What’s On | Week 9 
Waalitj Marawar v Geelong Cats 
Saturday, October 26| 3.05pm (AWST) |Mineral Resources Park / Whadjuk  
Gates open 2.00pm 

Join us at Mineral Resources Park this Saturday for our final home match of the home and away season and a special celebration of AFLW Indigenous Round.  

To celebrate the contribution of First Nations women and girls to Australian football and the broader community, our team will be wearing the 2024 AFLW First Nations guernsey, specially designed by Yamatji artist Loretta Egan.

Don’t miss a live Welcome to Country and a special dance performance at half-time from Corroboree For Life.

During Indigenous Round, we will feature the Noongar language translation of the West Coast Eagles - Waalitj Marawar, 'Eagles of the West'.

Your match day timeline

2.00pm: Gates and Fan Zone open  
2.53pm: Team entry 
3.00pm: Welcome to Country 
3.05pm: Bouncedown 
¼ Time: Mascot Competition with Rick and Rosie 
Half-Time: Corroboree For Life performance, player interviews and Auskick 
¾ time: AGL dance cam 
Post-match: Post-match player/fan engagement and kick-to-kick 

Curtain Raiser

Gate 4 (via McCartney Cresent) will open at 12.30pm for the Deadly Sista Girlz playing in the curtain raiser. All patrons must hold a valid ticket to our week nine match to enter Mineral Resources Park, which can be purchased online for $15. Please note, tickets will only be available for purchase via a QR code at Gate 4. 

Fan Zone 

From 1.30pm in the Fan Zone: 

• Check out the First Nations artisans market stalls to celebrate Indigenous Round, and buy a snag from the Waalitj Foundation’s sausage sizzle. 
• Visit the animal farm. 
• Put your footy skills to the test on the inflatable handball targets. 
• Flex your creative muscles and make your own friendship bracelet and sign to cheer on the team. 
• Get a face painting from the fairies. 
• Meet and greet with available players. 
• The West Coast Eagles SuperStore marquee will be open until the final siren, full of match day bargains.

Kick-to-kick 

Once the final siren sounds and both teams and officials have exited the ground, jump on the oval and have a kick on our home turf. 🏉 

Food and Beverage

From 1.30pm in the precinct by Gate 2, you will find: 

• Hungry Jack’s 
• Waalitj Foundation sausage sizzle 
• CUB bar 
• George’s Greek Street Eats 
• Coffee van  
• Ice cream van 

West Coast Eagles SuperStore

The West Coast Eagles SuperStore marquee will be located in the Fan Zone, with exclusive match day bargains available to purchase until the final siren.  

‘Click and collect’ orders will be available from the SuperStore marquee on match day, from 1.30pm until the final siren. When placing your online order at the West Coast Eagles SuperStore, select ‘AFLW Game Day – Click and Collect’ at checkout (available on purchases completed before 12noon AWST on Thursday, October 24; identification is required upon collection). 

Mobile Ticketing  

Member tickets are now available in your West Coast Eagles Account, and in the official West Coast Eagles app. Avoid match day delays by downloading the official West Coast Eagles app and logging in to your West Coast Eagles account now, ahead of Saturday's match.  

Screenshots of tickets will not permit entry into any matches across the AFLW season. 

Where possible, patrons are advised to avoid bringing a bag to the match, as most delays at the gates are due to bag checks. If you do need to bring a bag, aim to bring a small bag only. 

Getting to Mineral Resources Park 

We recommend using public transport where possible. The closest train station is Victoria Park, with a 700m walk to the venue. 

The Armadale/Thornlie train line is closed until mid-2025. Details on this closure, along with station-specific information can be found here. Be sure to plan your journey ahead with Transperth’s Journey Planner, and please note, the cost of public transport is not included in your match day ticket. 

With no onsite parking available, limited parking is available in streets surrounding the venue; should you choose to park on the street, please pay close attention to any signage to avoid parking fines.  

Wheelchair and Accessible Entry

Those with accessibility needs may enter via Gate 4, open from 1.30pm via McCartney Crescent or via West Coast Eagles Reception on Bishopsgate Street. 

Where and when: Mineral Resources Park, Saturday, October 26, 3:05pm

TV: Live on Channel 7 and Fox Footy, and streaming live on Kayo

Last time we met: Waalitj Marawar 4.1 (25) def by Geelong 4.10 (34) at Ikon Park, round eight, season seven.

Waalitj Marawar produced a competitive performance, but Geelong was too tough to conquer at Ikon Park. Despite the Cats holding advantage in territory for majority of the game, Waalitj battled throughout, led by veterans Emma Swanson (24 touches, four marks, five tackles) and Dana Hooker (20 touches, six tackles and a goal).

What it means for Waalitj Marawar: With just two games remaining in the regular season, Waalitj will need to win both remaining games, and have a few other results go their way, to mathematically still be in with a chance to play finals footy. The team are focused on taking it one step at a time, and securing the win over Geelong this Saturday will be at the forefront of their minds. The players will proudly don the stunning Indigenous Round guernsey designed by Yamatji artist Lorretta Egan, and the club continues to be committed to reconciliation and empowering First Nations peoples across the AFLW and in the community.

The stat: Emma Swanson tallied a career-high 18 contested possessions against Geelong in round five of the 2022 season.

Oppo in focus: Aishling Moloney

Dominant key forward (and star Gaelic Football forward) Aishling Moloney has made a big impression on the league since her debut in 2023, her elite athleticism and agility complimented by her strong and powerful presence around a contest. Moloney currently sits second in the league for goals scored this season (15) and comes into this matchup following a two goal, 13 disposal, six tackle game against Brisbane last week.

It’s a big week for: The midfielders

It will be a tough challenge through the middle this week, coming up against Geelong’s dangerous array of midfielders, Nina Morrison, Georgie Prespakis and Amy McDonald to name a few. Senior coach Daisy Pearce has backed in the blue and gold to go head-to-head with the Cats, and we will see some exciting matchups.

Big call: Lauren Wakfer will kick two goals in her 20^th AFLW game.

A record-breaking game from Waalitj Marawar star Ella Roberts was a highlight in a tough finish on Saturday, the blue and gold falling to Geelong by 33 points at Mineral Resources Park.

Teen talent Roberts was outstanding, managing a career-high 33 disposals, five marks, six tackles and five clearances in the 9.2 (56) to 3.5 (23) defeat.

It was Geelong star Aisling Moloney who spearheaded the Cats to victory with a career-best bag of six goals, keeping their slim finals hopes alive with a brilliant individual performance.

Waalitj ruck Sarah Lakay was a dominant force for the home side, with plenty of quality to go with her sheer quantity of hit-outs.

A highlight came in the first quarter when Lakay set up at an inside 50 stoppage and made space for Roberts to run behind her, tapping over her head to Eagles' superstar, who snapped a terrific goal on the run.

There was variety to Lakay's work, who also used her dominance to hit long out of stoppages at the right times, finishing with 34 hit-outs and five clearances.

Emerging defender Beth Schilling was strong in the backline for Waalitj, managing a game-high 12 intercept possessions, six marks and three tackles.

Georgie Prespakis (27 disposals and nine clearances) and Nina Morrison (19 and eight tackles) were terrific through the midfield for Geelong, their ability to transition quickly and get behind the Eagles' defence was damaging.

Moloney elevated in the second term and got free for back-to-back goals to give Geelong the first meaningful break in the game, with Presparkis also lifting to drive the Cats' charge from the midfield.

The Eagles responded impressively and took advantage of a strong breeze to kick back-to-back goals themselves through Kellie Gibson and Verity Simmons.

It was their best period of play for the day, however, as the Cats went on to dominate the second half through Moloney and their midfield stars.

Geelong’s Zali Friswell suffered a nasty looking ankle injury that will need to be assessed, while Julia Crockett-Grills was also ruled out early with an ankle complaint.

Waalitj Marawar are now too far adrift to play finals in their first year under coach Daisy Pearce, losing their fourth straight match after impressing through the early stages of the season.

WAALITJ MARAWAR 1.3 3.4 3.5 3.5 (23)
GEELONG 2.0 4.0 6.1 9.2 (56)

GOALS
Waalitj Marawar: Gibson, Roberts, Simmons
Geelong: Moloney 6, Bowen, Parry, Surman

BEST
Waalitj Marawar: Roberts, Lakay, Schilling, Lewis, Thomas, Drennan
Geelong: Moloney, Prespakis, Morrison, Bowen, Kearns, Parry

INJURIES
Waalitj Marawar: Roux (back)
Geelong: Crockett-Grills (ankle), Friswell (ankle)

Crowd: 2015 at Mineral Resources Park