Fremantle Dockers beat GWS Giants in AFLW to keep finals hopes alive

Fremantle’s finals dream remains alive after they again showed composure when the game was on the line to win their second successive close game.

The Dockers beat GWS 6.11 (47) to 6.4 (40) to follow on from a five-point win over Melbourne last week.

Fremantle kicked three goals to one in the final term after being six points down at the final change.

Mim Strom, Gabby Newton and Kiara Bowers were at their powerful best to lift Fremantle to victory. Strom had 23 possessions and six clearances. Bowers also collected 23 touches and had 10 clearances, while Newton finished with 29 disposals and nine tackles.

This was a game of contrasting styles as the Dockers wanted the ball in congestion and the Giants wanted it out in space.

For a long period of the game, the most ironic part of the clash was that both teams looked their most threatening when the ball was in the same part of the field.

Fremantle wanted the ball inside 50 to set up scoring chances, but the Giants were getting all of their goals from half-back.

The Dockers’ early tackling led to holding the ball free kicks and got the game on their terms as they won the first four clearances of the day. But the Dockers failed to convert their early chances and the Giants made them pay.

Cambridge McCormick produced a brilliant goal on the run from 55m and the Giants were away.

But as good as the Giants looked in space, kicking that goal put the game back into clearance mode. Aisling McCarthy won the centre clearance and Tunisha Kikoak kicked a goal within seconds.

Fremantle had more of the ball in their forward half but couldn’t turn those chances into goals. Georgie Brisbane rushed a soccer kick when she had more time and missed. Other shots landed short and many sailed wide.

In contrast, the Giants seized their moments. Just as the Giants’ first goal from McCormick was classy, Tarni Evans nailed a tough shot from the boundary to put them back in front.

Fremantle had five scoring shots to three and 13 inside 50s to nine in the first quarter, but the Giants led by three points.

Nothing changed in the second quarter. Fremantle continued to win clearances through Mim Strom, Gabby Newton and Kiara Bowers but they couldn’t turn that advantage into goals.

When Zarlie Goldsworthy took a mark for the Giants and kicked truly, the home team’s entire score had come from turnover and it was another example of them winning the ball back in defence and turning it into a score.

Could Fremantle make the most of the next centre clearance? Kind of. They won the clearance but kicked the ball out of bounds.

You know things are contested when players are also clashing with the fence. Poppy Stockwell took a mark on the boundary line and smashed into the fence as she couldn’t slow down. Fremantle would have loved to have created easy success.

The Dockers got some early joy at the start of the third term after winning the centre clearance. They got the ball inside 50, put the Giants under pressure and GWS gave away two free kicks in a row.

That allowed Jess Low to kick the goal they needed to start strongly. But the trend of Fremantle missing chances continued and soon they were sitting on 2.10.

Footy is littered with examples of teams wasting their chances and then watching the opposition score. That’s precisely what happened as the Giants won the ball in defence, got it forward, and Madison Brazendale kicked accurately. That was the Giant’s first inside 50 for the quarter.

Now it was GWS’ turn to lock the ball inside 50 and not convert.

Fremantle levelled the scores through Brisbane but then had the heartbreak of conceding a goal on the siren to trail by six points with one quarter remaining.

Could they overrun the Giants? You bet.

Gabby Biedenweg-Webster kicked the first goal from a strong contest to level the scores. Kikoak then put the Dockers in front after a free kick and all the momentum was with the visitors.

But disaster followed. A 50m penalty handed the Giants an easy goal and now it was game on.

Fremantle still looked the better team though, they had 11 inside 50s to the Giants’ two for the final quarter and it felt like only a matter of time before they sealed the win.

That’s precisely what happened as Sarah Verrier kicked the match winner following a 50m penalty.

SCOREBOARD

Fremantle 1.4 1.7 3.10 6.11 (47)

GWS 2.1 3.3 5.4 6.4 (40)

Goals - Fremantle: T Kikoak 2 S Verrier J Low G Brisbane G Bidenweg-Webster. GWS: T Evans 2 G Garnett Z Goldsworthy C McCormick

Best - Fremantle: G Newton, M Strom, K Bowers E O’Driscoll A McCarthy H MIller. GWS: Z Goldsworthy, E Pease, C McCormick, K Smith, G Garnett.