AN injury to a key player and some State Academy members missing Round 12 meant there were a few hiccups for the WAFL Women’s competition, but still no shortage of standout performers over the weekend.

WAFLW Round 12 | Weekly Wrap | Player Focus (Holly Britton) | Team of the Week

Claremont:

#29 Claudia Wright (Forward/Midfielder)
Stats: 13 disposals, 5 marks, 5 tackles, 2 inside 50s, 2 goals

Wright played a different role than usual, filling in a spot up forward then pushing up the ground, kicking two goals from 13 touches in the match. Her first was a clever snap two minutes into the match, then when she took a good mark late in the second term and converted from 40m, made it two. She should have had three after a set shot midway through the opening quarter, but that kick lacked penetration though was marked on the line by Adele Arnup. Not as prolific production wise due to her role, but still presented up the ground and took some important marks, while laying some strong tackles.

#33 Juliet Kelly (Defender)
Stats: 14 disposals, 4 tackles, 1 inside 50

The smooth-moving defender played her part under immense pressure and is better with ball-in-hand than most. Though she can get pushed off it at times and in one instance during the fourth term lost her opponent in traffic who marked, does a lot of things right. Is an exciting talent for next year.

West Perth:

#1 Megan Norbury (Midfielder/Wing)
Stats: 9 disposals, 2 marks, 4 tackles, 1 inside 50

After a huge game the week before, Norbury had a quiet encounter, just finishing with the nine disposals and not having the space to work her magic. She mixed between the inside and outside once again, taking a couple of good marks, and had a great run-down tackle on the wing playing behind the ball. She works back into defence well, and is just searching for that consistency game-to-game.

#7 Mia Russo (Midfielder/Forward)
Stats: 20 disposals, 1 mark, 6 tackles, 4 inside 50, 1 goal

The bottom-age talent had a big game against the Tigers, kicking a classy goal on the run late in the first half. She was consistent through all four quarters, brought the heat and got into space, with a huge clearance win midway through the fourth quarter as well which allowed her teammate to mark and have a shot on goal in the final term. Her pressure and defensive efforts in this match were very good, and with time and space she hit targets, and was clean at ground level. A real all-round performance and arguably her best at League level.

By: Nathan Sepe

Subiaco:

Nil.

East Perth:

#3 Lucy Greenwood (Forward/Midfielder)
Stats: 19 disposals, 1 mark, 8 tackles, 2 inside 50s

Greenwood was persistent around the contest all game, impacting with her pressure acts without the ball at the centre stoppages. Her bodywork to bump her direct opponent off the ball and gather the ground ball stood up in loose play when she was typically outsized at the stoppages. She had moments of speed chasing down the footy on the outside, and when she wasn’t around the stoppages, her ability to hold her width and create space was important to generate rebound inside 50 entries. Her fundamentals were effective and whilst she had the odd moment of error, she was consistently reliable for East Perth.

Swan Districts:

#5 Carys D’Addario (Midfielder)
Stats: 16 disposals, 3 marks, 8 tackles, 4 inside 50s

Each week you know what you are going to get from D’Addario and it was much the same in Round 12. She started on-ball, got her hands to it consistently, and spread well to the outside to be an option. She never takes a backwards step, has great hands in traffic and good vision when on the move down the field. Her kicking in this match was of a high quality and her play to win the ball in the middle and quickly dish off midway through the second term finished with a goal to Taylah Edwards.

#11 Sienna Gerardi (Forward)
Stats: 4 disposals, 1 mark, 2 inside 50s

The classy and clean small forward did not have much of it, but each time she goes near it, you feel something special is about to happen. She had her moment five minutes into the match where against Hunter Cronin, picked it up one-take on the boundary, took a step back then sidestepped her opponent and exploded past her to kick inside 50. Her hands are as clean as anyone and if she gets goalside, it is good luck to anyone trying to catch her.

South Fremantle:

#4 Noa McNaughton (Forward/Midfielder)
Stats: 18 disposals, 2 tackles, 2 inside 50s

Another consistent game from McNaughton who has found her feet at League level through the midfield while still spending time forward. She might not be hitting the scoreboard as often, but she is buzzing around the ground and putting the ball forward. Boasting quick hands and an endeavour to apply pressure, she has elements to work on in her game such as her cleanliness at ground level and strength, but she has a lot of exciting traits that catch the eye.

#14 Jasmine Bazeley (Wing/Midfielder)
Stats: 11 disposals 16 tackles, 6 inside 50s, 1 goal

A real breakout performance from Bazeley whose 11 disposals might not look like much, but she was phenomenal. Bazeley’s one goal – which was a launch from 50m that got over the back of the deepest forwards – was outstanding, and her ability to make good decisions and hit targets with that impressive left foot caught the eye. Not a natural high accumulator, she makes her disposals count, and her defensive pressure which included 16 tackles was nothing short of elite.

#19 Zoe Keley (Forward/Ruck)
Stats: 9 disposals, 2 marks, 7 tackles, 10 hitouts, 2 inside 50s

Keley had a fair involvement across the ground rotating between forward and ruck. She follows up her taps well and applies fantastic pressure for a tall. One instance she took a great intercept mark on the attacking side of the centre to keep the pressure on the opposition defence. Still a raw tall, she is one who is steadily improving with more responsibility.

#33 Molly O’Hehir (Midfielder)
Stats: 6 disposals, 4 tackles, 3 inside 50s, 1 goal

There would have been a few nervous moments amongst a lot of people when O’Hehir started limping after copping a heavy knock to her knee. But such is her toughness, she got back up and carried on for the second term after going down early in that quarter. Still showing her trademark burst, it looked like the Bulldogs took her off for the second half just to wrap her in cotton wool as she is not one who can hold back from a contest, and that way it prevented any further damage to what looked like a minor knock.

#42 Alira Fotu (Forward)
Stats: 15 disposals, 3 marks, 2 inside 50s

Has made an impact at senior level since coming into the side and is playing some great footy. She leads up from the forward 50 and applies pressure even if not rewarded for tackles. Her hands are very reliable and clean both above her head and at ground level, and she set up a goal late in the third term to Zoe Huggett with a precision pass.

Peel Thunder:

#2 Evie Cowcher (Utility)
Stats: 25 disposals, 6 marks, 3 tackles, 2 inside 50s

Cowcher filled in across all three lines in the heavy loss to the Sharks, starting in defence, then moving into the midfield and even finding herself forward to see if she could generate some scoring chances. Her aerial work was strong, and while one-on-one there were a couple of times others got on top such as Blizard who won the duel and snapped a great goal – Cowcher rolled back to be the loose in defence and picked off errant East Fremantle inside 50s. She found plenty of the ball and was able to provide some composure when she had it.

#4 Holly Britton (Wing/Midfielder)
Stats: 29 disposals, 6 marks, 1 tackle, 2 inside 50s

The standout Thunder player all game, Britton had a breakout performance with her 29 disposals rotating between wing and on-ball. Her performance was the subject of our Player Focus this week, so scroll to the top of the page to find the link to that article.

#8 Dakota Sexton (Defender/Midfielder)
Stats: 8 disposals, 1 mark, 2 tackles

It was a quieter game from Sexton who always tries hard but could not get her hands on the ball as much as others. She is a strong defensive midfielder who uses her speed to break away, but the Sharks got on top in most areas, so unsurprisingly it was hard work for most Peel players.

East Fremantle:

#12 Taya Chambers (Defender)
Stats: 6 disposals, 3 marks, 1 inside 50

There was not much to do for Chambers who started to get more and more aggressive in her positioning hoping to get the ball with it stuck up the other end. She had a few nice touches through the middle of the ground and even thumped it inside 50 just before half-time having pushed right up to half-forward.

#21 Tiani Teakle (Forward)
Stats: 12 disposals, 4 marks, 7 tackles, 6 hitouts, 1 inside 50, 4 goals, 1 behind

It was a big game from Teakle who took control of the forwardline with other experienced talls resting. She presented strongly, crashed packs and was a lovely set shot, with her only miss coming from a snap. Her set shot routine is outstanding and she is a player who you can mark in the book if she is within range.

#29 Natasha Entwistle (Defender)
Stats: 6 disposals, 2 marks, 5 tackles

Another player who in fairness had little to do for the most part, had a couple of touches early when Peel attacked in the opening few minutes, then only really saw it in the second half. She pushed forward and even had a shot on goal but it just fell short and stayed in. Her pressure was at a high level as expected, and few could ever doubt her determination.

#31 Alicia Blizard (Forward)
Stats: 15 disposals, 6 marks, 3 tackles, 1 hitout, 1 inside 50, 3 goals, 1 behind

On debut, the talented tall had a memorable debut, showing off all her tricks inside 50. She was ultra-athletic, won a great one-on-one against Cowcher and got away with a few steps to the boundary and snapped around her body for an unforgettable first goal. She kicked another off a step late in the second term then following a mark launched a set shot goal from 40m early in the third. Not bad below her knees as well, she is a tricky player to beat with her athleticism and recovery time.

#38 Zippy Fish (Midfielder/Defender)
Stats: 29 disposals, 6 marks, 2 tackles, 12 inside 50s, 2 goals

At some point you run out of superlatives, and there is still a serious scratch of the head how of any player in this league, Fish has the ability to wander around doing as she pleases without anyone keeping tabs on her. It is great for the neutral viewer though, and when she is finding space she is bursting forward and impacting everything. Kicked two goals, racked up the ball, set up a few other majors for her teammates and had another five-star performance. Simply breathtaking at her best and has rivals Claremont up next.