Coaches Report: Women’s League – Round 12

SANFLW – Round 12 

West Adelaide (3.3.21) Vs Woodville-West Torrens (6.5.41)

Round 12 saw us travel to Woodville to take on top-of-the-table Woodville-West Torrens, in what we knew would be a tough and competitive contest.

We had several changes to our lineup this week. Chloe Tonkin, Lucy Waye, and Emily Mableson were unavailable due to Under-18 state commitments, while Tiana Fernandez was out sitting an exam. Georgie Pater and Molly Petersen were also omitted. Coming into the side were Jemma Ellis, who took on the ruck duties, Gracie Sim in defence, Paige Allen returning to the wing, and — after over 1,000 days of rehabilitation — Shelby Knoll made her much-anticipated debut for West Adelaide. It was a special moment for Shelby and a proud one for the whole club.

We won the toss and kicked with a slight breeze to the southern end. As expected, the game was fiercely contested. Both teams found it difficult to convert opportunities, and at quarter time, the scores were locked at one point apiece. We felt we had started well, especially considering the last time we faced the Eagles, they jumped us early with three quick goals. So to hold them early and go into the break level was a solid effort.

Our defence stood strong again early in the second quarter, but the Eagles managed the first goal of the game at the five-minute mark. It was one of the few times this season where we were genuinely beaten in the midfield, making scoring chances harder to come by. Eventually, we responded with our first goal after a clean clearance from Ruby Ballard, who delivered a sharp ground ball to the running Sarah Campbell. Sarah finished beautifully from 40 metres out to level the scores at seven apiece.

While we did show glimpses of moving the ball with precision, we also found ourselves locked in our defensive half at times. One such moment resulted in a holding-the-ball free kick to the Eagles inside 25 metres, which they converted, taking the lead again. The halftime score stood at Eagles 2.2 (14) to West 1.1 (7).

At the break, our focus remained on maintaining possession and increasing our ball movement through handball receives to improve transition and create more scoring opportunities. We felt we were still well and truly in the game.

However, the third quarter started unfavorably, with the Eagles moving the ball well from the first bounce to kick an early goal, stretching their lead to 13 points. Despite continuing to push hard and creating several inside 50 entries, neither side could capitalise, and the three-quarter time score was Eagles 3.3 (21) to West 1.2 (8).

Heading into the final term, our message was clear — win the clearances, be aggressive at the contest, and leave nothing on the field. We started strongly, with a midfield clearance resulting in Steph Tredwell snapping truly and cutting the margin to seven points. We kept pressing, but another turnover deep in defence allowed the Eagles to kick their fourth goal and push the lead back out to 13 points.

We responded again almost immediately — another clearance forward saw Nicole Hooper win a high-contact free kick and convert her set shot, once again reducing the margin to just seven points with still plenty of time left on the clock. The girls fought bravely to the end, but we couldn’t quite string together the consecutive goals we needed. The Eagles added a couple of late goals to finish 6.5 (41) to our 3.3 (21). The 20-point margin didn’t reflect the tight nature of the contest.

Next week, we head to Elizabeth to take on Central District. With the way results have fallen this round, we’re still a chance to make finals. But to stay in contention, we must win our final two games — against Central and Glenelg.

Thanks for your continued support. We hope to see you at the footy over the next two weeks!

– Bruce Dawes (Women’s Coach)

Best Players

• Emma Chapman – Excellent aerial presence with 8 marks and 14 possessions.
• Sarah Deed – In just her third game, continues to develop impressively.
• Chelsea Newitt – Another young player showing great improvement this season.
• Madi Russell – Outstanding captain’s game, locking down the Eagles’ key forward.
• Hannah Button – Tireless work rate through the midfield.
• Zoe Venning – Our leading ball-winner again, finishing with 29 disposals.

Goals: Sarah Campbell (1.1), Nicole Hooper (1), Steph Tredwell (1)