Honour Board

frOm The AFLW Coach

TRENT COOPER

As an AFLW coach, you get a long time to think about what went wrong after a season that didn’t end the way you wanted it to.

The coaching team has identified quite a few areas that we want to improve on and we’re now in the middle of a big training block. We’re working on the things we think can help us start games better, while working through problems that other teams will throw at us.

To the players’ credit, they’ve returned in really good condition and we had a lot of personal bests in the time trial, meaning we could get straight into the footy.

We’ve changed the way training looks this year. There is a lot more competitive work and constraints-based training to make things difficult and uncomfortable on the track, which the players have to work through and then solve problems on the run. One of our biggest improvement areas from last season is to be able to do that in games, and to the girls’ credit, they’re really responding to those challenges well.

We are addressing our starts by having really high intensity at the start of training. We’ve previously built into sessions and have the higher intensity drills at the end of training but we’ve flipped that on its head this year to make sure we’re ready to go as soon as the ball bounces.

There’s also the aim to be more flexible and a bit more unpredictable to the opposition. We’re looking to a few different players who can go through the midfield at stages, including Phil Seth and Gabby O’Sullivan, while using our midfielders in the forward line a little bit more. Both Kiara Bowers and Hayley Miller could be real threats if they play in that traditional resting forward role, not that Kiara rests too much wherever she goes!

At the draft we brought in versatile key position player Amy Franklin at no.14, midfielder Dana East at no.31, small forward Makaela Tuhakaraina at no.38, outside midfielder Airlie Runnalls at no.44, midfielder/defender Jess Low at no.52 and forward/ruck Sarah Wielstra at no.57. We do a lot of interviews as part of our due diligence and we’re confident we are bringing in good characters, plus our draftees have exceeded expectations in how quickly they’ve fit in and the work ethic they have all displayed.

There’s also two ‘virtual’ new recruits to look out for in Aine Tighe and Ann McMahon. Both have had a tough two years on the list without playing games due to injury.

Ann’s fully fit and ran a personal best in the 2km time trial, which is amazing considering what she’s been through and she can’t be doing any more to put her hand up.

Aine is tracking to be well and truly fit by round one, we’re just excited watching her move around the park. The commitment and sacrifices that she’s had to make over two years to be in this position have been phenomenal and she deserves her opportunity, and hopefully that will come in round one.

We’ve been building on our coaching group and we’ve strengthened that with the additions of Daniel Haines and Jay van Berlo, two names that will be familiar to long-term Freo fans.

It’s a bonus to bring two past AFL players back into the Club. Daniel’s going to work in the midfield and he has a wealth of experience in football, is an experienced footy coach and has been involved in the female pathway.

Jay’s shown great leadership throughout his playing career and he’s worked with our NGA program as a coach. He’s already made a big impact with the whole group, particularly the forwards he is looking after next season.

After another Covid-interrupted season, we hope that Season Six will be a bit more predictable as vaccination rates increase and borders open.

We know the challenges of having semiprofessional athletes go on the road, but we think we’re more prepared for that this season, particularly with the likelihood we’ll get a bit more notice if that is the case. The past two years have been challenging in that regard and the work of Kara Antonio and her leadership team has been invaluable in guiding the players through uncertain times and we can’t thank them enough for their efforts.

As a group, we were a little disappointed with how our season finished but that doesn’t take anything away from the years that Kiara and Janelle Cuthbertson had in 2021.

Janelle was in just her second year of football in 2021 and to be named an All Australian defender was a remarkable achievement. To be the league’s premier intercept defender while battling a serious injury for half of the season not only showed her ability, but her strength and resilience and we all congratulate her on her well-deserved honour.

Not enough can be said about Kiara Bowers’ career to date, especially her 2021 season where she tied for the AFLW Best and Fairest, was All-Australian and won her third straight Club Fairest and Best. She was the number one tackling player and the number one clearance player in the competition in another remarkable season.

What we’ve learnt from the past two years is how much the support we receive from our members and supporters means to everyone, especially after having fans locked out of our final in 2020 and an RAC Derby in 2021.

We’re really hopeful that next year, you can attend all our games and bring the support that really makes a difference to us. We can’t wait to see you all back out at Fremantle Oval for Season Six.

WHAT WE’VE LEARNT FROM THE PAST TWO YEARS IS HOW MUCH THE SUPPORT WE RECEIVE FROM OUR MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS MEANS TO EVERYONE.

frOm The AFLW Captain

KARA ANTONIO

We started the 2021 season full of confidence. We believed in our list and the game plan and we started the season really well, extending our seven-game winning run from 2020 to 11 games in 2021.

But when we lost against the eventual premiers in Brisbane halfway through the season, it felt like we plateaued, and the other teams got better and went past us.

After a fair bit of time to reflect on the season just gone, we’re still really confident in the list that we’ve got moving forward. We’ve got a young group compared to the rest of the AFLW Competition and there is plenty of growth that can come from this pre-season.

Several players went back to the WAFLW and got some extra minutes in the legs and some more time with the footy in hand.

Personally, I competed in a corporate boxing match in the off-season, which in a way was a great off-season motivator as it kept me fit and challenged me mentally while still having a chance to refresh away from footy ahead of the season.

On night one of pre-season we all came together again and met the new draftees. The energy in the room was contagious, everyone was happy and excited to be back around the group.

In season, you spend so much time together as a group and when the season ends, you really miss that camaraderie. It’s been nice to have everyone together as we really enjoy each other’s company, we’re really tight knit. The banter is high, and we like to have a bit of a laugh and have fun.

Our pre-season has seen girls running PBs and lifting PBs in the gym, they’ve done the work and learnt that we have to get better as a collective. 2021 was my fifth season as captain and it’s been great to see our emerging leaders coming through, such as Ange Stannett, Stephanie Cain, Hayley Miller and Phil Seth.

I have no doubt that there will be others that pop up through the year, but it’s been incredible to see the growth in these four players in particular, and it shows how much of an exciting time it is at Fremantle right now.

A lot of our success in the last handful of seasons can be attributed to Trent Cooper leading the way with Kate Starre in High Performance. It really is setting the foundation for the next handful of years.

Reflecting on the past five AFLW seasons it feels like they’ve all combined into one! We’ve come a long way with the facilities we’re in now, the program we’ve built and the resources around us. We’re very lucky and fortunate to be in the positions we are.

It’s a really exciting time to be at the football Club and to be on the list. We’ve done a lot of hard work with plenty more needed.

What makes me proudest to be a Fremantle player is the culture we’ve built. As a collective, we demand excellence and accountability, but we also prioritise having fun and enjoying our time together.

We can’t wait to keep growing and improving, and make you proud in 2022.