BULLDOGS BEAT LIONS TO STAY ALIVE

SOUTH Fremantle shook off a slow start to score the thrilling two-point win at home to Subiaco on Saturday afternoon to keep their WAFLW finals hopes alive with two rounds of the season remaining.

With both South Fremantle and Subiaco trying to stay in finals contention, there was plenty on the line when they did battle at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Saturday afternoon as part of a massive WA Day long weekend of football.

After Subiaco kicked the first three goals of the contest, South Fremantle worked back into it and it was the first two goals of the last quarter that saw the Bulldogs grab the lead.

In the end, two late behinds broke the deadlock and saw South Fremantle claim the 5.9 (39) to 5.7 (37) victory to keep their finals hopes alive.

South Fremantle remains in sixth position on the WAFLW ladder but is just a game behind the fourth placed Swan Districts with two rounds remaining.

That sees the Bulldogs take on Peel Thunder and East Fremantle in the last two games and needing to win both to remain in the finals hunt.

Noa McNaughton kicked two goals for South Fremantle as did Alira Fotu to go with her 17 possessions, four inside-50 entries, three tackles and two marks.

Liusaidh Gilchrist delivered an outstanding performance in the midfield for South Fremantle to finish the afternoon with 27 possessions and four inside-50 entries while captain Lauren Vecchio ended up with 18 disposals and eight tackles.

Alyssa Smogavec also finished with 15 possessions for the Bulldogs, Molly O’Hehir 15, Madizen Wilkins 14, Hunter Cronin 14, Indi Strom 14 and Annalie Polimeno 14.

With both teams needing a win to stay in contention for the finals, the stakes were high coming into the contest and it was Subiaco who started the better with the only two goals of the first quarter.

The Lions then had the first three goals of the game with Olivia Wolmarans adding another a minute into the second quarter.

South Fremantle eventually got its first goal of the game at the nine-minute mark of the second term thanks to Alira Fotu. She would add a second soon after as well to make it a four-point ball game.

Subiaco was back out to a 10-point lead, though, by half-time with a late goal from Aimee Schmidt.

It then took more than 13 minutes for a goal in the second half with a string of behinds from either side. That goal went the way of South Fremantle thanks to Noa McNaughton.

It would be the only goal of the quarter for either side as well with the Lions clinging to a seven-point lead at three quarter-time, but that was back to two just six minutes into the final term with McNaughton kicking truly.

South Fremantle then was in front for the first time in the game with Poppy Stockwell adding another goal soon after, but at the 17-minute mark scores were level with a Subiaco goal to Schmidt.

That set up a frantic finish and behinds for South Fremantle to Stockwell and Zoe Keley in the last minute set up the eventual and important two-point victory.

Meanwhile, Round 14 in the Rogers Cup saw South Fremantle lose a close affair to Subiaco 6.7 (43) to 4.8 (32) at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Saturday morning.
Jasmine Bazeley kicked two goals for South Fremantle with one apiece to Shaya Yarran and Tanaya Prentice.

South Fremantle now remains in fifth position on the Rogers Cup ladder with a 6-6 record to be a win and percentage behind the fourth placed Swan Districts with games to finish against Peel Thunder and East Fremantle.

WAFLW PREMIERSHIP SEASON – ROUND 14
SOUTH FREMANTLE        0.1    2.3    3.5    5.9    (39)
SUBIACO            2.1    4.1    4.6    5.7    (37)

SOUTH FREMANTLE – Goals: McNaughton, Fotu 2; Stockwell.
Best: Gilchrist, Vecchio, Fotu, O’Hehir, Cronin, Smogavec, Wilkins, McNaughton.

SUBIACO – Goals: Schmidt, Wolmarans 2; Lyons.
Best: Petrevski, Wolmarans, Corlett, Popovsky, Dethlefsen, Lyons, Devlyn, Brown.