AFLW West Coast Women 2022 - Discussion

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Great start to the new season. only saw quarters 2 and 3 but liked what I saw

Thomas looks a gem

Love the new ruck combination

The tackling ferocity/ let’s hope it is a club wide thing

Realising it a good call to get the missus an Eagles AFLW membership so we can spend more time together
 

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thewest.com.au

Eagles stun Fremantle in practice bout

West Coast have ground out a morale-boosting nine-point practice match win over Fremantle at Cockburn, to show the gap between the two sides is closing.
thewest.com.au thewest.com.au


West Coast have ground out a morale-boosting nine-point practice match win over Fremantle at Cockburn, to show the gap between the two sides is closing.

After being on the end of Dockers beltings in their first two seasons, the Eagles showed they’re not far off their WA sisters with their best available and some structure.

While the Eagles’ 5.2 (32) to 3.5 (23) victory won’t sway too many to think the Dockers’ era of dominance is over, it gives first-year coach Michael Prior plenty to work with.


Prior’s impact on West Coast was evident, with dual All-Australian midfielder Dana Hooker playing at half-back in the first half, as part of a more experienced defence alongside Maddy Collier and Evie Gooch.

This gave the Eagles a solid base to work from and, combined with a more structured forward line and some desperate intensity around the ground, they had the Dockers on the back foot from the opening bounce.

Fit-again forward Andrea Gilmore (two goals) hit the scoreboard in the opening minutes of the game after a strong contested mark, with her presence up forward and one-two punch alongside for ex-GWS tall Aimee Schmidt giving their midfield a focal point.

Most exciting for Eagles fans was the performance of prized draftee Charlie Thomas.

The teenager stamped her authority on the game with a brilliant goal early in the first quarter and showed she’s not out of her depth in the AFLW across much of the contest.

A stunned Fremantle struggled to find their usual composure, with the Eagles’ pressure leaving their team with seemingly little time with the ball in hand.

The introduction of Gemma Houghton in the second quarter straightened the Dockers up, but the absence of Sabreena Duffy and Ashley Sharp was evident, as the Eagles were dominant once the ball hit the ground.

West Coast coach Michael Prior said the Eagles would take confidence out of their first unofficial win over Freamantle but the real test would come in season.

“We know that pre-season games can be very different to what the game looks like in season but what we did show tonight was things we’ve trained for the last three months, we were able to go and put that into place and they really worked for us,” he said.

“We’ll gain some confidence out of it but we’ve got to play Brisbane round one. If we can deliver something similar against them to what we did tonight, we’ll gain even more belief.”

Fremantle coach Trent Cooper said the Dockers need to improve their ball handling before round one.

“We were really fumbly which was where the game was won and lost,” he said.
“West Coast, their pressure was good, but they were a lot cleaner than we were which meant they were on the offensive all day and we were chasing.

“It was a really good lesson for us that no matter what you put in place, if you’re not clean and handling the ball well, you’re going to put yourselves under pressure. I think that was the main thing we need to improve on before round one.”

Eagles best and fairest Bella Lewis and exciting wing Mikayla Bowen looked more confident after strong 2021 seasons, as they led from the front.

The Dockers had multiple opportunities to close the gap, but they were wayward from simple shots on goal.

Both teams shuffled their teams around in the second half and Fremantle had the better of the play in the final term, but couldn’t chase down the Eagles.

An ankle injury to Philipa Seth late in the contest added further salt to the wounds for Fremantle.

Scoreboard

WEST COAST 2.1, 4.1, 5.2, 5.2 (32)
FREMANTLE 0.0, 1.3, 1.5, 3.5 (23)

Goals – WEST COAST: A Gilmore 2 M Bowen C Thomas H Bullas. FREMANTLE: G Houghton B Webb J Stewart.

Best – WEST COAST: C Thomas D Hooker M Bowen A Gilmour B Lewis M Collier.

FREMANTLE: M Sergeant M Strom J Cuthbertson S Cain K Bowers A McMahon.
 
Dark Sharks said:
Bit of carry on for a nothing pre season game. Even got a full spread and write up on the back of the paper.

Definitely ruffled a few Cockburn feathers.
Click to expand...

DS I happened to watch a fair chunk of the game.
Whilst the win was a bonus, for me it was the ball movement and improvement of the players, the structures and processes that pleased me most.

Our girls tackle harder and show more spirit than the men, watching the game I couldn't help but notice that they are a tight knit group that play for each other.

The gals have more testosterone that their male counterparts..........sad but true.
 
Dark Sharks said:
Bit of carry on for a nothing pre season game. Even got a full spread and write up on the back of the paper.

Definitely ruffled a few Cockburn feathers.
Click to expand...
This.

Fair bit of patting on the back going for a preseason game. Some impressive things but also still a lot to improve on as some of the issues we had last year were still evident.
 

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WCE_phil said:
I swear anyone posting links to the west which requires a boomer subscription should be a one week ban.
Click to expand...
Yes that wasn’t paywalled hence the post.

You’ll find I’ll always post the content under the link

I’ll see if I can rectify this now

EDIT: I can still see the article 🤔
 
MOCK TEAMS: Who's in your club's best 21 for round one?
https://womens.afl/news/77641

WEST COAST

B: Amber Ward, Evie Gooch
HB: Ashton Hill, Tayla Bresland, Dana Hooker
C: Charlie Thomas, Aisling McCarthy, Mikayla Bowen
HF: Aimee Schmidt, Imahra Cameron, Niamh Kelly
F: Andrea Gilmore, Grace Kelly
Foll: Parris Laurie, Emma Swanson, Bella Lewis
I/C: Melissa Caulfield, Hayley Bullas, Kellie Gibson, Belinda Smith, Sarah Lakay

West Coast's depth improved significantly over the off-season and, when coupled with very few injuries for the first time, makes for a tough 21 to break into. Top draftee Charlie Thomas is straight in onto the wing, with Dana Hookerlooking likely to play off half-back. Evie Goochtakes the key back spot of the delisted Chantella Perera, while Sarah Lakay comes in as second ruck in place of Alicia Janz. Sophie McDonald, Courtney Rowley, Courtney Guard and Maddy Collier are among those who would also be in contention.
 
It’s a minor thing, but Smith is our most reliable option out of the backline and should not be named on the bench as above.

That forward line still looks like a big issue, and Schmidt’s record doesn’t look like she’ll make a big difference. Freo getting both Roux and Franklin over the last few drafts really stings.
 
Carbine Chaos said:
It’s a minor thing, but Smith is our most reliable option out of the backline and should not be named on the bench as above.
Click to expand...
Agreed and I’m pretty confident we will find this won’t happen come Rnd 1

Ashton Hill will start on the pine for Bel Smith
 
Miguel Sanchez said:
I think we use Gilmore as the second ruck and leave Lakay out
Click to expand...
Yep good call.

Atkins may come in for Caulfield I’d suspect if your move doesn’t come to fruition
 
www.westcoasteagles.com.au

AFLW: Brayshaw brings energy to coaching role

Former Eagle Hamish Brayshaw has taken on the role of AFLW midfield coach
www.westcoasteagles.com.au www.westcoasteagles.com.au

There’s not much Hamish Brayshaw hasn’t done at West Coast, from playing in the Eagles’ engine room alongside the likes of Nic Naitanui, captaining the WAFL team to their inaugural 2021 victory alongside AFL skipper Luke Shuey and hosting the Coast to Coast podcast alongside utility forward Oscar Allen.
Click to expand...
 

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