West Coast AFLW coach Daisy Pearce says any team is gettable, including undefeated North Melbourne, as the Eagles enter the final month of the season chasing a maiden finals berth.
“How many teams have we described over the history of footy and sport that are unbeatable until they are?” Pearce said ahead of Saturday’s crunch game against another historical powerhouse, Adelaide, at Norwood Oval.
“They [North Melbourne] are playing some incredible footy. It’s awesome to see the evolution of the game, and you see that when you watch them play. But you know, the hunters below them are always looking for ways to beat them. So I wouldn’t rule it out. It’s not theirs until they’ve got their hands on it. And I’m sure that’s what all the teams that make finals will be thinking.”
The Eagles and Crows currently sit sixth and seventh on the ladder, both holding 5-3 win-loss records and similar percentages. West Coast is coming off successive record score victories over GWS and Collingwood at home, while the Crows are desperate to atone for a shock loss to bottom-of-the-table Richmond.
“We expect them to come out pretty fierce, and they’ll respond given the competitors that they are,” Pearce said. “They’ve got some incredible players. They have had success because they’ve been able to manage weeks like they probably had last week and bounce back quickly.”
In preparation for the upcoming match, the Eagles have adjusted the dimensions of their training ground to mimic Norwood Oval, the skinniest of the AFLW venues, measuring 164 meters long and 109 meters from the widest points of the boundary.
“We’re starting to get used to that, and then talking through some of the slight tweaks that it means with your strategy. We’ll get out and have a look at it in our captains run when we get over to Adelaide as well,” Pearce explained.
“It is a bit unique with how narrow it is. And yeah, it’s just one of those challenges. But I think again, that’s been a part of the growth of our team—our ability to adapt to different things that different games throw at us and different opposition.”
Defender and co-captain Charlie Thomas and exciting forward Roxy Roux will both play their 50th games on the road in Fremantle’s pride jumpers. Roux returns from illness, replacing gun youngster Courtney Rowley, who suffered a second ACL rupture in the Eagles’ win over the Magpies.
“It’s amazing to think Charlie hasn’t missed a game,” Pearce said. “The consistency with which she plays at such a young age is awesome, and now taking on leadership duties, she just hasn’t taken a backward step.”
https://thewest.com.au/sport/west-coast-eagles/bullish-west-coast-aflw-coach-daisy-pearce-says-any-team-is-gettable-as-eagles-eye-finals-berth-c-20279823
