Round 14 Women’s Recap

Subiaco has climbed back to the top of the WAFLW ladder after a dominant victory over Boorloo during NAIDOC Round, with the Lions scoring 8.7.55 to the Demons 2.0.12 to secure a crushing 42-point win.

NAIDOC Round celebrations were in full swing, with both clubs donning beautiful new guernseys and Perth adopting the Boorloo name for the round.

The match was defined by Subi’s ability to control nearly the entire field of play on their terms; once Boorloo scored their second goal midway through the second quarter, they were kept entirely scoreless for the rest of the match.

“We were a little bit slow to start,” Chloe Shearing, who walked away with 3 goals, admitted. “But we managed to kick into gear and started to play the Subi way which we’ve been working on the last couple of weeks. We’re really happy to have been able to perform like that in a special round like this.”

The Lions were able to continuously push the ball forward in attack while simultaneously shutting down any chance Boorloo had to do the same. Subiaco tallied 51 i50 entries throughout the match, while the Demons barely managed 17. Leila Rowe created 7 of these alone, while prominent ball-handlers Paige Sheppard, Lisa Steane, Krstel Petrevski and Hayley Corlett also contributed a collective 19.

“The deeper entries have been something we’ve been pushing to work towards,” Shearing revealed. “The connection between the backs and the mids to work it down deep to us forwards was incredibly pivotal and definitely helped us; we just have to do our work and try to convert.”

Petrevski in particular made noteworthy efforts on the day to do just that, accumulating a new personal best 39 disposals (the equal second-highest individual tally in a WAFLW game).

“Petrevski stands out every week for how consistent she is,” Shearing said. “Not even just with 39 disposals, but it being NAIDOC Round, having her teach us about her culture and the guernseys we were was really special. I’m sure I can speak on behalf of everyone when I say that she is an outstanding human and we all love her.”

In addition to Shearing’s 3 majors, Aimee Schmidt also kicked 3 of her own goals, including a notable one early in the 4th term that showcased how well the Lions could work together to tear apart Boorloo’s defence; a set shot from 50 metres quickly transformed into a certain goal from 10 as the Subi girls waltzed through the sleeping Demons.

Charlotte Tompkin also got a moment to shine, with an incredible running goal from 40 metres that kickstarted Subiaco’s unanswered streak of 6 goals, and Marley Kelman got a moment to shine as she miraculously managed a snap kick out into the goals from within a congested pile of players in the goal square.

Paige Sheppard was notable on the day, collecting 25 disposals and 6 tackles, but gave everyone a scare when a nasty collision in the 4th quarter sent her straight to the bench. Fortunately, she reappeared within minutes and played the game out.

“Paige is okay, she just had the absolute wind knocked out of her,” Shearing laughed. “It was good to see her get back out really quickly. Us girls really love the way she plays; always putting her body on the line for the team.”

The victory leads into a well-earned bye week for the girls, giving them time to prepare for the final 3 weeks of the Home & Away fixture and, beyond that, the finals series.

“It’s very much a needed recovery period,” Shearing admitted. “I’m gonna head down south for a few nights and just have a relaxing weekend.”

“But then, we come back and get ready for the final straight.”

Subiaco’s next match after the bye is the Round 16 home game against West Perth, scheduled for Saturday, July 19 at 2:15 PM at Sullivan Logistics Stadium. The Rogers Cup will follow at 4:20 PM.