WINS do not need to always be pretty, and that was certainly the case for South Fremantle on the weekend as the Bulldogs scraped over the line against West Perth in a vital WAFL Women’s Round 10 victory, 1.8 (14) to 1.4 (10) at Fremantle Oval on Saturday.

Neither side kicked a major after quarter time which made it a slog, but at the same time gripping, as both sets of fans watched in frustration given chances on goal went begging. Nine straight behinds after quarter time – five to South Fremantle, four to West Perth – told the tale of two sides missing quality players out of their lineups.

West Perth opened the account early with a great long-range goal from Lexi Strachan which ironically was one of the tougher executions on the day, but went straight through the big sticks, an effort that was countered by Bulldogs leading goalkicker Zoe Huggett up the other end. Huggett and fellow tall Shannyn Pomersbach threatened to tear the game apart when the ball went in their areas, with the Falcons not really having the answers to quell them one-on-one.

However the proactive defence meant West Perth only saw the ball go inside its back 50 a total of 20 times, while the Falcons went inside 31 times and took 11 more marks in total. But for all of West Perth’s forward half ascendancy, there was not much reward for effort on the scoreboard, with the likes of Taylor Ferguson and Hayley Bidefeld having chances go begging.

Ferguson and opposite wing Megan Norbury were very good throughout the game, providing enormous run and carry down the ground, while Madison Dodd looked like a player possessed, doing everything she could to drag her team over the line. Her desperation became more important through the fourth term when Emily Bennett was ruled out of the last quarter after being involved in a heavy tackle, having been one of, if not the, Falcons best to that point.

However the AFLW experienced duo of Bailey Hunt and Tahleah Mulder took full advantage against a young Falcons midfield, with the Bulldogs duo combining for 51 disposals, eight marks, 10 tackles and seven inside 50s. They were doing a great job of ensuring it was not one-way traffic out of the middle, while Madizen Wilkins and Hunter Cronin also played their roles well.

The last 10 minutes seemed to go up a notch for both sides with the tension and pressure rising for what really needed to be a breakthrough goal. The Bulldogs had several chances on goal to go further in front but missed with Pomersbach kicking her third behind in the sixth minute. Ferguson’s miss after a brilliant burst inside 50 was the last score for the Falcons despite a few desperate chains from defence to attack.

Both the teams have played better football and have the potential to put up big scores, but it was just one of those days where the disconnect going inside 50 – for West Perth – and the accuracy on goal – for South Fremantle in particular – impacted the scoreboard. The one factor that impacted the least would decide the game, and ultimately, being able to score almost 50 per cent of the time they went inside 50, the Bulldogs got across the line.

SOUTH FREMANTLE 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.8 (14)
WEST PERTH 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.4 (10)

GOALS:
South Fremantle: Z. Huggett
West Perth: L. Strachan

RMC BEST:
South Fremantle: B. Hunt, T. Mulder, Z. Huggett, M. Wilkins. S. Pomersbach
West Perth: M. Norbury, M. Dodd, E. Bennett, T. Ferguson, L. Strachan

AROUND THE GROUNDS

The other nail-biting contest saw East Fremantle kick away from Perth to make it back-to-back victories and deny the Demons their first victory. Once again, Perth lead a more experienced rival, but was kept to just one behind in the second half which resulted in the Sharks securing a 14-point win, 4.10 (34) to 3.2 (20).

Sarah Wielstra (16 disposals, six marks, four tackles and seven inside 50s) posed problems up forward, though only had three behinds for her efforts. Teenagers Noa McNaughton (17 disposals, nine tackles) and Maya Louvel-Finn (14 disposals, three marks and six tackles) were again busy, while Anjelique Raison played her best game of 2025 with 15 touches, three marks, four hitouts and a goal. Isabella Shannon was best on ground in a losing effort for Perth, racking up 32 disposals, five marks, two tackles and six inside 50s. Jasmine Single and Fina Dethlefsen were also strong for the Demons.

Subiaco capitalised on a depleted Swan Districts midfield to have 49 inside 50s to 13 and come away with the 21-point victory. Full credit has to go to the Swans’ defence, only conceding five goals in the match despite being under siege at times during the 5.10 (40) to 3.1 (19) loss.

Paige Sheppard and Lisa Steane found plenty of the ball, while wing Hayley Corlett and forward Layla Quinn-Schofield were all impressive in the victory. Ruck Tess Lyons proved a real headache for the eSwans, having more hitouts than her opposition side combined. Isabella Edgley thwarted plenty of Lions attacks, while Tamzyn Beros also did well for the Swans.

Claremont’s undefeated season rolled on in the other match, accounting rather easily for Peel Thunder. The Tigers shook off missing a stack of first-choice players to win, 8.10 (58) to 2.5 (17). They had 43 inside 50s to 23, a well as 76 more disposals and a whopping 39 more marks.

In the absence of Olivia Wolmarans, Rachel Ortlepp and Ella Gilbey both kicked two goals and were busy throughout the contest, while Sarah Viney and Matilda Sergeant had equal match-high disposals with 25. For the Thunder, double bottom-ager Charlie Fletcher was outstanding, winning 21 touches, four marks, eight tackles and dive inside 50s, while Ebony Dowson kicked her first WAFLW goal since 2021 in a positive moment for the visitors.