Coaches Reports – Women’s Development Squad and Women’s League

In a game defined by extreme wind and tough conditions, we faced off against North Adelaide in what proved to be a tightly contested battle. Despite a slow start, we showed resilience and fought hard throughout the match, with our second quarter being our best of the game. Unfortunately, we fell just short, with the final score reading West Adelaide 2.5.17 to North Adelaide 3.4.22

The first quarter saw us struggle to adapt to the conditions, with North Adelaide capitalising early. However, we responded strongly in the second quarter, lifting out intensity and executing our game plan with much greater efficiency. Our midfielders worked tirelessly to win the contested ball, and we began to move the ball with purpose, creating scoring opportunities and putting North Adelaide under pressure.

Our best player on the day was Abbie Foster, who was outstanding on the wing. Her work rate was second to none as she provided crucial support to our defenders and acted as a vital link through the middle of the ground. Her ability to take strong contested marks and create opportunities for her teammates was a highlight.
Kayla Mudge was once again a pillar of strength in our backline, demonstrating her leadership and reliability as our deepest defender. She was well supported by young guns Angela Rose and Mary-Rose Bahls Kildea, who continue to impress with their confidence, instincts and ability to read the play. Their improvements each week have been a real positive for our defensive unit.

In the midfield, Molly Peterson made a strong return from injury, setting the tone with her attack on the footy and contested work. Her presence around the stoppages was invaluable and she played a key role in our fightback during the second quarter.

While the result didn’t go our way, there were plenty of positives to take from the match. The team’s ability to adjust and respond after a tough start showed our growth, and we will take these lessons into our next week as we continue to build on our game. With the effort and determination we displayed, we take confidence in knowing that we will put in a strong performance against Norwood this weekend.

Goal Kickers:
Izzy Spooner 1
Sarah Deed 1

Best Players:
Abbie Foster, Kayla Mudge, Angela Rose, Mary Rose Bahls Kildea, Molly Petersen

Lauren Gee
Coach, SANFLW Development Squad

After four long months, it was finally time for round 1, and the girls were excited to take on a new challenge. It was especially thrilling to debut new players, two of whom came from our junior program: Chelsea Newett and Gracie Sim. Joining them as first-time players were Alana Lishmund, formerly from Norwood, and Pip Worthy, who had previously played for Port Noarlunga.

We lost the toss and were forced to kick into a strong wind during the first quarter. Unfortunately, we struggled to adjust to the conditions and repeatedly turned the ball over coming out of our defensive 50, which gave North plenty of scoring opportunities. Despite this, our defenders did an excellent job, holding North to just one goal and four points, while we failed to score.

In the first quarter, we also suffered the loss of our captain, Madi Russell, due to concussion, which added extra pressure on our defensive line. The second quarter began with a fantastic clearance from Hannah Button, leading to our first score of the game. We followed that up with excellent forward pressure, highlighted by a tackle from Zoe Venning, who earned a “holding the ball” decision in our favor. She then kicked our first major goal of the season. We had a number of shots at goal throughout the quarter but were only able to add one more goal to our tally, going into halftime with a lead of 2 goals, 4 points to North’s 1 goal, 5 points — a narrow five-point margin.
The third quarter started with North attacking strongly, taking advantage of the wind. They scored an early goal to reclaim the lead, 18 to 16. However, through hard work and persistence, we were able to score a goal against the run of play, with Alana Lishmund kicking a great snap to record her first goal as a West Adelaide player. North managed to score another goal before the end of the quarter, giving them a one-point lead going into the final term. Despite this, our defenders did a fantastic job limiting North’s lead to just a point.
Although we had the wind behind us in the last quarter, we knew we would need to play our best football. Unfortunately for us, North kicked the first goal into the wind early in the fourth quarter, extending their lead to eight points. The next five minutes were messy, with neither team able to score, until Jemma Ellis snapped quickly out of a pack and hit Alana Lishmund, who was 35 meters out in front of goal. Alana calmly converted, bringing us back within one point. In the next five minutes, neither team could take control, and with the clock ticking towards the 17-minute mark, we were still down by a point.

A well-executed transition of play saw Chloe Tonkin deliver a short pass to Alana Lishmund again, this time 25 meters from goal. Alana made no mistake, putting us five points ahead with just a couple of minutes remaining. From there, the girls played smart, composed football to close out the game, securing a hard-fought five-point victory.
Although it wasn’t our best game, we were thrilled to take the win. The girls’ determination to keep fighting until the final siren was a testament to the team’s spirit, and the composure they showed in the final minutes to hold the lead was incredibly rewarding as a coach.

Goal kickers:
Alana Lishmund 3.1
Hannah Button 1.1
Zoe Venning 1.1

Best players:
• Hannah Button, for her outstanding game
• Zoe Venning, who led possessions for West Adelaide with an impressive 35-possession game
• Alana Lishmund, who kicked three goals
• Niamh Davis, who stood tall in defense after Madi Russell’s injury
• Chelsea Newett, for showing great skills and composure in her first game

Next week, we face Norwood at The Parade. Coming off a loss to South, it will certainly be a tough challenge, but we are eager to test ourselves against a strong opponent.

Bruce Dawes
Coach, WAFC SANFLW