The Peel Thunderbirds’ season and a spot in the WA Women’s Football League grand final will be on the line when they clash with the Subiaco Titans in a preliminary final at South Fremantle Oval this Sunday.
Peel will enter the game looking to bounce back after being soundly beaten by East Fremantle in the opening round of the post-season last weekend, with everything to play for in the win-or-go-home battle.
The Thunderbirds were overwhelmed by a powerful Sharks line-up last week, but head coach Mark Fenton said his side had “learned a serious lesson” about the intensity of finals football, and would be better for it this weekend.
“We had very few players with finals experience in our team and we know that showed a bit,” he said.
“Our mindset was probably what you’d look for heading into a regular game – physically we were in good shape but we seemed a bit unprepared mentally.
“I think all that has changed in the wake of the game. We got taught a lesson in the kind of intensity you need to bring to a finals game and we’ll bring that this weekend.”
A win would assure Peel their spot in the season’s final game, but standing in their way is a Subiaco side that’s won their last four games.
It’s an outfit filled with talents like AFL Women’s star Lara Filocamo, Amy Lavell, Hayley Miller and Courtney Stubbs.
Fenton said his side would need to focus on finding the contested ball and winning their individual battles around the ground.
“We’ll look to take a man-on-man approach for a lot of the game, and if we can win 13 or 14 of those one-on-one match-ups then we’re in a good spot to take the game,” he said.
“Upping our anti to that finals intensity means we’ll need to be a bit more physical and fight for the contested ball.”
The game will be played at South Fremantle Oval – despite Peel finishing the season in second and earning home advantage – due to a clash of fixtures at Mandurah’s Bendigo Bank Stadium.
Bounce down is scheduled for Sunday, 2pm.
Meanwhile the Thunderbirds’ reserves will take on East Fremantle looking for a spot in the grand final, while the youth girls get to enjoy a bye week after winning their way to an early grand final berth.