CLAREMONT joined the party in the 2025 WAFL Women’s competition with the reigning premiers defeating West Perth, while South Fremantle and Subiaco remained undefeated. With some of the Under 16s missing due to the national carnival, there were a few less State Academy prospects in the WAFLW in Round 2, though others returned.

All notes are the opinion of the individual author.

West Perth:

#3 Samara Sallie (Defender)
Stats: 7 disposals, 3 tackles, 1 inside 50

A relatively quiet game which as a defender is not always a bad thing. Sallie applied some great pressure at times and was not afraid to scrap, with a highlight coming late in the fourth quarter where she stood up in a tackle and got a clean handball away.

#7 Mia Russo (Midfielder)
Stats: 17 disposals, 1 mark, 9 tackles, 4 inside 50s

A definitely improvement on Round 1, with Russo defensive work very good and she was able to have more influence with ball in hand. While still having the ability to get better in the coming weeks, she was able to extract it from in close and work well around the ground to find her fair share of the ball and finish as one of West Perth’s best on the day.

#25 Lexi Strachan (Midfielder)
Stats: 14 disposals, 1 mark, 5 tackles, 2 inside 50s

Found the going a little tougher than in previous weeks, but still got her hands to it. Got to run alongside the likes of two-time league best and fairest Jayme Harken, and her hunt of the football is first class. She cracks in and creates distance with her booming kicks and defensively was able to cause a few headaches for the opposition.

Claremont:

#11 Ella Gilbey (Forward)
Stats: 14 disposals, 2 marks, 4 tackles, 1 inside 50, 2 goals, 2 behinds

Had a night out in her first game for 2025, as the athletic forward was a livewire inside 50. Amongst the best on the ground Gilbey kicked her first out of a forward stoppage and another bursting into space late in the third term. She had no shortage of highlights throughout the course of the place and even hit the post when she should have nailed it 15m out, meaning she could have had an even bigger game.

#33 Juliet Kelly (Defender)
Stats: 13 disposals, 2 marks, 5 tackles, 1 inside 50

Returned to League action via the defence where she won a little bit of it throughout the game. Her fourth quarter was the best where she thwarted a number of West Perth attacks and when she did win it, was quick and clean by hand and generally makes great decisions. Will get better with time coming off an impressive bottom-age season.

East Fremantle:

#13 Maya Louvel-Finn (Defender)
Stats: 14 disposals, 4 marks, 3 tackles

Louvel-Finn continues to impress at League level and has found a home in defence where she remains one of the better Sharks across the first fortnight of the season. Once again she was able to find a rhythm with her rebounding play, boasting great aggression and the ability to lay some fierce tackles and nail passes coming out of the back 50. Has shown the kind of form that indicates she will be a key player this year.

#17 Alicia Blizard (Forward)
Stats: 9 disposals, 1 mark, 2 tackles, 2 inside 50s

After four goals in Round 1, Blizard did not have the same freedom with Peel very wary of what she is capable of. Had one chance on goal early in the match after a good mark but she went to the goalsquare instead, and while having a few ‘almost’ moments with her clean hands and quick gathers, did not hit the scoreboard in Round 2. Blizard did set up a Jasmine Johansen goal with a handball while being tackled though.

Peel Thunder:

#2 Evie Cowcher (Defender)
Stats: 18 disposals, 8 marks, 2 tackles, 1 inside 50

Player her role to a t once again and enjoyed having Cassie Davidson back in the side to free her up more. Cowcher does her best work as that intercepting player who can run off her opponent and create some offensive drive for the Thunder. She did a fair bit of that, clunking just about everything that came her way, and it was that aerial ability that most stood out in Round 2.

#7 Heidi Ireland (Midfielder)
Stats: 8 disposals, 2 marks, 4 tackles, 2 inside 50s

While a quieter game in Round 2 compared to Round 1, Ireland did have a great highlight early in the second term where she mowed down an opponent at half-back to save a potential goal with a brilliant tackle. Ireland covered the ground well and still found the odd touch here and there.

Perth:

#34 Addison Opalinski (Wing)
Stats: 10 disposals, 3 marks, 1 inside 50

Has not looked out of place at League level in the first fortnight and provided an outlet for her defenders by running up and down the wing. A good size and competitive in the air, Opalinski’s work rate and footy smarts helped her find space, and even if she did not receive it due to a turnover, was willing to work into those ball-winning positions.

South Fremantle:

#15 Renee Morgan (Midfielder)
Stats: 19 disposals, 5 marks, 6 tackles, 3 inside 50s

After missing Round 1, the star top-age midfielder made a positive return to the WAFLW, starting on-ball and playing a key role through the middle for the Dogs. Morgan’s incredibly clean hands were on display, while her fierce tackling was not forgotten by the opposition, as she worked hard both offensively and defensively. Her skills were on-point with the one-touch pickups really standing out in the match. She had a flying shot on goal after a sidestep that went out on the full at one stage in the second term, but she won the ball back at the very next disposal.

#31 Marie Polimeno (Defender)
Stats: 6 disposals, 3 marks, 1 tackle

Had less to do than in the opening week so Polimeno was not heavily featured until largely later in the match. She did work up the ground a little and even helped set up a goal to Huggett with a thumping kick inside 50. Has some class and remains one to watch this season as a bottom-ager.

By: Erin Piez & Peter Williams

Subiaco:

#22 Olivia Wolmarans (Key Forward)
Stats: 10 disposals, 2 marks, 2 tackles, 5 hitouts, 3 inside 50s, 2 goals

The versatile tall forward showed strong intent around the contest and was constantly on the move to provide an option. Her positioning stood out, regularly putting herself in the right spaces to receive and apply pressure. While she didn’t always dominate one-on-one contests in the air, she made up for it with second efforts and physicality at ground level. She slotted two goals, one a composed finish under pressure, and the other from a crunching tackle that saw her awarded a free kick 20 metres from goal.

#24 Sunni-Quay Peters (Defender)
Stats: 13 disposals, 3 marks, 3 tackles, 2 inside 50s

Peters showed great intent in pushing up the ground when needed, taking two intercept marks just outside the forward 50 throughout the game. Her physicality in one-on-one contests was a standout feature, consistently disrupting opposition plays through smart body positioning and well-timed tackles. She recovered well after contests and applied repeat pressure when the ball hit the deck. Her decision making was sharp, often picking the right pass under pressure and creating space for her team. Peters’ footy IQ was evident in her ability to stay involved in transition plays, and her presence was increasingly felt as the game wore on.

#27 Layla Quinn-Schofield
Stats: 9 disposals, 3 tackles, 1 inside 50

It was a quieter game from Quinn-Schofield in terms of numbers, though not through lack of trying as she constantly got to positions where she could at least impact defensively. Playing in her typical high half-forward role, she used her powerful left boot to advantage with some nice weighted kicks going forward. However her pressure at ground level, particularly with regards to her tackling, was what highlighted her game.

East Perth:

#3 Lucy Greenwood (Midfielder/Forward)
Stats: 17 disposals, 2 marks, 6 tackles, 3 inside 50s, 1 goal, 1 behind

Greenwood bounced back from a quieter Round 1 to be quite influential in Round 2, starting forward and spending time through the middle later in the match. She showed off her lovely finishing with a nice play-on advantage from a free kick and goal on the run from 20m out. She had a set shot earlier in the match that went wayward, but in general was able to have an impact across the ground. She is ultra-clean and rarely fumbles which enables to gain possession then pick out targets in the right positions. Be it kicking long or across the ground to a free option, Greenwood catches the eye each time she goes near it.