West Coast Eagles have seen off a winless St Kilda to make it back-to-back wins and keep their AFLW finals fire burning as they rolled to a 11-point win at RSEA Park.
In a wind-affected game which saw both teams battle to establish any sort of rhythm with their kicking game, the Eagles improved as the game progressed and showed plenty of composure to secure a 5.6 (36) to 3.7 (25) win.
From the outset, it was evident both sides would have to beat not just each other, but also contend with a violent breeze which favoured one end of the ground but swirled and was not the obvious advantage it seemed at the game’s start.
And West Coast adapted better in a game which came down to territory vs possession — while the Saints had 26 more uncontested possessions, the visitors enjoyed 10 more inside 50s and made the most of their occupation in St Kilda’s half.
St Kilda were not helped by a raft of injuries, and their efforts to run down West Coast late, even with the wind to their favour, were damaged by a number of sore bodies on the interchange bench.
Eagles coach Daisy Pearce spoke pre-game of the need to quell St Kilda at centre clearances, and while the Saints won that stat battle 6-2, ruck Charlotte Riggs’ game-high 14 hit-outs and seven clearances helped the Eagles achieve parity.
And with Ella Roberts was her usual, dependable, impressive self (25 disposals, five inside 50s, 13 contested possessions and six intercepts), Amy Franklin continued her strong season with two goals as she consistently imposed herself in the air.
Against the wind, Jaimee Lambert grabbed the game’s opening goal with a well-taken snap, but the in-form Franklin answered with a contender for goal of the round as she launched a kick from outside 50 and the gust carried it all the way home.
Bella Lewis and Tyanna Smith got up close and personal and the chippiness which infiltrated their battle slowly spread to the rest of the ground.
Neither team were able to establish anything close to a flow as the elements intervened, the constant wind robbing the fight of the Sherrin of any predictability and resulting in turnover after turnover.
But the Eagles managed to deal with the wind in their faces better in the second quarter and after Franklin and Saints midfielder Charlotte Basharan traded goals, Kayla Dalgleish’s smarts to follow up her own set-shot ended in her crumbing her own kick and grabbing a goal to give West Coast a three-point lead.
A quickfire double-salvo put the Eagles in the driver’s seat after the main break and it was their two goa-icers in the first half who turned providers.
Firstly, a Franklin long ball flew by everyone and Lauren Wakfer won the foot-race to it and soccered through, before Dalgleish’s short kick was marked and converted by Kellie Gibson.
The hosts found themselves suffocated by West Coast and blanketed by the breeze in the third term as they struggled to fight their way out of their own half.
Any confidence the Saints would have had from attacking with the breeze in the final term was slowly sucked out of them as the Eagles’ discipline behind the ball.
Jade McLay’s late, great goal gave St Kilda a glimmer of hope, but with just 61 seconds on the clock remaining, the Eagles were able to see out the final moments.
SCOREBOARD
WEST COAST EAGLES 1.2 3.2 5.5 5.6 (36)
ST KILDA 1.3 2.5 2.5 3.7 (25)
GOALS: WEST COAST: A Franklin 2 K Dalgliesh L Wakfer K Gibson. SAINTS: J Lambert C Baskaran J McLay.
BEST: WEST COAST: E Roberts A Franklin B Smith K Dalgleish C Riggs M Russo. SAINTS: T Smith J Lambert A Gee A Richards P Trudgeon M McDonald.
INJURIES – SAINTS: E Friends (shoulder) C D’Addario (hip) S Lally (head).
UMPIRES: J Strybos C Bowen L Booth A Mitchell. CROWD: TBC at RSEA Park.
