ARGUABLY Western Australia’s top prospect for next year, West Perth dynamo Lexi Strachan finished off her bottom-age season in style. The Falcons midfielder was outstanding in a best on ground performance for the fifth placed side who marginally fell short of a second straight finals appearance when they defeated South Fremantle by two goals last Friday night.

Strachan predominantly played midfield but still hit the scoreboard with an important goal late in the first half, and we took a look at her performance via our WAFL Women’s Player Focus for Round 18.

PLAYER FOCUS:

2025 WAFL Women’s – Round 18:
West Perth 8.7 (55) def. South Fremantle 6.7 (43)

#25 Lexi Strachan (West Perth)
Stats: 24 disposals (12 kicks, 12 handballs), 3 marks (1 contested), 3 tackles, 5 clearances, 2 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50, 1 goal, 1 behind, 85 AFL Fantasy points

FIRST HALF

Lexi Strachan started the match on-ball against fellow State Academy member Renee Morgan and was quick to get her hands on the ball not long after the match had started. She took her first mark on the wing in space and was able to hit a low pass into the corridor where she found teammate Mia Russo. Her ball-winning abilities would continue with another couple of touches including a clever handball over her shoulder when she spotted a teammate in her peripheral vision.

After a spell with Madison Dodd replacing her in the midfield, she went back on and was able to win a couple more touches, with a clean handball out of the centre stoppage to Russo before bolting forward and winning the ball again. Though making herself an option for the first handball off the drop inside 50, she did not receive it and instead kept going winning it with the next disposal in the last 30 seconds of the quarter.

The second term started with Strachan back in the midfield and as a hunter, she tracked it to centre half-back ready to pounce on either the loose ball or an opponent who dared to pick it up. She used her body consistently well through the match at ground level and was able to win a hardball in close then handball away to a teammate just outside 50 before receiving it back and kicking deeper forward.

Strachan’s second and third efforts were on display, and her strength – which included when tackled she could still dispose of the ball – helped her extract it from the stoppages. After another rest midway through the quarter, Strachan came back off the bench in the 16th minute and with the ball in the Falcons’ possession sprinted forward. Without a matchup due to the change, Strachan marked all alone inside 50 and then went back to nail the set shot and hand her side back the lead by five points.

SECOND HALF

Coming out from the main break, Strachan stepped back on-ball and was quick to apply pressure at the coalface. The West Perth player had a little bit of space early in the third term where she even took a bounce before being closed in and forced to handball off. A couple of plays for distance followed, and she also locked the ball up too with defensive acts.

Her one-on-one ability around the stoppages enables her to either win the ball or possess it enough to put it in a position where a teammate can win it. Though at times when under pressure she can throw it on the boot to clear congestion, in challenging conditions it helps and on many occasions she was able to just keep the ball progressing forward.

One of Strachan’s more impressive players from. the stoppage came early in the fourth term after a brief rest where from the stoppage she burst away and then released perfectly by hand a long handball to a running teammate in space. By delaying the release, it drew the extra opponent and opened up the overlap which was overall an incredibly smart play.

Strachan would continue to release well by hand and use it effectively and won a number of clearances in the fourth term as well. The West Perth midfielder rarely panics with ball in hand and finished the game with another couple of possessions, usually accompanied by multiple opponents. Her last disposal was a ping at the goals off hands inside 50 which was a super effort but only just missed.

CLOSING THOUGHTS…

Lexi Strachan is one of the most talented players in next year’s AFLW Draft. Along with West Perth teammate Cara Dziegielewski, the pair will create a formidable partnership not just at the Falcons, but the Sandgropers in their top-age season. Strachan has had a really good bottom-age season and capped off the year with a super Round 18 performance.

While her year from a state league and national carnival standpoint is done and dusted, there are other representative opportunities that come up over the next couple of months such as Under 17 Futures which will ensure Strachan still has some footy action left yet. With a big preseason ahead of her, keep an eye out for the powerful midfielder in 2026.