage the one goal – off the boot of Kahra Sprylan beating a couple of opponents and snapping it true. They only had the two scorers in the end, with the talented Poppy Stockwell slotting the three behinds. For the Tigers, they had four players with multiple majors, as Ella Smith (two goals in the first quarter) set the tone early, and the likes of Tessa Doumanis, Brooke Whyte and Tayla Thorogood proved too hot to handle, each slamming home three goals in the win. The Bulldogs managed to make the game closer as the time progressed, but it also coincided with a downpour in the last term, which also stifled Claremont’s un in the 13.13 (91) to 1.3 (9) result.

Claremont had a ton of contributors across the board, with Smith sensational throughout, picking up 15 disposals, three marks, three tackles and four inside 50s, spending a lot of time forward after having a massive first term in the midfield. Young gun Claudia Wright (24 disposals, three marks, seven tackles and eight inside 50s) slotted three behinds, while Whyte (17 disposals, seven marks and 3.1), Thorogood (10 disposals, five marks and 3.0) and Doumanis (nine disposals, two marks and 3.0) all caused lots of damage. Winger Kobi Nichols provided good run on her way to 14 disposals, four marks and four inside 50s in what was an even team performance.

For the Bulldogs, they did their best in the absences of players such as Lauren Vecchio, Liusaidh Gilchrist and Lauren Wakfer, with Sprylan (12 disposals, 13 tackles, three inside 50s and a goal) and Stockwell (14 disposals, five tackles and three inside 50s) the best. Acting captain Pia Durk also tried hard throughout the day, with Emily Boothman and Ella Ward also chipping in under tough circumstances.

South Fremantle has the bye next week in round 15, while Claremont travels to Mandurah in a massive top three clash with Peel Thunder which could be a finals preview between second and third on the table.

CLAREMONT 4.5 | 9.8 | 12.10 | 13.13 (91)
SOUTH FREMANTLE 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 1.3 (9)

GOALS:

Claremont: T. Doumanis 3, B. Whyte 3, T. Thorogood 3, E. Smith 2, S. Garstone, E. Campo
South Fremantle: K. Sprylan

RMC BEST:

Claremont: E. Smith, B. Whyte, C. Wright, K. Nichols, T. Thorogood
South Fremantle: K. Sprylan, P. Stockwell, P. Durk, E, Boothman, E. Ward

In what could only be described as an ultimate slog, the only other winner aside from Subiaco was washing detergent brands that would have got a real workout after the the Lions’ 35-point win over West Perth. By mid-afternoon, there was a torrential downpour that turned the game into a pure wet weather footy contest, keeping scores low and every goal at a premium. In a real twist in the storyline, West Perth kicked the first goal of the game through Jeevna Heer to actually lead by a point at quarter time. It was the first time all season the Falcons had lead at a break, though that was only temporary, as Subiaco piled on the last 12 scoring shots of the game to win 6.6 (42) to 1.1 (7).

There were some massive numbers both in disposals and tackles, with Subiaco captain Tarnica Golisano again setting the tone for the Tigers, laying 15 tackles – a game-high – and amassing 29 disposals and two inside 50s. Her partner-in-crime in the midfield Jayme Harken brought her own ball in the wet, picking up 33 disposals, three marks, five tackles and seven inside 50s. Abbey Dowrick (25 disposals, five tackles, four inside 50s and 1.2) was industrious yet again, while Hanna Dethlefsen slotted three majors from 15 disposals, two marks and three tackles. Amy Mulholland, Tiah Toth, Madizen Wilkins and Hayley Corlett were other strong contributors.

For the Falcons, defender Kaitlyn Roper stood out in the wet, pulling down two marks to go with 20 disposals, eight tackles and earning a match-high five free kicks. Thriving in the conditions, inside midfielder Keely Byrne (19 disposals, three tackles) and Megan Norbury (19 disposals three marks) also found plenty of the ball, with Ebony Jackson laying a team-high 12 tackles, while Karla Stagg directed traffic from full-back.

Subbiaco will take on East Fremantle next week to try and make it four consecutive wins and hand the Sharks their first loss, while West Perth has its final bye of the season next weekend.

SUBIACO 1.0 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 6.6 (42)
WEST PERTH 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 (7)

GOALS:

Subiaco: H. Dethlefsen 3, A. Dowrick, I. Farmer, K. Pocsidio
West Perth: J. Heer

RMC BEST:

Subiaco: T. Golisano, A. Dowrick, J. Harken, H. Dethlefsen, A. Mulholland
West Perth: K. Roper, K. Byrne, M. Norbury. E. Jackson, J. Heer