- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Opinion
Peel Thunder have won the 2021 WAFL Women’s grand final, defeating Swan Districts by 21 points at Rushton Park on Sunday.
The grand final, which – due to Western Australia’s recent COVID-19 lockdown – took place a week later than originally planned, attracted a vocal Mandurah crowd that cheered Peel on to its second premiership in as many years.
Peel entered the season as the league’s reigning premier and, after recording two losses in the first five rounds, found form at the business end of the season to overcome a Swan Districts side that began its 2021 campaign with 13 consecutive wins. The Swans, on their way to the minor premiership, registered their only blemish of the regular season – another 21-point loss to Peel – in Round 14.
The two sides met again in the first week of finals, with Peel prevailing to advance to the grand final. Swan Districts qualified for the decider with an impressive 38-point win over Subiaco in the preliminary final.
Peel struck the first blow of the grand final when Kate Bartlett, held without the ball, received a free kick in the goal square and successfully converted the ensuing set shot early in the first quarter.
Swan Districts’ attempts to respond in kind were continually thwarted either by Peel’s impassable defence or by a meddlesome breeze that for much of the game caused shots at goal to drift to the right at one end of the ground. The away team’s frustration was compounded by a Kira Phillips goal that increased the Thunder’s lead to 11 points at the first break.
Goalless after one quarter, the Swans found their first major of the match early in the second term, when Bianca Webb capitalised on a 50-metre penalty to reduce the deficit.
The strong breeze that had vexed Swan Districts in the first quarter was now troubling the Peel forwards, who failed to add a goal to their tally in the second quarter despite generating opportunities aplenty. In the third term a second goal from Peel key forward Kate Bartlett gave the home side a commanding 14-point lead before a Mikayla Hide toe-poke goal cut the margin to seven points at the final change.
A free kick inside the Thunder’s forward 50 during the last quarter presented another opportunity for Peel to extend its lead. Kira Phillips made no mistake, slotting it straight through the middle.
Trailing by 13 points, with the ball stuck in their defensive half, the Swans’ premiership hopes were slipping away, but Peel wasted chances to put the final nail in the coffin. A strong contested mark from Kira Phillips and a holding the ball free kick earnt by Kate Bartlett each resulted in a behind, taking the margin to 15 points in favour of the Thunder.
As the clock ticked down, however, a Peel victory became inescapable. In the final moments of the grand final a powerful snap kick from Kira Phillips delivered the icing on the cake, her third goal of the game extending the margin to 21 points. Peel Thunder had defeated Swan Districts 36-15 to secure back-to-back premierships.
Peel Thunder star Sabreena Duffy, of Fremantle AFLW fame, was awarded the Lou Knitter Medal for best on ground before coach Steve Markham and captain Cassie Davidson lifted the trophy.
It was a devastating loss for Swan Districts. Such was the side’s dominance in the home-and-away season that they had scored more than twice as many points as it had conceded, yet they faltered in the finals series. Swans captain Emily McGuire congratulated Peel on their victory and promised that her team would “keep building” as it continues to hunt for its first WAFLW premiership.
The WAFLW grand final wasn’t the only state league grand final to take place on Sunday. In the QAFL Women’s Grand Final, University of Queensland claimed the premiership with a victory over Bond University.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.