Round 7 Women’s Recap

Two undefeated teams walked into Sullivan Logistics Stadium last Saturday afternoon and strangely, two undefeated teams walked out. Subiaco and Claremont, both enjoying positions at the top of the WAFLW table this season, couldn’t be separated after 80 intense minutes of gameplay, and both walked away with 4.6.30 on the scoreboard in a heart-stopping tie.

The draw leaves both sides at the top of the ladder with a record of 5-0-1, with Subiaco taking the top spot with a strong percentage.

“It’s always a weird feeling. Very mixed emotions, but we’re happy with our effort across the 4 quarters,” Coach Baker Denneman explained. “The pleasing thing from the players perspective was the ability to find a way to arm wrestle the game back in our favour and give ourselves a chance.”

Indeed, Subiaco’s match was incredibly consistent across all 4 terms, attacking the scoreboard every quarter and never letting a scoring drought get too long. On the flipside, after being kept scoreless in the 1st and trailing at Half Time, Claremont ruthlessly switched on for the 3rd Quarter, but were kept to a goalless final term as Subi turned the game back in their favour.

Still, it wasn’t until the dying moments of the match where Subi equaled the tally, when Olivia Wolmarens landed an impressive set shot in the last minute in what would be the final score of the match.

“Our ability to compete at a high level for all 80 minutes was there, and that showed across the effort and intent we displayed throughout the game,” Denneman reflected. “Claremont has been the benchmark for a number of years, and we knew it was going to be a tough and hard contested game. It was high pressure football for 80 minutes straight, with momentum swings in both teams favour; a unique scenario in the landscape, but nothing we haven’t seen or felt in other games this year.”

“We had moments where the game was in our favour, and we saw benefit from our system. In saying that though, when we needed to absorb and defend with urgency, we won some crucial one-on-ones to allow us time to set up our defence.”

“We saw how important the fundamental skills of the game are, and if you can execute them under immense pressure, then the game opens up. Our method stood up, and we will look to build on that from week to week.”

Paige Sheppard played a key role in the intense contest, landing 14 tackles on the opposition across the day. Fellow Follower Krstel Petrevski also didn’t hold back against her former side, with a game-high 24 disposals and 4 inside 50 entries. Denneman is quick to remind us, however, that the personal victories aren’t what made the side shine.

“Every player played their role and competed for the team,” Denneman explained. “Our ability to stay at it together and come away with some points from the game was a really pleasing sign.”

“It’s a long year, and we’ve set ourselves up on a really good platform to constantly build off. Each week brings new challenges, and we get excited by the prospect of attacking them each week.”

“We are looking forward to coming up against another really impressive contest team with Peel this weekend, and looking to continue to build the way in which we want to play.”

That match against Peel will take place this Sunday, 1:10PM at Sullivan Logistics Stadium.

The Rogers Cup side also faced Claremont shortly before the WAFLW match, walking away with an 8-point win for Subiaco. The victory leaves Subi in the middle of the table in what is proving to be a tightly contested season for the Rogers.