The West Coast Eagles will be striving for their first RAC Derby victory on Saturday when they take on the Fremantle Dockers at Sullivan Logistics Stadium (Leederville Oval).
This will be the seventh matchup between the cross-town rivals, with senior coach Daisy Pearce excited to experience her first taste of derby action in the blue and gold.
“We’re really pumped, we know it’s a big game on the calendar when you play in a two-team town and there’s such a good rivalry,” Pearce said.
“Over and above that, we’re just excited for another opportunity (to play), we were a little bit disappointed with our performance on the weekend.
“In a short season, the next game is so important, so we’re keen to get out there and back to our competitive best.”
The RAC Derby holds additional significance this season, with the two teams working in collaboration with Telethon to help raise funds and awareness for vulnerable and disadvantaged children around the state.
“I know it carries some significance, given the relationships across the two teams, having all played a lot of junior footy together and a lot of cross-team movement,” Pearce said.
“To be honest, you do just get in that rhythm of week-to-week, and preparing for the next opportunity which is the most important, and here it is and we’re excited to be a part of it.
“I think it will be a great event, attached to really important causes, both through the RAC and the importance of the work they do with road safety, and also the opportunity for both clubs to do their part and raise some money for Telethon.
“The footy we look forward to, but it’s cool to be a part of such an important event.”
The sixth-placed Dockers will be coming into this game following a four-point loss to Carlton on Saturday, and Pearce said the Eagles are expecting a tough contest.
“They just play such a competitive team-brand of footy, it’s been pretty impressive what they’ve been able to achieve, given the significant injuries and outs they had at the start of the year,” Pearce said.
“To take Kiara Bowers and Ange Stannett out of their team and see them continue to just turn up and compete, we admire that.
“They play such a contested, strong brand of footy, their ability to keep the ball in their front half keeps them in every game, and they’re hard to score against because of that.
“We know it’s going to be a really tough contest for 80 minutes, we’ve had a couple of hitouts with them across the pre-season and then one in an official pre-season game at the start of the year.
“We’ve had a bit of a look at how they play, and we’ve now had time to prepare and improve the things that they exposed in us over the pre-season, so we go in with excitement to test ourselves out against them.”
Inaugural and current AFLW captain Emma Swanson will become just the second Eagle to reach 50 club games on Saturday, with Pearce praising Swanson for the incredible impact she continues to have on this group.
“Swanny’ is just the ultimate competitor and professional, and she sets the bar with that amongst our team,” Pearce said.
“From the minute she got here, and even before that, what she’s done for WA footy, she’s been such a loyal person to the club and been a really important figure who has galvanised the group through challenging times over the years.
“She continues to lead the way with the way that she trains and prepares, the way she turns up with an enthusiasm to just want to get out there and play.
“And it’s signified this year in her team-first approach, to be playing a different role and really embracing that and doing whatever she can to help the team succeed.
“It will be awesome to celebrate ‘Swanny’ in that way, it’s a terrific milestone and they’re hard to come by in AFLW, so to play 50 games as a club captain is a pretty outstanding achievement.”
