Round 13 Women’s Recap

After suffering their first loss of the season against South Fremantle last week, Subiaco’s WAFLW side has made a strong return to form with a dominating performance over Peel Thunder this past Saturday. The convincing 53-point victory at Lane Group Stadium means the Lions remain 14 points clear of the next position on the ladder and formally guarantees a 2025 finals appearance.

The performance was all-encompassing; while Peel scored the first goal of the match within the opening minute, it would be the last time they scored a goal all day, only managing another 3 behinds for the remainder of the match. The final scoreline of 1.3.9 to 9.8.62 painted a remarkable picture of Subi’s ability to shut down the opposition and push the game forward.

“I think we really went back to what we’ve been doing well for the majority of the season and properly playing as a team,” Lisa Steane, who collected 22 disposals and a game-high 10 tackles, said of the match. “We’ve worked really hard at learning how each of us play and utilising each other’s strengths. We have a great balance in our team,  but we all know our offence is generated from being clean in the contest and we were able to get back to that on the weekend which limited their ability to score.”

Paige Sheppard made the highlights reel for the day, kicking her first ever WAFLW goal in her 11th match for the club.

“I think everyone on the team celebrated, most of us more than she did,” Steane laughed. “It’s a nice reward for all of her effort week in and week out.”

Sheppard’s efforts can also be seen on the stat sheet; her tally of 32 disposals on the day is an equal-best for her WAFLW career, tied only by the last time Subi played Peel in Round 8 this year.

Chloe Shearing also made a major impact on the day; with a personal scoreline of 3 goals 2 behinds, she more than doubled Peel’s entire score herself. Leila Rowe and Aimee Schmidt also both slotted 2 goals apiece, with Sheppard and Jorja Schell adding 1 each as well.

Krstel Petrevski continued a dominant season in the centre with 28 disposals (21 being handballs), while Charlotte Tompkin also shone, showing off her versatility as a player. Starting the match down at Half Forward, she moved between the forward line and the wing throughout the game, challenging contests across the ground and proving how adaptable she can be at the top of her game.

With a finals appearance confirmed, the Subiaco girls would be forgiven for letting the excitement begin to build in the clubrooms, but Steane is adamant the priorities lie elsewhere.

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t on our mind,” Stane admitted. “But every game between now and then is equally as important. [Coach] Baker Denneman has been really great at keeping us all present and focused on the game ahead of us. We use each game as a building block, working towards continued improvement as a team and individually.”

“I think we all have a clear understanding on how we can get better and we will use these remaining games to act on that.”

The Rogers Cup squad also saw success against Peel on Saturday, walking away with a 14-point victory over the Thunder.

5 rounds remain in the WAFLW’s Home & Away season, with Subiaco playing in 4 of them, chasing the coveted spot in the Top 2 and the pivotal second chance during the finals series.

Subiaco’s next match is the Round 14 clash with Perth, taking place at home at Sullivan Logistics Stadium on Saturday at 12:10 PM. It will be a busy day at the ground, with the Rogers Cup playing earlier that morning and the Men’s challenging West Coast right after the WAFLW finishes.