YOUTH GIRLS SECURE SECOND SPOT

SOUTH Fremantle’s season is over in both the WAFLW League and Reserves seasons now but the reigning premiers Youth Girls team is gearing up for its premiership defence with a chance to win straight into the Grand Final.

With the Reserves having the bye on the weekend, that South Fremantle team had already finished the 2021 Optus WAFLW Premiership Season without reaching the finals while the League team went down to the minor premiers Swan Districts on Sunday at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

The Youth Girls team, however, geared up for the finals series with an impressive win against Swan Districts to lock away third position.

It would take a massive effort from South Fremantle to be able to upset the minor premiers and premiership favourites for 2021, though, and Swan Districts didn’t take long to put its foot down despite being away from home on Sunday in the League clash.

Swan Districts had won its first 13 games of the 2021 Optus WAFLW Premiership Season before dropping a game last week against their second semi-final opponent Peel Thunder.

Swans wouldn’t have wanted to enter the finals in losing form but the Bulldogs had just the one more chance to try and avoid starting their life in the WAFLW competition with two winless seasons.

Swan Districts kicked three goals in the opening quarter and held South Fremantle scoreless to take a 19-point lead into quarter-time.

Even though the Bulldogs managed to get on the board with a goal in the second term, Swans pulled further away by kicking four more goals themselves and that saw them take a commanding 41-pont lead into the half-time break.

Swan Districts again held South Fremantle scoreless in the third quarter with the black-and-whites managing to kick another two goals to extend their lead to 53 points by three quarter-time.

South Fremantle did kick a second goal for the game in the last quarter but Swan Districts further extended its lead with two more goals to come away with the 11.9 (75) to 2.0 (12) victory.

South Fremantle’s goals in their final game of the season were kicked by Melissa Silcock and Lauren Wafker.

Best players on the afternoon for the Bulldogs included Lara Rodin-Zimdahl, Makaela Tuhakaraina, Reanne Pickett, Wafker and Liusaidh Gilchrist.

But earlier in the day at Fremantle Community Bank Oval, it was a thumping Youth Girls win for South Fremantle against Swan Districts with the Bulldogs running out 8.15 (63) to 0.1 (1).

That win secured second spot and a finals double chance in the Rogers Cup for South Fremantle ahead of this Sunday’s second semi-final against West Perth at Steel Blue Oval.

Emily Boothman kicked three goals in the win for South Fremantle, Poppy Stockwell two, Rosie Anderson two, and Elenora Pinna one.

OPTUS WAFLW PREMIERSHIP SEASON – ROUND 15

SOUTH FREMANTLE        0.0    1.0    1.0    2.0 (12)
SWAN DISTRICTS        3.1    7.5    9.5    11.9 (75)

SOUTH FREMANTLE: Goals – Silcock, Wafker.
Best – Rodin-Zimdahl, Tuhakaraina, R Pickett, Wafker, Gilchrist.
SWAN DISTRICTS: Goals – Stribley, Cameron, McGuire, Edwards 2; B Hyde, Bushby, Wielstra.
Best – Anderson, Taylor, B Hyde, Wielstra, Cox.