South Fremantle Coach Bullish About 2023 Finals AppearanceFriday, February 10, 2023 - 10:02 AM

Entering the club’s third season in the WAFLW, there’s optimism South Fremantle can challenge for a place in the top four.

Finals seemed a distant prospect after the Bulldogs went winless through their first season in 2021, but the side improved significantly to claim four victories last year, finishing two games off fourth position.

Craig McNaughton is ready for his second year as coach at WAFLW, having spent one season in charge of the Bulldogs at Rogers Cup level.

“We learnt a lot in 2022 being a new coaching group and support staff, and we only had a League squad with no reserves team which was different.

It was a year of getting to know one another and work out how we wanted to play.

With all that behind us we’ve been able to focus on player development and the 2023 squad has changed by a third as we’ve focussed more on recruiting than just internal development.

We’ve added a couple of coaches which is very exciting,” McNaughton said.

McNaughton revealed what the goals were last year and what was achieved.

“We wanted to educate and establish new standards across the board, and for the group to take ownership of those standards.

We wanted to increase our game day competitiveness and started the process of making sure everyone understood what that meant and what was required to achieve that.

It was great to get a few wins, especially for the players who’ve been at the club for some time, but also for the new and younger players.

Everyone gets a buzz from a win and it provides a lift for the whole program.

We were really close in several games and with just a little more composure could have ended up with a couple more wins,” he said.

South Fremantle has endured a high player turnover during the off season.

Lauren and Zoe Wakfer have been given an opportunity at AFLW level, while Poppy Stockwell has also departed, pursuing a career as an elite cricketer with the WACA.

On the flipside, the Bulldogs have welcomed several players from the Perth Football League, WAFLW players looking for a fresh start at a new club and several players returning from long term injuries, including Zoe Huggett.

From a coaching perspective, McNaughton has established a strong support cast.

Bethany Bond joins the club as the forwards coach after a highly successful career as a prolific goalkicker and multiple premiership winner in the South West.

Brisbane Lions premiership player Ash McGrath will provide specialist skills coaching.

McNaughton believes the Bulldogs can continue their upward trajectory.

“We were only a couple of wins out of finals last season.

That said I think we finished where we should have.

I have no idea how the other clubs are going at the moment, but I have no reason to believe we can’t take the next step.

We had 21 debutants in 2022, half of which were Rogers Cup eligible.

We have some genuinely talented youngsters returning from long-term injuries, some stronger bodied, ready-to-play recruits, and importantly a strong desire to keep improving,” he said.

South Fremantle plays Subiaco at Leederville Oval in Round 1 on Sunday March 12.