East Fremantle’s WAFLW side produced a spirited performance for three quarters but were ultimately overrun by Swan Districts, falling 4.4 (28) to 7.9 (51) at The Good Grocer Park on friday night.
In front of a strong home crowd, the Sharks showed plenty of fight and resilience, going toe-to-toe with one of the competition’s flag favourites across the opening three quarters.
East Fremantle made a bright start, kicking 2.0 in the first term to trail narrowly at quarter time. The contest remained tight throughout the first half, with the Sharks heading into the main break just four points down, 3.0 (18) to 3.4 (22).
The third quarter continued in the same vein, as both sides battled hard around the contest, with Swan Districts holding a slender six-point lead at the final change, 4.2 (26) to 4.8 (32).
However, it was the final term where the visitors broke the game open, piling on 3.1 while restricting the Sharks to just two behinds, to run away with a 23-point victory.
Despite the result, there was plenty to like from the Sharks’ performance. East Fremantle finished with 190 disposals to Swan Districts’ 265 and were competitive around the contest. While Swan Districts had the edge in hit-outs (40–24) and inside 50s (36–24), the Sharks made the most of their opportunities, finishing with a higher accuracy of 50% compared to 43.75%.
Individually, several Sharks stood tall in a strong team effort.
Noa McNaughton was outstanding with 21 disposals and 4 tackles, while Mackenzie Webb (17 disposals) and Cienna Leslie (16 disposals, 1 goal) provided important drive.
Zoe Kelely impressed with 11 disposals and a team-high 21 hit-outs, while Tiani Teakle (14 disposals) and Jae Flynn (11 disposals, 6 tackles) worked tirelessly across the ground.
On the scoreboard, Breanna Wills and Cienna Leslie were among the goal kickers, with the Sharks managing four goals from eight scoring shots.
While the final margin didn’t fall their way, the Sharks can take immense confidence from their effort, matching it with one of the competition’s best sides for the majority of the contest.
East Fremantle will now look to bounce back when they take on East Perth this Sunday away from home.