Optus WAFLW Round 3 WrapMonday, August 3, 2020 - 5:25 AM - by Chris Pike

SUBIACO and Claremont continue to be the two teams leading the way to date early in the 2020 Optus WAFL Women's Premiership season, but Peel Thunder are also showing they are more than capable after knocking off the reigning premiers.

Round 3 in the 2020 WAFLW season got underway on Saturday afternoon at Bassendean's Steel Blue Oval and in a rematch of last year's preliminary final, Subiaco got a measure of revenge over Swan Districts.

Subiaco maintained its undefeated start to the 2020 season with another impressive performance on Saturday to beat Swan Districts 6.8 (44) to 2.5 (17).

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Peel Thunder then continued its vastly improved season after a last place finish in 2019 by defeating reigning WAFLW premiers East Fremantle 5.5 (35) to 3.4 (22) at Mandurah's David Grays Arena.

Then on Sunday afternoon at Fremantle Community Bank Oval, South Fremantle did manage to kick its first goal in the competition in its third attempt but Claremont were still able to prevail 9.12 (66) to 1.3 (9) in the finish.

The results leave Subiaco (3-0) out on top of the WAFLW ladder after three rounds just ahead of Claremont and Peel Thunder who both hold 2-1 records.

East Fremantle (1-2) rounds out the top four followed by Swan Districts (1-2) and South Fremantle (0-3).

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SWAN DISTRICTS 2.5 (17) lost to SUBIACO 6.8 (44)

Swan Districts and Subiaco played out some memorable encounters in 2019 including the preliminary final so it was always going to be a terrific contest on Saturday with the Lions remaining undefeated coming out on top by 27 points.

After missing last year's Grand Final despite finishing the home and away season as minor premiers, Subiaco had won its opening two matches of 2020 against Claremont and East Fremantle while Swan Districts had beaten Peel Thunder but lost to Claremont. 

The two teams met at Bassendean's Steel Blue Oval on Saturday afternoon in the prime time slot straight after the WAFL men's clash between the same two clubs.

Subiaco did manage to start well with two goals to one in the first quarter on the back of having six scoring shots to two from Swan Districts to see the Lions lead by nine points at the opening break.

It remained a tight affair in the second quarter with each team adding a goal apiece with Subiaco heading into half-time leading by 10 points.

The Lions then kicked the only goal of the third quarter while holding Swans to one behind to stretch their edge to 16 points by quarter-time.

There would be no comeback either from Swan Districts with Subiaco kicking the only two goals of the final stanza while holding the home side scoreless to end up winning, 6.8 (44) to 2.5 (17).

Abbey Dowrick had a sensational game up forward for Subiaco to end up kicking three goals while Jaqueline Toth, Charlie Thomas and Kia Buckley kicked one each as well.

Toth, vice-captain Tiah Haynes, Dowrick, Jayme Harken and Beatrice Devlyn were just some of the strong performers in the win for the Lions. 

Swan Districts' goals came courtesy of Mikayla Morrison and Sarah Welstra. 

Aimee Ralph, Stephanie Graskowski, Olivia Cripps, Eilish Grundon and Hayley Cole all played well despite the result for Swans.
 

PEEL THUNDER 5.5 (35) defeated EAST FREMANTLE 3.4 (22)

Peel Thunder might very well have produced their best ever performance in the WAFL Women's competition and scored their best win by defeating East Fremantle by 13 points on Saturday.

Peel struggled in the opening season of the WAFL Women's competition in 2019 claiming the wooden spoon while East Fremantle went on to win the first ever premiership.

So it was top against bottom from 2019 when they met at Mandurah's David Grays Arena on Saturday, but all that the game ended up showing was how much things have changed now in 2020.

It was a goalless opening quarter from both teams as they began the game with the lights taking over for the 5.10pm bouncedown straight after the WAFL men's clash between Peel and East Fremantle.

Peel did lead three points to one by quarter-time and then it was the Thunder who kicked the game's first goal during the second quarter. 

It was still the only goal of the game for the first half with Peel up by nine points at the main break having held East Fremantle to just the one point in an entire half of football.

East Fremantle did get its first goal of the game during the third term but the only problem was Peel were able to kick two more themselves to head into three quarter-time leading by 13 points.

It was then two goals apiece in the final term as Peel went on to win impressively over last year's premiers, 5.5 (35) to 3.4 (22).

Kira Phillips remains one of the most effective key forward targets in the competition and proved why on Saturday night by kicking two goals for Peel. 

Krystal Carter, Kate Bartlett and Kate Ditchburn were the others to kick goals for the Thunder.

Ebony Dowson, Sarah Verrier, Whitney Benson, Chloe Wrigley and South West Slammers basketball guard Ebony Bilcich were all among the standout performers for the Thunder.

Stephanie Sparks kicked two goals for East Fremantle while there was the one courtesy of Kahra Sprylan.

Sharon Wong, Paisley Prentice, Ashleigh Gomes, Phillipa Seth and Marni Alston all battled hard in the loss for the Sharks.
 

SOUTH FREMANTLE 1.3 (9) lost to CLAREMONT 9.12 (66)

South Fremantle created another slice of history scoring their first ever WAFL Women's goal on Sunday but in the end it was Claremont who continued their impressive start to the 2020 season.

It had been tough going for South Fremantle in the opening two weeks of the 2020 Optus WAFL Women's Premiership Season with the Bulldogs having just been granted entry to the competition as the sixth club in the second year of its existence.

South Fremantle came up against reigning premiers East Fremantle in Round 1 and then a vastly improved Peel Thunder last week. 

While both games were held at Fremantle Community Bank Oval, the Bulldogs were still just trying to find their feet and couldn’t manage a score in defeats to the tune of 88 and 64 points.

Claremont, meanwhile, has made a good start to the new WAFLW season with a narrow two-point loss to Subiaco before bouncing back with a strong win against Swan Districts leading into Sunday's clash at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

It might not have been a goal just yet, but South Fremantle did create a slice of history in the opening quarter of Sunday's game against Claremont by scoring a behind. After two scoreless games, it was their ninth quarter in the league that saw them score for a first time.

But up the other end, Claremont managed nine shots on goal and kicked three goals from those opportunities which was the only thing stopping their lead from going out beyond 23 points.

South Fremantle was finding themselves more competitive, though, and the Bulldogs did manage another two behinds in the second quarter.

Claremont, though, was also finding plenty of ways to attack and they had another four opportunities on goal for two goals in the second quarter to head into half-time with the 35-point advantage.

South Fremantle went scoreless in the third quarter. But after not managing to score in their first four quarters in the WAFLW competition, this would be their only term on Sunday where they wouldn’t trouble the scorers.

Claremont did kick another goal in the third quarter and by three quarter-time that saw the Tigers' lead grow to 44 points.

And then the last quarter saw the moment that we've been waiting for. South Fremantle's first ever goal in the WAFLW was scored thanks to Chloe Taylor. Her name will now forever be etched in history.

The Tigers weren’t interested in being sentimental though. They added another three goals themselves in the final term and ended up beating South Fremantle 9.12 (66) to 1.3 (9).

On top of Chloe Taylor making history by kicking a goal for South Fremantle in the last quarter, Tash Vaughan-Taylor, Kiara Templeman, Tahlia Holtze, Melissa Silcock, Cali Hunt and Taylah Cruttenden all played well for the Bulldogs.

Mhicca Carter came into the Claremont team this week to face South Fremantle and made the most of her opportunities in attack by kicking three goals.

Brooke Whyte also kicked three goals for the Tigers while Bella Zadnik, Krstel Petrevski and Amy Franklin were the others to manage a goal on the afternoon for Claremont.

Whyte, Sarah Garstone, Carter, Sasha Goranova and Ella Smith were just a handful of Claremont's star performers in the game.