AFLW match report: Eagles defeat Suns in thrilling preseason opener
In an exciting preseason game on the Gold Coast against the Suns, the West Coast Eagles prevailed.
In a practice game that felt more like the last four months before the season is scheduled to start, the West Coast Eagles rallied from behind to take the lead at the end of the half and held on for a two-point victory.
Six top-tier players from the WAFLW and Suns Academy, along with 14 AFLW listed players, comprised the Eagles squad that traveled to People First Stadium, home of the Suns, to play them.
With her contested work and effort around the stoppages, new recruit Jess Hosking was among the best on the field, and No. 2 draft pick Jess Rentsch demonstrated why she was so highly regarded with her enormous work ethic and intensity.
In the first game under new coach Daisy Pearce, the Eagles took the lead thanks to a goal from Lauren Wakfer after she was awarded a free kick and a 50-meter penalty. The Suns had been dominating the game early on but were unable to score in front of the goal.
West Coast capitalized on the first goal’s momentum to seize control of their forward half. Mikayla Western kicked another goal following a clever entry inside the 50, and she later opened the score early in the second half with an incredible pocket finish.
Before the Suns turned the game around and dominated the last minutes of the first half, kicking three goals in a row to take a four-point lead, Kellie Gibson joined the celebration and scored the first of her three goals.
Gold Coast kept up their goal-kicking ways, scoring two goals early in the third quarter. Their pressure was a major contributing factor until Gibson’s second goal turned the tide.
Before the final term, Jess Hosking scored just before the three-quarter-time siren, cutting the lead to just four points. Her incredible work began with a huge contested grab inside the 50.
Early in thefinal period, there was back-and-forth action, with Gibson hitting thescoreboard first before the
There was no indication that this was a preseason game as both teams were swarming the field, with Jess Rentsch and stand-in captain Bella Lewis laying two huge tackles to stop the Suns’ momentum and keep the ball in the Eagles’ 50.
The Eagles were able to maintain their two-point lead into the last minutes of play thanks to a fantastic goal by Mikayla Western after the team locked the ball forward and received a feed from the stoppage.
The Eagles AFLW team will play one more preseason game at Mineral Resources Park on May 4 against Fremantle before the regular season kicks off.
Lewis, Hosking, Rentsch, Western, Thomas, and L. Wakfer
