NEW West Coast Eagles coach Daisy Pearce could not have asked for a better start to her time as coach of the Eagles, as her charges held on for a one-point over Richmond to get their 2024 AFL Women’s campaign underway.

Post-match Pearce said her overwhelming emotion was pride.

“Proud with the way that they fought the game out,” Pearce said.

“I thought we set it up really well in the first half and got the game looking the way that we wanted, just our pressure around the ball. If we didn’t kind of execute and nail the first or second tackle, we had a third and fourth player turning up to make sure that we were able to win the ball back and get it going our way. We went down in clearances, but because we were prepared to work away from that, it meant that we were able to win the territory battle.

“I thought our forwards, like at times with giving Richmond a spare defender, we were able to just get a contest, we wanted the ball on the ground and our forwards did a tremendous job of that. So just super proud.

“Things didn’t look exactly how we would like in that last quarter. Richmond sort of peppered us with inside fifties, but we’ll go to work on that and just their ability to keep adjusting to the different scenarios that the game gave us in terms of being up by a short margin, down by a short margin.

“To see a young group that we put out on the park tonight think and problem solve their way through that and fight the way they did, it gives us great belief.”

Pearce praised plenty of players for their efforts last night, both newer and more experienced. With no Emma Swanson in the line up, Pearce commended Isabella Lewis and Charlotte Thomas for how they stood up in the captain’s absence.

“For Bella and Charlie to step up, not just today, but throughout the week has been really pleasing. They’re such young players and young leaders,” Pearce said.

“Bella had a big job going head-to-head on Mon Conti and there were patches where we thought that she was getting the damage done. And then Conti, we know is going to influence the game at different stages. Bella’s assignment wasn’t to go and shut her out of the game so she doesn’t get it, but to limit her influence.

“She probably had the back end of a couple of the quarters Mon got on top, but we thought Bella’s heart and ability to just keep competing and have some really important moments to get the ball going our way. We sort of had a plan B but didn’t feel like we wanted to go to it because Bella was doing a good job.”

On the new player end of things, Zoe Wakfer and debutant Georgie Cleaver were praised for their ability to quell the influence of Richmond captain Katie Brennan.

“Katie’s a bit like Mon Conti, she’s going create opportunities, she’s an incredible footballer and works really, really hard, super athletic, so it’s a tough job for anyone playing on her. So Zoe Wakfer and Georgia Cleaver both shared duties on Katie, and Zoe had some good moments on her but Georgie probably spent a bit more time on her late,” Pearce said.

“Zoe’s had an interrupted pre season with a broken wrist, so only got back to full training last week … and Georgie’s just spent 10 days in national camp for the Aussie under 21 netball team, under 21, so both off kind of different, limited prep.

“The great thing about both of them is they love a challenge and we know that they’ll bring physicality, but I thought Georgie in particular, in her first ever AFLW game, to just nod her head and go out with a job like that, I thought she competed really well against Katie and given the athlete she is, you know,  there’s not many people that can play like Katie does.”