The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football team based in Perth, Western Australia. The 2021 AFL Women's season was their second season in that competition, their first season with Daniel Pratt as coach, and their second season with Emma Swanson as captain. They won two out of the nine games they played, their only wins being by one point against Gold Coast and 39 points against Geelong. They finished 12th out of 14 on the ladder, missing out on qualifying for finals.
The season was marked by many injuries to the team's players, most notably to star player Dana Hooker, who was unable to play for most of the season due to a kitchen accident. Young midfielders Mikayla Bowen and Isabella Lewis were standout players, both receiving Rising Star nominations. Lewis was the team's best and fairest player, winning the West Coast Club Champion medal. Bowen was the team's sole inclusion in the All-Australian squad. Grace Kelly was the team's leading goalkicker, with seven goals.
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football team based in Perth, Western Australia. They began playing in the AFL Women's in the 2020 season. That year, they won one out of their six games, finishing last on the ladder for their conference.[1]
In October 2020, it was announced that Daniel Pratt would take over as senior coach from Luke Dwyer, who resigned. Pratt had been a development coach and an assistant coach for West Coast's men's team for seven years. He was assisted by forwardline coaches Michelle Cowan and Jo Beechey, midfield coaches Brady Grey and Ryan Turnbull, and backline coach Andrew Di Loreto.[1][2]Emma Swanson was captain for a second season. Dana Hooker was vice-captain for a second season as well. Courtney Guard and Alicia Janz continued being part of the leadership group, along with newcomer Parris Laurie. Mikayla Bowen and Hayley Bullas were appointed as "emerging leaders", a new position which is used for developing leadership skills.[3]
The club had 3,081 AFLW members in 2021, the second most of any club, behind St Kilda.[4][5]
Due to West Coast's poor performance in 2020, before the start of the trade period, West Coast, and Richmond, were given a draft pick at the end of the first round (pick 16). This draft pick had the requirement that it had to be traded with another club for an established player. The pick was allowed to be traded in combination with other draft picks or players, but it could not be used in a trade that involved West Coast receiving any draft picks.[9] During the 2020 trade period in August, West Coast had two trades. The first had West Coast receive Aisling McCarthy and pick 3 in the 2020 AFL Women's draft from the Western Bulldogs, in exchange for pick 2 and pick 16.[10] The second had West Coast receive Tayla Bresland from Fremantle, in exchange for pick 46.[11]
Before the 2020 AFLW, McKenzie Dowrick was placed on the inactive list to allow her more time to recover from surgery.[12] During the 2020 draft on 6 October, teams were only allowed to pick from a pool of players in their state. West Coast drafted Isabella Lewis (pick 3), Shanae Davison (pick 18), Julie-Anne Norrish (pick 32) and Andrea Gilmore (pick 53), who was previously delisted. They passed on picks 56 and 59.[13]
If players were undrafted in their nominated state, clubs from outside that state with room on their lists could sign those players. This mechanism enabled West Coast to sign Amber Ward and Lauren Gauci, both of whom are from South Australia, on 8 October.[14] In November, Demi Liddle was signed as an injury replacement player for Ashton Hill, who ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament in round 1 of the previous season.[15] In January, Katelyn Pope was signed as an injury replacement player for Mhicca Carter, who had a season-ending foot injury.[16]
For the 2021 AFLW season, the conference system was removed, with every team now on the same ladder.[21][22] The planned fixture was revealed on 11 December 2020; continued restrictions and border closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, however, forced it to change several times.[23] The first change was rounds one and two, in which West Coast were originally going to face Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium, and then Richmond in Perth. That changed on 22 January to West Coast facing Adelaide in Perth, and then Greater Western Sydney (GWS) at Norwood Oval in Adelaide, in a GWS home match. This was because there were no restrictions to travel between Western Australia and South Australia, and GWS had temporarily relocated to Adelaide.[24]
Rounds 1–4
West Coast's round one match took place against the Adelaide Crows, the reigning premiers, on 30 January 2021. At half time, the Eagles were only behind by five points, as the Crows missed opportunities to score. However, Adelaide dominated the third quarter, kicking four unanswered goals and even preventing any inside 50s for West Coast. The final score was 18–56. This match had eight new players for West Coast, and three players suffered injuries:[25][26]Brianna Green received an ankle injury, Maddy Collier was concussed and Demi Liddle injured her back.[20]
Western Australia went into lockdown on 1 February, resulting in South Australia closing its border to Western Australia. West Coast's match against GWS was cancelled as a result, and West Coast were not allowed to train together during the lockdown.[27] After the lockdown was lifted on 5 February, a Western Derby against Fremantle was scheduled instead for 7 February, albeit with no crowds. The derby meant that the Western Australian teams did not have to leave Western Australia or have another team enter.[28] During the week between rounds one and two, vice-captain Dana Hooker cut a tendon in her foot when a knife fell off her kitchen bench, ruling her out for the rest of the season. She joined Green, Collier and Liddle as the four outs for round 2.[20][29][30]
West Coast lost their match against Fremantle 14–23, playing at Fremantle Oval in heavy rain. Aisling McCarthy got the first and only goal in the first quarter, but Fremantle took over from there, reaching 20 points at three quarter time. Imahra Cameron kicked a goal in the final quarter to reduce the margin to 6 points, but Fremantle held off from there, winning by nine points. The result wasn't considered a total failure for West Coast, considering that their previous match against Fremantle was a 45-point blowout, and that Fremantle finished at the top of the ladder in 2020, however, there were several more injuries during the match. Niamh Kelly and Andrea Gilmore suffered finger injuries and Parris Laurie sustained a right knee injury.[31][32]Katelyn Pope made her AFLW debut in this match.[20]Daniel Pratt said after the match that West Coast may have to use players from outside their squad to field a team in round three if none of the injured players are able to play.[33]
The fixture for round three was announced on 8 February. West Coast were scheduled to face Richmond at the Swinburne Centre on 14 February.[34][35] A COVID-19 outbreak in Melbourne caused Western Australia to close its border to Victoria, resulting in the cancellation of West Coast's match against Richmond on 11 February.[36] The following day, it was announced that West Coast would play Brisbane at Hickey Park on Monday, 15 February.[37]
During the week between rounds two and three, Claremont WAFLW players Jessica Low and Sasha Goranova trained with West Coast in case the team needed them as top-up players.[38] West Coast ended up not needing them, with several players back from injury for round three. Maddy Collier returned after completing concussion protocols, Parris Laurie and Andrea Gilmore's injuries were minor enough to allow them to return, and Melissa Caulfield was back for the first time this season following a pre-season hamstring injury.[39][40] During the first half of their match against the Brisbane Lions, the Eagles dominated the inside 50s and clearances, but because they were unable to convert that into goals, the margin at half time was one point in favour of the Lions. Brisbane dominated for the rest of the match though, including kicking four goals in the first six minutes of the third quarter. The final score was 20–65 in favour of the Lions.[41][42] Andrea Gilmore suffered another injury, this time a concussion in the third quarter, ruling her out of round four due to the concussion protocol.[43][44]
The round four fixture was revealed on 14 February, with West Coast facing GWS on Sunday, 21 February at Blacktown International Sportspark Oval.[45][46] In that match, Alicia Janz made her West Coast debut, and Lauren Gauci made her AFLW debut.[19] West Coast were beaten yet again in round four, with the final score being 28–48. The Eagles lead for a brief moment in the first quarter, but GWS lead for the rest of the match. The only injury was to Aisling McCarthy, who had a knee injury after landing awkwardly in the third quarter.[47]
On 21 February, the round five fixture was revealed. West Coast were scheduled to play against fellow winless side Gold Coast, in the Eagles' first home game since round one.[48][49] The round five match was Niamh Kelly's and Demi Liddle's first match back from injury. Aisling McCarthy was also due to play her first game back, but was a late out due to her knee injury, being replaced by Kate Orme. Sophie McDonald and Courtney Guard were omitted.[50][51] West Coast got their first win of the season in that round, beating Gold Coast 34–33. Mikayla Bowen stood out, getting 21 disposals, seven marks, three clearances and the match-winning goal.[52][50] She received a Rising Star nomination for her effort.[53] Yet another injury occurred, with Tayla Bresland receiving a hamstring injury in the first quarter.[50]
Between rounds five and six, over a third of West Coast's players were on its injury list.[54] The round six fixture was revealed on 27 February. West Coast were scheduled to play Fremantle for the second time in a season.[55][56] Aisling McCarthy made a return from injury in this game. The Eagles were thrashed by Fremantle, which was played at Optus Stadium in front of West Coast's largest crowd for the season. The final score was 8–75, with Grace Kelly scoring the Eagles' only goal.[57]
Imahra Cameron kicked three goals against Geelong, setting a club record.
The fixture for the remaining rounds was revealed on 4 March. West Coast were scheduled to play against Geelong at home in round seven, Richmond away in round eight, and St Kilda at home in round nine, all on the Sundays of each round.[58][59] On 9 March, the round seven match against Geelong was changed to Monday, 15 March.[60] In the match, West Coast had their second win of the season, and largest win in their history, beating Geelong 53–14. Imahra Cameron kicked three goals, a record for the club. Brianna Green was back from injury.[61]Emma Swanson was reported to the match review panel for rough conduct due to an off-the-ball bump on Geelong's Georgie Rankin which gave Rankin a concussion. Swanson received a two match ban for the incident, causing her to miss the remainder of the season.[62][63][64]
In round eight, West Coast were beaten by Richmond 34–42, although they almost made a comeback in the fourth quarter. At half time, the margin was 22 points with Richmond in front. The Eagles had kicked no goals in the first half compared to Richmond's three. But West Coast started to catch up during the second half, kicking three third-quarter goals, compared to Richmond with just one. The Eagles managed to get the margin to seven points during the fourth quarter, but Richmond managed to hold off West Coast. Mikayla Bowen and Isabella Lewis were the strongest among the midfield, with 21 and 18 disposals respectively. Lewis received a Rising Star nomination for this effort. West Coast suffered a multitude of injuries in that match, with Aisling McCarthy (corked thigh), Belinda Smith (cork), Shanae Davison (hamstring) and Maddy Collier (concussion) all injured.[65][66][67]
Collier, McCarthy and Davison were all left out for the final match of the season due to their injuries, joining a large list of key players who could not play. Parris Laurie also suffered an ankle injury just before the start of the match, too late for her to be replaced in the team. West Coast were thrashed by St Kilda, the score being 20–76. West Coast ended the season 12th on the ladder, capping off an injury-plagued season having not qualified for finals.[68][69]
Updated to match(es) played on 17 March 2021. Source: Womens.AFL Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for. (P) Premiers
Awards
Mikayla Bowen received a Rising Star nomination in round five,[53] and Isabella Lewis received a nomination in round eight.[67] Mikayla Bowen was also named in the initial 40-woman All-Australian squad, but was not named in the final 21-woman team. West Coast was only one of two teams that did not have any player in the All-Australian team in 2021, the other team being the Gold Coast Suns.[70][71]
The Western Derby is the name given to the Australian rules football match between the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers, who both participate in the Australian Football League (AFL). As both teams are based in Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, the term "derby" is used to describe the match. It has become the most important match for football in Western Australia, with former West Coast player and coach John Worsfold claiming that in the week before a derby that it is the main topic in Perth.
It's obviously different to the build-up of any normal game... We don't care what else is happening in the country, which is great."
Ellie Blackburn is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Western Bulldogs in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She served as Western Bulldogs co-captain in 2019, and as their sole captain from 2020 to 2023. Blackburn is the Western Bulldogs games record holder with 71 games and equal goalkicking record holder with 29 goals.
Kellie-Maree Gibson is an Australian rules footballer playing for West Coast in the AFL Women's competition. She was one of Adelaide's two marquee players in the inaugural AFL Women's season and has also played for Fremantle. A multi-sport athlete, Gibson began her athletic career as a sprinter, and won a gold medal in rugby sevens at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics.
Dana Hooker is an Australian rules footballer playing for the West Coast Eagles in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She previously played for the Fremantle Football Club from 2017 to 2019. Hooker is a dual AFL Women's All-Australian, and was the inaugural Fremantle fairest and best winner in 2017 and inaugural West Coast Club Champion in 2020.
Beatrice Devlyn is an Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club in the AFL Women's competition. Devlyn was recruited by Fremantle as an injury replacement player in January 2017. She made her debut in the twenty-three point loss to Adelaide at Fremantle Oval in round four of the 2017 season. She played the next week before she was omitted for the round six match against Carlton to finish with two matches for the season. She was delisted at the end of the 2017 season. She was subsequently re-drafted as a rookie by Fremantle with pick No. 16 in the 2017 rookie draft.
Alicia Janz is a former Australian rules football and netball player who played in the AFL Women's competition and ANZ Championship.
Evangeline Gooch is an Australian rules footballer playing for the West Coast Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). Gooch was drafted by Fremantle with their second selection and tenth overall in the 2017 AFL Women's draft. She made her debut in the twenty-six point loss to the Western Bulldogs at VU Whitten Oval in the opening round of the 2018 season.
Aisling Louise McCarthy is an Irish Australian rules footballer playing for Fremantle in the AFL Women's (AFLW), having previously played for the Western Bulldogs and the West Coast Eagles. She became an Australian citizen in July 2022.
The 2020 AFL Women's season was the fourth season of the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition, the highest-level senior women's Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season featured 14 clubs and ran from 7 February to 22 March; it was intended to comprise an eight-round home-and-away season followed by a three-week finals series featuring the top three clubs from each conference, however the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March saw the season curtailed and finally abandoned without a premiership being awarded. Australian Football League (AFL) clubs Gold Coast, Richmond, St Kilda and West Coast featured for the first time in 2020.
Mikayla Bowen is an Australian rules footballer playing for Geelong in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She previously played for the West Coast Eagles. Bowen and Rosie Deegan were West Coast's first two signings prior to its debut in the 2020 AFLW season. Bowen played in the club's first match, against Collingwood.
The 2020 AFL Women's draft consists of the various periods when the 14 clubs in the AFL Women's competition can recruit players prior to the competition's 2021 season.
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football team based in Perth, Western Australia. The 2020 AFL Women's season was their first year in that competition. Luke Dwyer was the team's inaugural coach, and Emma Swanson was the team's inaugural captain. West Coast finished the home-and-away season seventh out of seven on the ladder, with a win–loss record of 1–5.
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football team based in Perth, Western Australia. Their 2021 season was their 35th season in the Australian Football League (AFL), their eighth season under premiership coach Adam Simpson, and their second season with Luke Shuey as captain. Having finished in the top eight every season since 2015, it was expected that West Coast would do the same in 2021. They won eight of their first thirteen matches, including an unexpected win against Port Adelaide, and a 97-point thrashing by Geelong, placing them seventh on the ladder before their midseason bye. They continued on to lose seven of their remaining nine matches, including a 92-point loss to Sydney, and their first Western Derby loss since 2015, causing them to finish ninth, missing finals.
The 2021 AFL Women's season was the fifth season of the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition, the highest-level senior women's Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season featured 14 clubs and ran from 28 January to 17 April, comprising a nine-round home-and-away season followed by a three-week finals series featuring the top six clubs.
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football team based in Perth, Western Australia. 2022 AFL Women's season 6, which started in January 2021, is their third season in the competition. At the end of the 2021 season, West Coast delisted 10 players, gained a player via trade, a player via restricted free agency and five players at the 2021 AFL Women's draft. 2021 coach Daniel Pratt was replaced with Michael Prior, after Pratt resigned from the role.
2022 AFL Women's season 6 was the sixth season of the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition, the highest-level senior women's Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season featured 14 clubs and ran from 7 January to 9 April, comprising a ten-round home-and-away season followed by a three-week finals series featuring the top six clubs. It was the first of two seasons to take place in the 2022 calendar year, with the competition's seventh season held from August to November.
Charlotte "Charlie" Thomas is an Australian rules footballer. She was selected by the West Coast Eagles with pick 3 in the 2021 AFL Women's draft, and made her debut in round 1 of 2022 AFL Women's season 6.
Shanae Davison is an Australian rules footballer who plays for Brisbane in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She has previously played for West Coast.
2022 AFL Women's season 7 was the seventh season of the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition, the highest-level senior women's Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season featured 18 clubs, marking the first time all Australian Football League (AFL) clubs participated in the competition, and ran from 25 August to 27 November, comprising a ten-round home-and-away season followed by a four-week finals series featuring the top eight clubs. It was the second AFL Women's season to take place in the 2022 calendar year and the first to have an August start date. AFL clubs Essendon, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Sydney featured for the first time in season 7.
Mikayla Western is an Australian rules footballer playing for the West Coast Eagles in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She previously played for the Fremantle Football Club.
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