SPEAKING post-game after his side’s win over Hawthorn, there was one topic that was front and centre of Fremantle coach Trent Cooper’s mind – retiring Dockers star Kara Antonio.

Coming in for her first game of the season, which was also her last ever, Cooper spoke of the fairytale coming to fruition and things working out so well for Antonio in her final game.

“When Hawthorn were three goals in front with nine minutes to go with the breeze, it was looking very bleak,” he said. “The team lifted and we got forward, but that goal from Kara into the breeze was absolutely huge for the momentum of the game and to keep us in it and she definitely did her part today that’s for sure.”

Cooper also spoke glowingly of the legacy Antonio will leave behind – not just at the Dockers but for the wider history of women’s football.

“We’ve talked a fair bit about that this week,” Cooper said. The players around know and are appreciative, probably the next generation won’t know how much she’s done for women’s football and for Freo in particular.

“She set the standard right from day one, I wasn’t there first couple of years but all you hear is how she set the standard. From the moment I came in she was the leader and really without her probably the club could have struggled with the women’s team for quite a few years but to her credit she really stuck strong and brought a lot along for the ride.

“We’re already seeing the benefit of that now with the likes of Hayley Miller who learnt off Kara of how to be a leader and then now passing that onto the next group like Dana East and those types.”

With the number of injuries she has endured over the years, Cooper admitted things may have been different for Antonio if she were any other player.

“To be honest she was probably injured from the moment I started, and not many players would have played any games with the injuries that she’s carried, but she’s just always managed to just find a way to get through,” Cooper said.

“As a player she’s been fantastic but her legacy is way beyond that. It really is as a leader and bringing others along for the ride, and she’s made a lot of other people better, including me as a coach so I think that’s what I appreciate most.”

Despite what it had seemed, Cooper confirmed that it was not an instruction from him for his team to intentionally seek out Antonio to give her goal opportunities out on the field to send her out on a high.

“It was a bit of the opposite to be honest, because we knew that would happen and that’s not the way Kara plays,” Cooper said. She has always been a high score assists player, and there was a period where we were doing that a little bit too much, particularly when we were kicking to a one-on-one when she was against (Tegan) Cunningham who’s about a foot and a half taller than her. Once we sort of got away from that and started playing normally, that’s when Kara’s actually at her best, and to finish with two goals, fitting reward for her.”

Reflecting on the season as a whole, Cooper said that it was a relief to finally have the frustrating season over and done with.

“We’re a side that likes to play finals, so once we got to that point where we were out of finals contention, it was about building and improving and to the girls’ credit they didn’t drop away at any stage and their training’s always been first class in their desire to improve, so we think we’ve done that in the back half of the year,” he said.

“I still think probably our best two games were against Melbourne and Adelaide rather than maybe the two wins at the end but it gives the group something to work towards next year and I think as a group they can bounce back and be in contention again.”