HoneyBadger35
Small, bitter, fascinatingly unimpressive.
- Aug 11, 2011
- 32,654
- 96,523
- AFL Club
- West Coast
- Moderator
- #1
The team:
One change, as Franklin comes in (against the team thatdidn't want her she didn’t want) for Lindgren. A huge chance for Frankie, who has started to tumble down the pecking order with the emergence of rookies Painter and Riggs, and the ever imposing physicality of Lakfer.
Just take the chance, Frankie. Hit it hard. Everything the light touches can be yours if you just hit it ****ing hard.
The history: It’s not important. One club embraced AFLW right out of the gate, and the other was loudly giddy about not being the canary down the mineshaft. Guess which one has flourished in derbies?
Last year’s clash ended with a 23-point Dockers victory, as the young Eagles slowed down late in Daisy’s promising first year. Now in year two of the club actually treating this program with a modicum of respect, it’s time to right some wrongs and get a derby win on the board.
The numbers: With a month of data at our disposal, and a common opponent from which to make comparisons, we can start to get a sense of what both teams are striving for. The uptick in smart ball use by hand, with the newfound confidence to chip the ball around at times, has seen the Eagles enjoy a much more assured and reliable system this year.
As we learned this week, the 2025 Eagles are not only one of the tallest teams to ever take the field, they also average the most contested marks of any team in league history.
Fremantle on the other hand are bottom four for marking numbers, even though they kick the ball quite a bit more than us. So what’s going on there?
Well, kick-mark it ain’t. The answer lies in the reliance on contested footy for Freo, versus a more balanced approached for Daisy’s girls.
While West Coast and Fremantle rank third and fourth respectively in contested footy, the drop off in uncontested ball use is stark. The Eagles sit eighth in uncontested possession, but Freo slump all the way down to 16th.
The clean use and spot up kicks haven’t been on the agenda for Freo this year, instead taking territory where they can and resetting through Mim Strom, who has attended more ruck contests this year than anyone else.
The clearance numbers back this up too; Freo rank second in the league versus a 14th rated Eagles unit.
It’s this clearance battle that will be pivotal, as territory is everything against a Freo side that struggles to go coast to coast, generates the second fewest inside 50s, and the fewest shots at goal of any side in the league (albeit against some reasonable opposition to start the year).
The handball from behind and overlap run simply hasn’t been there yet for Freo, evidenced by the kick-to-handball ratio against our common opponent. The Eagles went at 1.17 kicks for every handball against Port, but Freo sent it long at every chance, going at 1.75.
Hem them in, set up behind the ball with Thomas and co, and help ourselves to repeat entries. With the lack of forward efficiency being one of West Coast’s major Achilles heels again this year, pushing that dam wall to bursting point is going to be our best bet for a maiden derby win.
It’ll be a windy and rain soaked day at the shithole that is Fremantle Oval. I’m excited. Fire up campaigners.
One change, as Franklin comes in (against the team that
Just take the chance, Frankie. Hit it hard. Everything the light touches can be yours if you just hit it ****ing hard.
The history: It’s not important. One club embraced AFLW right out of the gate, and the other was loudly giddy about not being the canary down the mineshaft. Guess which one has flourished in derbies?
Last year’s clash ended with a 23-point Dockers victory, as the young Eagles slowed down late in Daisy’s promising first year. Now in year two of the club actually treating this program with a modicum of respect, it’s time to right some wrongs and get a derby win on the board.
The numbers: With a month of data at our disposal, and a common opponent from which to make comparisons, we can start to get a sense of what both teams are striving for. The uptick in smart ball use by hand, with the newfound confidence to chip the ball around at times, has seen the Eagles enjoy a much more assured and reliable system this year.
As we learned this week, the 2025 Eagles are not only one of the tallest teams to ever take the field, they also average the most contested marks of any team in league history.
Fremantle on the other hand are bottom four for marking numbers, even though they kick the ball quite a bit more than us. So what’s going on there?
Well, kick-mark it ain’t. The answer lies in the reliance on contested footy for Freo, versus a more balanced approached for Daisy’s girls.
While West Coast and Fremantle rank third and fourth respectively in contested footy, the drop off in uncontested ball use is stark. The Eagles sit eighth in uncontested possession, but Freo slump all the way down to 16th.
The clean use and spot up kicks haven’t been on the agenda for Freo this year, instead taking territory where they can and resetting through Mim Strom, who has attended more ruck contests this year than anyone else.
Just the 48 hitouts and one best on ground medal for Mim Strom last time we met.
The clearance numbers back this up too; Freo rank second in the league versus a 14th rated Eagles unit.
It’s this clearance battle that will be pivotal, as territory is everything against a Freo side that struggles to go coast to coast, generates the second fewest inside 50s, and the fewest shots at goal of any side in the league (albeit against some reasonable opposition to start the year).
The handball from behind and overlap run simply hasn’t been there yet for Freo, evidenced by the kick-to-handball ratio against our common opponent. The Eagles went at 1.17 kicks for every handball against Port, but Freo sent it long at every chance, going at 1.75.
Hem them in, set up behind the ball with Thomas and co, and help ourselves to repeat entries. With the lack of forward efficiency being one of West Coast’s major Achilles heels again this year, pushing that dam wall to bursting point is going to be our best bet for a maiden derby win.
It’ll be a windy and rain soaked day at the shithole that is Fremantle Oval. I’m excited. Fire up campaigners.
unfortunately I think the conditions will favour the purps style of play. Still reckon we can pull it off and finally get this Derby monkey off our backs 
