Where and when: Arden Street (Wurundjeri), Saturday, March 12, 2:10pm (AWST)
TV: Fox Footy, 7 Mate, Kayo and the AFLW website
Tickets: Available for purchase here, $10 for adults and free for children.
Last time we met: West Coast have yet to meet with North Melbourne in the AFLW competition.
What it means for the Eagles: West Coast will return to Victoria for the final time this season after spending three and a half weeks in a Melbourne hub. After a difficult experience having two matches postponed, the Eagles were able to leave Melbourne victors after defeating St Kilda in a rescheduled round four clash before flying home to Perth. Winning another clash in Melbourne would do wonders for West Coast’s momentum coming into the 2023 season, as well as the team’s confidence levels after narrowly missing out on two wins in Melbourne against Gold Coast and Geelong. Being competitive against 2022 finalists in North Melbourne while missing two key midfielders – Dana Hooker and Aisling McCarthy – would also showcase the development of West Coast’s younger contingent of players, with all five draftees from the 2021 pool playing in the clash on Saturday.
The stat: The lack of inside 50 entries have proved costly across the entire season for West Coast, as have their first quarter starts. Being held goalless in all but one game against Adelaide, as well as failing to kick a major in four of nine first halves, the Eagles must look to win centre clearances which result in deep inside 50 entries this weekend or risk having another sluggish start.
The match-up: Sophie McDonald v Jasmine Garner
Youngster McDonald has proved her worth in the backline after an impressive performance against seasoned utility Erin Phillips in round three. Phillips was held goalless after the first quarter when playing on McDonald, with the West Coast defender’s ability in the air and at ground level impressing senior coach Michael Prior. From there, McDonald has played in every match when available, and is ready for another big game this weekend against 2022 premiership contenders North Melbourne. She’s expected to spend time on versatile midfielder Jasmine Garner who will play her 48th match in the AFLW competition. Garner was North Melbourne’s leading goal scorer (nine) in their 2021 campaign as well as finishing as the top Kangaroo in score involvements (4.1), but McDonald has already showed she has the poise and composure to play on the more seasoned players in the competition, and is hoping to use her football nous and clean intercept marking ability against experienced Garner on Saturday.
It's a big week for: Emma Swanson
Bearing a brunt of the weight in the midfield this season, Swanson is expected to put together another classy performance to round out a career-best season for West Coast. Missing two senior leaders in vice-captain Hooker and McCarthy, Swanson will be the most experienced player in the Eagles’ engine room and will again have to lead the side through pain after suffering a fractured finger in the round seven clash against Richmond. Averaging 21.6 disposals a game, as well as 5.1 tackles and 4.1 marks, the skipper has led the group commendably in 2022 and is looking to do so in the final match of the season.
Big call: Emma Swanson earns her fifth ‘best Eagle afield’ title for the season, with a career-best performance surpassing 30 disposals.
