G’day friends!
Those of you who’ve been reading this newsletter all season know we’re big fans of Freo NGA prospect Fin Yeo. Yesterday at the State Draft Combine, he put up some serious numbers to further build his case for selection.
Speaking of big physical efforts, shout-out to the WA Football media manager Jordan McArdle who peeled off a marathon at the Perth Running Festival in the morning then went straight to work at the combine to help bring us this information.
In today’s newsletter: Finals get tough for both WA AFLW sides, Turbo on track for AA selection and the highlights from the WA draft combine.
Let’s get stuck in.
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FREMANTLE AFLW
Kangaroos 9.4 (58) def Dockers 4.6 (30)
The Dockers are out of the top eight. They held pace with the best team in it for most of the game, but weren’t good enough to get them done. Few are - the Roos only recently broke a 32-game winning streak spanning nearly three years and including two flags.
In a tough loss, Kiara Bowers was typically tough for Freo. She had 32 disposals, eight clearances and eight tackles and looks an All-Australian lock.
Fremantle sit ninth with three games remaining. They face St Kilda (18th), Geelong (2nd) and Sydney (7th) on the run home.
WEST COAST AFLW
Power 3.8 (26) def Eagles 3.4 (22)
Port Adelaide controlled the air and stifled the Eagles late, denying them a fifth consecutive win. Finals are tough now, they are one of three teams sitting a game out of the eight, but their percentage (84.0) is a killer.
One of the biggest positives West Coast can take from this season is the emergence of Amy Franklin as their spearhead. She didn’t have the best day against the Power, but when they needed a goal late Franklin was the only player who looked like getting it done - she just had to come too far up the ground to help create the chances. She’s got 12 goals this season after only 21 across her previous five seasons in the AFLW. Maybe not the week to pump up her tyres, but I’m taking the opportunity anyway.
West Coast sit 11th with Geelong (2nd), Sydney (7th) and Hawthorn (8th) to come.
STATE DRAFT COMBINE
Finlay Yeo’s excellent year continued on Sunday when he broke the all-time AFL Draft Combine record in the agility test. His 7.533sec smashed the previous record of 7.70sec set by fellow Sandgroper Darcy Jones (aka GWS’ kid with the lid). Yeo’s 20m sprint effort (2.95sec) would also have landed him in the top 10 at the national combine. The Fremantle NGA prospect has been firmly on our radar since a breakout 24 disposals and 11 inside-50s in the midfield in round one of the colts. He had a handful of gamebreaking moments in the U18 champs. There’s not much of him, but he doesn’t shy away from contact and when he gets the ball, things happen. I just really like him as an impactful and creative forward-half player.
For the second year in a row, a Banfield won the State combine 2km. Last year it was Charlie, this year it was Harper. He finished just ahead of Perth mature-aged prospect Kane Johnston. Harper’s eligible as a father-son pick and played for West Coast’s WAFL side, but as we saw last year, that’s no guaratee he’ll end up there.
Another Eagles NGA, Garrison Kenh, put up some great times in the 20m sprint (2.931sec) and the vertical jump. He’s a fascinating case, he took time to get going this season but his best was really good. Was it enough for the Eagles to hit the button?
AFLW prospects Charli Bassett and Marie Polimeno both clocked PBs in the 1.6km time trial, clocking 5:52 and 5:54. Bassett in particular had an outstanding U18 champs playing on the ball.
That’s us all caught up.
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Catch you next week.