AFLW: Eagles secure historic finals berth

The West Coast Eagles have solidified their spot in the AFLW finals for the first time since entering the League as an expansion team in 2020.

After falling to Carlton on Friday night by 20 points, the Eagles were relying on Essendon to produce an almighty upset victory over the Swans on Saturday – and they miraculously did.

Following the final match of the round, where only a draw between Fremantle and Adelaide could have derailed the Eagles’ celebrations, West Coast finished eighth on the ladder, locking in a maiden finals campaign for the blue and gold.

In just her second season at the helm, senior coach Daisy Pearce highlighted the unusual experience and the anxious wait for the players, coaches and the entire Eagles community.

“It’s been a weird experience having to watch and wait, but we’ve been able to enjoy it and see the light side of it now,” Pearce said.

“It would have been ideal to lock it away on Friday, but Carlton took their opportunities and handled our pressure better than we did in key patches of the game.

“But I’m just feeling proud of the group for the way they’ve competed so consistently.

“There’s a bit of a narrative that we ‘got lucky’, but we’ve been in the top eight for majority of the season, and we’ve earnt this opportunity.

“Our healthy percentage reiterates what we said all year, that it’s so important to play our way, value our pressure and defence and keep competing no matter what the scoreboard says.”

No stranger to finals herself as a player, winning a Premiership as Melbourne’s captain, Pearce said making finals in her new role as senior coach still feels very similar.

“It doesn’t feel much different, if anything I’m just happy for players like ‘Hooks’ (Dana Hooker), ‘Swanny’ (Emma Swanson) and ‘B Smith’ (Belinda Smith) who now get this opportunity,” Pearce said.

“And Michelle Cowan, who has been here since the beginning and has been such a passionate leader of this team and program.”

West Coast have delivered an exciting and impressive brand of football this season, and Pearce said the group’s progress is a result of hard work and investment into the program.

“We know we still have work to do but we are all proud of the team’s progress,” Pearce said.

“It’s come off the back of hard work, genuine buy-in to all facets of what being an athlete entails and developing our player leadership, which has helped to drive our standards.

“Another big thing has been the investment the club has made in our program over the past two years.

“We’ve bolstered resources in key areas and added some key roles to an equally hard-working group if coaches and staff who go above and beyond to help the players be the best they can be.

“It’s been a whole club investment – I get way too much credit!”

This has been the most successful Eagles’ season to date, winning six out of 12 games, and Pearce said the team will carry a ‘business as usual’ mindset into the week ahead.

“It will be business as usual this week, we’ve placed a strong emphasis on getting after it and competing hard at training and not just waiting for game day,” Pearce said.

“We won’t miss the opportunity to try and improve and take some key learnings out of Friday night’s game, it’s going to be unique in that our first final will be a Carlton rematch, so it’s particularly relevant.

“In saying that, we will also encourage the players to enjoy the week and the excitement that comes with travelling to play in a final, we won’t miss that opportunity either!”

The Eagles will take on Carlton in an elimination final on Saturday 8 November at IKON Park, bouncedown from 12:05pm WST.

Click here to read article