BULLDOGS WIN THIRD STRAIGHT GAME

SOUTH Fremantle has now won three straight matches to break into the WAFLW top four following Saturday's 16-point victory on the road to Subiaco.

The Bulldogs had a tough schedule to open the season, but they are now building momentum impressively on the back of last year's preliminary final appearance.

South Fremantle had then won two in-a-row coming into Saturday's match up with Subiaco at Leederville's Sullivan Logistics Stadium, and the Bulldogs came away with the 7.6 (48) to 4.8 (32) victory.

The result improves South Fremantle to a 4-3 record by the end of Round 8 to now sit in fourth position on the ladder to be a game behind the third placed West Perth but a game ahead of the fifth ranked Swan Districts.

Zoe Huggett had an impressive performance in attack for South Fremantle kicking three goals from six kicks to go with four marks.

Poppy Stockwell also continued her impressive goalkicking form so far in the 2024 season kicking another two goals from 15 touches and six marks to now have 12 majors for the campaign.

Kahra Sprlyan also kicked two goals from 15 touches for South Fremantle with Molly O'Hehir brilliant through the midfield racking up 30 possessions to go with nine inside-50 entries, five tackles and three marks.

Noa McNaughton also collected 19 disposals for the Bulldogs, Lauren Vecchio 16 (six tackles), Caitlin Pears 12, Ella Matthews 12, Alyssas Smogavec 12, Hunter Cronin 10 and Charlie Vandenberg 10 to go with 14 hit outs.

Subiaco opened the game with the opening goal through scores including the first goal inside three minutes to Hayley Corlett.

South Fremantle did respond at the 10-minute mark of the first quarter with Zoe Huggett kicking truly. Kahra Sprlyan added another shortly after and that saw the Bulldogs take a four-point advantage into quarter-time.

The Bulldogs then made a fast start to the second term and a second goal to Huggett stretched the lead for the visitors out to 11 points before Corlett responded for the Lions with her second.

It was goal to goal with Poppy Stockwell continuing her standout season with a goal to push South Fremantle back out to a 10-point advantage.

The trend of swapping goals continued with Corlett kicking a third for Subiaco before Sprlyan added a second for the Bulldogs to give her side the 10-point advantage going into the long break.

South Fremantle built a game-high 16-point lead to start the second half with an early goal to Huggett, her third of the afternoon, but again Subiaco was able to respond courtesy of Taya Strickland.

That would be the last goal of the quarter as well with Subiaco finishing off the term with three behinds with South Fremantle holding on to an eight-point lead at three quarter-time.

It took over 14 minutes for the first goal of the last quarter and that was kicked by Stockwell. That would prove the only goal of the stanza too and the Bulldogs went on to claim the 16-point victory.

South Fremantle's Rogers Cup team had the bye in Round 8 but returns to action this Saturday morning taking on East Perth at Leederville's Sullivan Logistics Stadium.

The Bulldogs currently sit in fifth position on the Rogers Cup ladder with a 3-4 record to be a game behind the fourth placed Swan Districts by the end of Round 8.

WAFLW PREMIERSHIP SEASON – ROUND 8

SOUTH FREMANTLE                        2.1          5.2          6.3          7.6          (48)

SUBIACO                                             1.3          3.4          4.7          4.8          (32)

SOUTH FREMANTLE – Goals: Huggett 3; Stockwell, Sprlyan 2.

Best: O'Hehir, Vecchio, Huggett, McNaughton, Stockwell, Sprlyan, Vandenberg.

SUBIACO – Goals: Corlett 3; Strickland.

Best: Petrevski, Popovsky, Strickland, Wolmarans, Corlett, Rowe, McCarthy.