SOUTH FREMANTLE ROUND 1 WAFLW WRAP

IT was a double winning start to the 2022 WAFLW season for South Fremantle on Sunday with the league and Rogers Cup teams proving too strong for West Perth.

Round 1 of the 2022 WAFLW season got underway on Sunday at Fremantle Community Bank Oval for South Fremantle, and it proved two wins from the two matches for the Bulldogs when it was all said and done.

The action got underway with the Youth Girls Rogers Cup Grand Final rematch from last year between South Fremantle and West Perth. The Bulldogs exacted a measure of revenge with three goals in the last quarter to win 3.9 (27) to 3.5 (23).

The WAFLW contest then saw both South Fremantle and West Perth searching for their first ever wins in the competition. The Bulldogs proved too strong, prevailing 10.14 (74) to 0.0 (0).

WAFLW
SOUTH FREMANTLE 10.14 (74) defeated WEST PERTH 0.0 (0)
It was always going to be an historic occasion one way or another when South Fremantle and West Perth locked horns on Sunday at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

South Fremantle is entering its third season in the WAFLW competition but still chasing that elusive first victory while West Perth was playing its first ever game having been admitted into WAFLW for 2022.

So history was on the line on Sunday down at the port and it was the experience of having two seasons under their belts that paid dividends in the end for South Fremantle.

It was a rough initiation to the WAFLW competition for West Perth but it didn’t start too badly and they were competitive in the first quarter. South Fremantle did have the only four scoring attempts, but only converted one of those into a goal.

South Fremantle was just warming to the task, though, and wasn’t going to let this opportunity of breaking through for their first ever win slip by. The Bulldogs kicked four more goals in the second quarter and went into the half-time break leading by 35 points.

Things continued in favour of the Bulldogs in the second half beginning with three more goals in the third quarter, and another two in the fourth.

West Perth didn’t manage to score the entire game but they did have their moments of competitiveness to indicate they will have their moments to shine throughout the 2022 season.

However, it was a game to savour for South Fremantle and while they would be happy to win 10.14 (74) to 0.0 (0), they could have potentially won by significant more had they kicked straighter.

Despite the scoreline, West Perth didn’t get as dominated on the stats sheet as going scoreless suggested. South Fremantle finished with 160 kicks to West Perth’s 117, 81 handpasses to 67, and they even laid more tackles.

However, ultimately West Perth only went inside their forward 50 once the entire match, South Fremantle went inside theirs 61 times and came away with the 74-point triumph.

Noa McNaughton ended up kicking three goals for South Fremantle as did Ashleigh Reidy while Hunter Cronin added two, and Lauren Wafker and Emily Boothman one apiece.

Reigning fairest and best winner Tahlia Holtze racked up 19 possessions as well for South Fremantle while Wafker was tremendous in the ruck with 19 disposals, 16 hit outs, seven tackles, five marks, five inside-50 entries and the goal.

Captain Lauren Vecchio also collected 19 disposals to go with seven tackles for the Bulldogs with Lauren Gauci gathering 18 touches, Kiara Templeman 17 and Rosie Anderson 17.

ROGERS CUP
SOUTH FREMANTLE 3.9 (27) defeated WEST PERTH 3.5 (23)
South Fremantle has played off in the past two Youth Girls Rogers Cup Grand Finals so the bar has been set high and Sunday was always going to be a big occasion against West Perth.

The Bulldogs and Falcons did battle in last year’s Rogers Cup Grand Final and while it was West Perth who prevailed, it was another season that South Fremantle’s Youth Girls deserved to be tremendously proud of on the back of winning the premiership in 2020.

There was a natural rivalry there between the two teams despite significant turnover to the playing groups from last year’s Grand Final to this Round 1 contest of 2022 at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

South Fremantle managed to have the better of the start and had the only six scoring shots of the opening quarter, but were unable to convert any of those and ended up kicking six behinds.

Things turned in favour of West Perth with the change of ends for the second quarter. The Falcons had the only four scoring shots of the quarter, and converted one of those into a goal to lead by three points at the half-time break.

West Perth was then able to kick the only goal of the third quarter with the Bulldogs managing two behinds. That meant the Falcons were leading by nine points a three quarter-time having kept South Fremantle scoreless.

The Bulldogs wouldn’t be denied, though, and kicked their only three goals of the match in the fourth quarter to claim the season-opening 3.9 (27) to 3.5 (23) victory.

Chloe Boothman, Jayde Musika and Elenora Pinna were the goal scorers for South Fremantle while Molly O’Hehir, Alira Fotu, Abby Reich, Leila Fotu and Musika among the standout performers in the come from behind win.