THE first day of Round 5 in the AFL Women’s saw Fremantle finally break through for its first win of the season with a Western Derby win over West Coast, while Geelong was dominant in a record-breaking thumping of St Kilda.

By: Alyce Collett

Fremantle has finally broken through for its first win of Season 7, narrowly defeating arch rivals West Coast by three points. it was a tight match for much for the match and despite West Coast dominating territory early and getting all the early score on the board, Fremantle responded to take the win and keep its stranglehold on the Derby fixture.

TALKING POINTS

The stranglehold continues

This result continues a trend in the sense that Fremantle and West Coast have now played five times, and Fremantle have won all five encounters. Coming into this match West Coast may have actually come in as favourites considering how the two teams’ seasons are going thus far, but Fremantle rose to the big occasion and was never going to let that stranglehold go.

Freo can get its season going

After a frustrating start to the season, that win was the kind of win that can really get Fremantle’s season going. The Dockers have a tough next few weeks, playing Melbourne, Adelaide and Collingwood respectively, but they now have the confidence to build off this win and really get their season going.

Manificent Miller!

Someone who had a real captain’s performance yesterday was Fremantle skipper Hayley Miller. She really lead from the front in the win, finishing with 26 touches, six tackles and provided a lot of run through midfield.

Bowers back to her tackling best

After a slow start to the season on the tackling front, Kiara Bowers really returned to her tackling best yesterday. She finished with a whopping 18 tackles yesterday and ultimately finished with more tackles than disposals.

Bartlett continues to make the most of her second chance

Despite her side losing, Kate Bartlett is continuing to prove she is making the most of her third chance at AFLW level. Although she only finished with the eight touches and one goal, she provided a strong target up forward and is really building to become that strong target up forward West Coast has really been looking for in the last few years

By: Michael Alvaro

Geelong has recorded its highest-ever AFL Women’s score in a comprehensive 50-point drubbing of St Kilda at GMHBA Stadium. The Cats poured on six unanswered goals in the first half to set up their third win of the season, while St Kilda’s trio of goals all came in the third term en route to the 11.5 (71) to 3.3 (21) defeat.

TALKING POINTS

Oh, Geelong can score now?

A theme of Geelong’s season from Rounds 1 through 4 has been its inability to kick comprehensive scores. That changed emphatically on Thursday. The Cats surpassed their previous season total (69 points) with an impressive 11.5 (71) against the Saints, blowing their previous best of 27 out of the water. Kate Darby‘s late goal also sealed the record of Geelong’s highest-ever AFLW score.

Great Scott! It’s Scheer brilliance

It was the Shelley Scott and Chloe Scheer show at GMHBA Stadium, particularly in a rampant second term where the pair helped kick the Cats clear. Snaring two goals apiece in the first half, they combined with strong marks, shrewd snaps and that all-important scoreboard impact to set up Geelong’s comprehensive victory. In continued unity, they added a goal each in the third quarter to finish with game-high tallies.

Shifting the defence

Geelong did a brilliant job changing the angles and shifting St Kilda’s defensive setup on Thursday, which went a long way to building the Cats’ formidable score. Instead of guarding space, the Saints were isolated in a series of one-on-ones, which Geelong’s shrewd forwards and efficient ball users took full advantage of. While strong at the contest, the Cats dominated outside possession with 62 marks to 27, and 154 uncontested possessions to 82 with impressive feats of ball movement.

Sore and sorry Saints

Compounding the misery of a heavy loss on Thursday was the new addition’s to St Kilda’s injury list, with the Saints ending up three players down in the final quarter. Both Erin McKinnon and Olivia Vesely were ruled out with head knocks in the third term, while Nicola Xenos suffered a knee injury. The tackle which inflicted McKinnon’s injury may see Geelong midfielder Georgie Prespakis come under MRO scrutiny, perhaps more so for the result rather than the act.

The Geelong community

It was clear to most that Geelong’s women’s team had absorbed the energy of their male counterparts’ grand final fever, and it was even a talking point for coach Dan Lowther post-game. The Geelong community is close-knit, and Thursday night’s GMHBA Stadium crowd was loud as their side ran riot, culminating in one of the most impressive performances in the women’s short history.