Miguel Sanchez
(Unique injury) TBC
Optimistic advertising tickets for a game in WA that would involve interstaters being allowed in.
AFLW West Coast Women 2022 - Discussion
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Optimistic advertising tickets for a game in WA that would involve interstaters being allowed in.
Especially with Gold Coast having a confirmed COVID case today and the whole team in quarantine.
Biggie
Eat better and exercise
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How training with men fast-tracked Eagle’s code switch
An elite athlete by nature, Andrea Gilmore’s pursuit of excellence wasn’t going to stop with a change of code.
thewest.com.au
An elite athlete by nature, Andrea Gilmore’s pursuit of excellence wasn’t going to stop with a change of code.
During her netball off-season in 2017, the former West Coast Fever defender was searching for ways to keep active.
And after a passing conversation with AFLW draftee Parris Laurie who invited her down to Claremont training, football proved the answer.
“I wanted to do something different,” Gilmore said.
“It’s how you apply yourself a lot of the time. Having that background in elite sport, I understood what was required to do that. But a change-up was always going to spark something.”
Tall, athletic and talented, Gilmore’s stocks quickly rose.
By 2020, she was elevated onto West Coast’s inaugural playing list as an injury-replacement player.
While she didn’t get the chance to debut, she proved to the Eagles football department she was deserving and earnt a permanent spot on West Coast’s list ahead of the 2021 season.
But the hard work didn’t stop there and Gilmore spent the off-season training with Claremont’s men’s team, connecting once again with former senior coach Darren Harris who she crossed paths with at the West Coast Warriors.
“I’d trained with West Coast in the academy but until the process around train-ons was figured out, I didn’t have anywhere to train that would’ve pushed me to the level I needed to be pushed,” Gilmore said.
“It was a huge challenge but I loved it. I learnt so much.
“It was low key for them, being the start of their pre-season but there was a lot of running, kicking, handballing and basic fundamentals. They were pretty kind to me at times as well and didn’t go too hard on me. Their work rate was incredible as well and taught me a few lessons.
“I was prepared for the faster pace because obviously they move the ball so fast. It was hard to keep up but I was better off when I stepped back into a women’s football environment.”
One of the hardest things to prepare for was footy’s physicality after a sporting career dictated by obstruction and contact whistles.
“I expected it but until you get that first hit, you don’t know what you’re in for. I remember one game for Claremont I got absolutely cleaned up off the ball and it was a bit of a wakeup call,” she said.
After debuting in round one against Adelaide in 2021, Gilmore showed promise and provided a focal point up forward before a regulation head clash ended her season.
Against Brisbane in round three, Gilmore had kicked an early goal when she suffered a concussion trying to earn a possession.
It took her until after the season to fully recover and return to training.
“It dragged out longer than I’d anticipated. We have strict protocols and I didn’t pass them until late in the season,” she said.
The 33-year-old also had to miss four weeks of work, her cocktail of symptoms ranging from an inability to concentrate, headaches and fatigue.
“It did (scare me) a bit but it was more the other stuff beyond footy. It made me realise the importance of my career beyond sport. It hits you pretty hard sometimes,” she said.
Fit-again ahead of the 2022 season, Gilmore kicked two goals in West Coast’s pre-season win over Fremantle, including one in the opening minute of the match.
Alongside off-season recruit Aimee Schmidt, the Eagles forward line suddenly has a bit more punch and Gilmore hopes to be a big part of it.
“Hopefully there’s a spot there for me,” she said.
“I’ve been enjoying learning, putting in the work and hopefully preparing myself for the contest after the concussion. I’m doing everything I can to put my best foot forward.”
Biggie
Eat better and exercise
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Entire AFLW team in quarantine days out from Round 1 as Crows, Power both have positives
Entire AFLW team in quarantine days out from Round 1 as Crows, Power both have positives
www.foxsports.com.au
Not sure why this wasn't the fixture in the first place
Being able to win our second flag in a month will be good for this club.
We won't finish higher than Cockburn, don't worry.
You heard their boss. They're gonna win 6 flags in the next 4 years and have an average of 80k attendance at their games.
You heard their boss. They're gonna win 6 flags in the next 4 years and have an average of 80k attendance at their games.
Biggie
Eat better and exercise
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AFLW Preview - West Coast and Collingwood - The Mongrel Punt
We’re on the countdown to the commencement of the 2022 AFL season and Alex Docherty is concluding his season previews by covering the Pies and Eagles. Check out below for the most comprehensive team previews in the business – links to previous teams covered at the conclusion of this article...
themongrelpunt.com
West Coast
2021 Record: 2 Wins, 7 Losses (12th)
2022 Season Prediction: 11th
What’s to make of the West Coast Eagles this year?
2022 will be their third season in the competition and with that, will enter it with a third coach in as many years, with Michael Prior the next man to take the reigns of the blue and gold following Daniel Pratt’s departure at the end of the 2021 season.
What Pratt was able to do in the Eagles’ second season is help the Eagles find some stability on the field and the foundation is laid for Prior to take this side to another level or two in 2022.
Whilst the results will show that they’re still some ways from competing with the elites – 38-point loss to Adelaide, 45-point loss to Brisbane and a thrashing to West Coast in their second derby encounter of the season – they were competitive against sides such as GWS and Richmond as well as recording character-defining wins over the Gold Coast and Geelong.
What I thought was the most impressive about this is that the Eagles basically did all this without their star midfielder Dana Hooker in tow, after the midfield ace required surgery for slicing open a tendon in her foot.
It was one of the more bizarre injuries to happen in either AFL men’s and women’s, but what this also managed to unlock was finding more midfield options that will help an emerging ruck like Parris Laurie out and enable first use out of both stoppages and in the centre bounce.
In her first year at the club, Bella Lewis thrived in the middle and took home the Eagles’ best and fairest award. Simply put, I love how she goes about it – completely fearless at the ball and willing to put her body on the line for the club in moments of need.
She led all players for contested possessions, clearances and tackles last season and with another pre-season under her belt, will be a player that will be forcing the rest of the competition to take notice if they haven’t already.
Mikayla Bowen was another one who thrived in the absence, but as opposed to playing in the guts, she was stationed on the wing and made that position her own, and it was recognised by the league when she was named in the All-Australian squad of 40.
Bowen’s high work rate, quickness and intelligent positioning has made her already such a star as she enters her third year in the competition at just 20 years of age. She led all players for disposals, metres gained and marks last season and expect her to find another level or two in her game in 2022.
But the midfield is more than those two of course: Their captain, Emma Swanson leads from the front with a very hard approach towards every contest she can get to. Hooker’s absence last season meant that she was the one for the opposition to target most weeks and in turn, allowed other players to slip under the radar a little more.
Aisling McCarthy is another player who I expect will do great things in the midfield in 2022. After crossing from the Bulldogs at the end of the 2020 season, she slotted into this Eagles’ team seamlessly and averaged strong numbers in disposals, clearances, inside 50s and contested possessions before a knee injury wrecked her season.
And then when you throw in their two young prized draftees in Charlie Thomas and Courtney Rowley, there’s a lot to like about what the Eagles are doing in their engine room.
Thomas was taken as the first pick in the WA talent pool in the 2021 Draft, this was despite missing all year with a wrist injury. Her composure and skill with the ball in her hands will provide a handful for many opposition sides in the coming seasons. Her size as well at 175cm means that she’s going to be a powerhouse midfield in no time.
Courtney Rowley is the other young draftee to keep your eyes out for in 2022. She averaged some big numbers for Western Australia in the 2021 Under 19 championships and is a player that will bolster the midfield significantly with her ability to play both inside and outside, as well as provide pressure in the contest.
So, what does this mean for Hooker? She was trialled in the half-back line for a half against Fremantle in their practice match before Christmas and didn’t look out of place, could that be her new role in 2022?
Belinda Smith played very well as a rebounding half-back flanker last season, but there isn’t a lot of depth in terms of rebounding defenders and the Eagles have historically been a side that has been poor with their ball use around the ground. Having a seasoned veteran like Hooker dictate the play from half-back could be what helps the Eagles win an extra game or two.
Which does lead me to how they connect to the forward line from the middle of the ground. The Eagles were the third-worst scoring side in the competition in 2021 – behind both Gold Coast and Geelong. But their scoring was solid improvement on their 2020, when they averaged 14.1 points per game up to 25.4 points.
Imahra Cameron showed against the Cats last season that she can rip a game apart, but there’s plenty of room for consistency in her game. Grace Kelly topped the Eagles’ goal-kicking last season, booting 7.3 and showed plenty of signs that she could become a very good lead-up centre-half forward.
They’ve got the goal-kicking midfielders as well – Bowen kicked five goals, Niamh Kelly on the other wing booted three and McCarthy chipped in with two goals herself, but it’s the other forwards that have got to contribute for the Eagles to take the next couple of steps in their development.
Kellie Gibson operates better when she’s following the football around as opposed to playing her as a deep forward option. There’s a lot in what Ashlee Atkins can do as a small forward and despite the 1.5 she kicked last season, she averaged 3.1 tackles per game and proved that she can play as that pressure forward.
Aimee Schmidt from the GWS Giants is another player I’ll be keeping an eye out for in the upcoming season.
She’s a player that I sense is close to breaking out into a strong piece in any side, she had opportunities at the Giants up forward that she struggled to put away, but she’s smart enough to get into the right spots and smart enough to get scoring opportunities consistently – 3.5 for the Giants in 2020 followed by 1.2 in three games last season, she’ll have something to prove to a few people in 2022.
Andrea Gilmore is another player who I expect will take some big strides playing as the stay-at-home full forward. She competed well both as the key forward and the secondary ruck option and I sense that with the full year the WAFL Women’s competition got last season, she’ll be better off for it in the following couple of seasons.
The addition of Evie Gooch from Fremantle is a good one for the defensive half. It is actually incredible to think that Gooch was a factor in Freo’s impenetrable defence in 2020, but had a hard time holding down a spot in the defensive half last season, work commitments aside.
But in a defence that’s got capable lockdown and intercepting players such as Sophie McDonald, Courtney Guard, Tayla Bresland and Amber Ward, the Eagles’ backline in the new season is going to provide a more difficult challenge to put scores on the board if they can use the ball out of there effectively.
To kick start the year, West Coast are blessed with a three-game stand at home before they are to hit the road with three consecutive away games. Can three wins from their first six games be achievable? If they can continue to apply themselves at every contest, the Eagles can cause several problems for many a side in 2022.
Tread on West Coast with extreme caution.
The Fixture (LOL)
Round 1: vs Brisbane (Home)
Round 2: vs Gold Coast (Home)
Round 3: vs Adelaide (Home)
Round 4: vs St Kilda (Away)
Round 5: vs Geelong (Away)
Round 6: vs Collingwood (Away)
Round 7: vs Richmond (Home)
Round 8: vs Fremantle (Away)
Round 9: vs Western Bulldogs (Home)
Round 10: vs North Melbourne (Away)
Ochre
:o
Made sense to keep the derby up the sleeve for later on if they could.
Biggie
Eat better and exercise
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- #140
AFLW: Fixture Update: RAC Derby to start season
West Coast will face Fremantle in round one of the 2022 season in the RAC Derby
JoshWoodenSpoon
Emergency Full Back
- Oct 16, 2013
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Likewise. I shouldn't imagine it is sold out however.
Just had a look on the Freo website and it says ticketing information will be released by the AFL this week
Biggie
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AFLW: Lewis looking to improve on leadership
2021 AFW Club Champion Bella Lewis is hoping to improve on her leadership qualities during the upcoming season and aiming to produce a consistent year as an inside midfielder
**** going to Cockburn.
I'll watch this one with a tinny at home.
I'll watch this one with a tinny at home.
Massive ask for the $$$ they're on. League should provide cap exemption.
