After being down at the final break, the West Coast Eagles fought back to take the lead and held on for a two-point triumph in a practice game that felt more like a final four months before the season is due to start.
Travelling to take on the Suns at their home ground, People First Stadium, the Eagles squad was made up of 14 AFLW listed players and six top-up players from the WAFLW and Suns Academy.
New recruit Jess Hosking was among the best afield with her contested work and effort around the stoppages, while No.2 draft pick Jess Rentsch showed why she was touted so highly with her immense work-ethic and intensity.
The Suns were dominant early in the match but failed to convert between the big sticks, before Lauren Wakfer was awarded a free kick and 50m penalty and finished in front of goal to get the Eagles on the board in new coach Daisy Pearce's first match in charge.
West Coast took the momentum from the first goal and locked it in their forward half, with Mikayla Western kicking another after a deep entry inside 50, before hitting the scoreboard again early in the second with a fantastic finish from the pocket.
Kellie Gibson then joined the party, kicking the first of her three goals before the Suns flicked the switch and dominated the end of the first half, booting three goals in a row and giving themselves a four-point lead.
Gold Coast continued their goalkicking ways booting two early in the third with their pressure being a huge factor before Gibson stemmed the tide with her second.
In a moment that lifted the squad before the final term, Jess Hosking took a huge contested grab inside 50 before finishing her tremendous work with a goal right before the three quarter-time siren cutting the lead to just four points.
It was back and forth early in the last period with Gibson hitting the scoreboard first before the lead was snatched away with the Suns immediately responding with a goal of their own.
Both sides were throwing their bodies around with no sign of this being a pre-season game, with stand-in captain Bella Lewis and Jess Rentsch laying two crunching tackles to stop the Suns’ momentum going forward and keep the ball in the Eagles’ 50.
After locking the ball forward, Mikayla Western got on the end of a terrific goal after a feed from the stoppage to give the Eagles a two-point lead that they were able to hold onto for the final minutes of the match.
The Eagles AFLW squad will continue to play pre-season matches before their season begins with the next game against Fremantle on May 4 at Mineral Resources Park.
BEST
L.Wakfer, Lewis, Hosking, Rentsch, Western, Thomas
GOALS
Gibson 3, Western 3, L.Wakfer, Hosking
