WAFLW: Lions brave, but fall to ladder-leading Sharks

Subiaco were on a mission to get the four points away from home, but fell by 50 points against a classy Sharks outfit on Sunday May 29.

A scoreless opening term from the Lions allowed East Fremantle to gain the lead early.

From there they didn’t look back, taking the 9.9 (63) to 2.1 (13) victory against a brave Subiaco.

The defence never gave in, with Jaime Rust (18 disposals) and Madison Dodd (15 disposals) standing up in the contest.

Meanwhile, vice-captain Jayme Harken continued her prolific season, racking up a game-high 22 touches.

The Lions were dealt major blows before the siren blew, with important players Tarni Golisano, Jess Ritchie, and Tiah Toth all out of the side, while Amy Mulholland was a late withdrawal.

Subiaco were unable to overcome the Sharks early, who dominated the first term.

Repeat inside 50s put the Lions’ defence under pressure, with Ashlee Atkins capitalising with the first goal of the game.

Shark Julie Teakle was in the action shortly after, kicking her first to get her side 14 points ahead at quarter time.

It was a better second term from Subiaco, who looked to have a greater impact.

The side had early looks inside 50, but the East Fremantle defensive setup was too strong and stopped any run for the Lions.

The Sharks put on another three goals, before forward Dahna Lee got the first goal for Subiaco after taking a contested mark inside 50.

However, the term belonged to East Fremantle, who led by 35-points at the main break.

The Lions came out with purpose in the third quarter, as they looked to cause an upset.

Lee was again influential, kicking a goal early to reduce the margin.

There were more positive signs, with Subiaco moving the ball inside 50 multiple times, albeit without scores on the board.

The backline also stood up, keeping the Sharks goalless until the last two minutes of the term, with the margin staying at 35 points.

The Lions continued to fight until the very end, but East Fremantle proved too strong.

They were able to increase their lead in the final term, winning by 50 points.

It was a struggle for the WAFLW Reserves, who fell by 68 points, while the Rogers Cup side also went down by 23.

With two rounds to go, fate is still in the hands of the Lions who can feature late-June action, but will need to win their remaining games to do so.

Subiaco will play at home for the rest of the season, with their first task a clash against second-placed Claremont at Leederville Oval on Sunday June 5.

EAST FREMANTLE        2.2    6.5    7.6    9.9    (63)
SUBIACO            0.0    1.0    2.1    2.1    (13)

Goals: Lee 2.
Best: Dodd, Burchell, Lyons, Harken, Lee.