Where and when: Fremantle Oval (Whadjuk), Saturday, August 13, 12:00pm (AWST)
Last time we met: Fremantle Dockers 6.7 (43) def. West Coast Eagles 2.3 (15) at Fremantle Oval, round one, 2022 (S6)
West Coast showed promise in the second term coming off their last matchup against Fremantle in round one of season six of AFLW. Skipper Emma Swanson led her side with a team best performance with 23 disposals while key forward Aimee Schmidt debuted for the blue and gold after her move from the Giants, scoring her first goal in the process. The side had all the momentum coming into the final quarter but were unable to capitalise due to a match winning performance from Docker Ebony Antonio, who had 12 disposals and kicked 3 goals.
What it means for the Eagles: While West Coast can take positives out of taking control of the last two quarters in the last Derby, the side has changed immensely since the Eagles last clash with Fremantle and the side has received a healthy injection of young and promising talent since. Coming off an impressive pre-season performance against expansion team Hawthorn, the side is under no illusion that Fremantle will be a new beast with a couple of key players returning to the opposition side. With a high number of new players all vying for an opportunity to make a round one debut the stakes are high to impress head coach Michael Prior ahead of the start of season seven of the AFLW.
The stat: Defence will be key against Fremantle this weekend as they will expect to overpower a young West Coast side from the outset. Last time the Eagles faced Fremantle the Dockers came away with 20 more tackles than their opponents (79-59) despite dominating possession. If West Coast can put some big hits in early and stick their tackles, there is a high chance they can rattle Fremantle into making mistakes.
The matchup: Ebony Antonio vs Sophie McDonald
Key defender Sophie McDonald will have her hands full covering Ebony Antonio who sparked a Fremantle charge late in the game last time the two met. With lead defender Evangeline Gooch on the inactive list for the 2022 season, McDonald has a key opportunity to prove she is the clear choice to start for the side if she can shut down Antonio in the pre-season.
It’s a big week for: Ella Roberts
All eyes will be on Eagles’ number one draft pick Ella Roberts entering this key pre-season clash against Fremantle. Having performed well against Hawthorn last week the 17-year-old now gets the opportunity to test herself against experienced talent in AFLW. Mentioning at the Eagles’ AFLW Season Launch that she feels she plays her best footy in the forward line, expect to see her come out strong and look for goals this weekend. Her high energy style of play will be useful early in the game to get a jump on Fremantle as they take on a relatively unknown West Coast side.
Big call: Kate Bartlett will continue her hot run of form in the pre-season and net another three goals.
