Posted: 2024-10-26 05:35:18

The Fremantle Dockers have consolidated their spot in the AFLW top eight with a comprehensive 30-point win over GWS at Henson Park.

The Dockers' Irish connection came through with a vengeance early on Saturday.

Former Meath Gaelic footballer Orlagh Lally snapped a great goal from deep in the left forward pocket while her Tipperary counterpart, Aisling McCarthy, booted two first-quarter goals to leave Fremantle in front by 15 points at the first change.

The Giants hit back in the second term, with Aliesha Newman kicking the team's second major after 90 seconds.

Then, after a couple of misses by Fremantle, the Giants struck again, with Newman kicking her second to close in on the visitors. However, the Dockers had the answers, with goals to Lally and Megan Kaufman extending the margin.

Fremantle's defence was holding, with a string of intercept marks chopping off GWS attacks.

The third quarter was more of a grind, with no scoring for the first eight minutes before the Dockers put it together in attack, kicking across the ground to find Ariana Hetherington who marked inside 50.

She went on to kick her first AFLW goal and was surrounded by celebrating teammates. GWS trailed by 25 points at the final change.

McCarthy made sure of things in the final term, getting the ball deep in the left forward pocket, dancing down the boundary line before stepping inside and snapping her third of the day.

Another Irish player, Sligo's Eilish O'Dowd, snapped a consolation goal from the pocket for the Giants late on, but the result was already clear.

The win, Fremantle's seventh of the season, keeps the Dockers firmly inside the top eight with a round left.

Power too strong for the Suns at Carrara

A group of Port Adelaide AFLW players celebrate on the ground after a win, pouring a drink over the head of a teammate.

Jo Miller (second right) was the centre of celebrations after she kicked two goals in the Power's AFLW win over Gold Coast at Carrara. (Getty Images: Chris Hyde)

Port Adelaide boosted their chances of making the eight with a win over Gold Coast at Carrara,

The Power only led by three points at quarter-time, but they went on to kick seven goals to three in the remainder of the game to clinch a comfortable victory by 8.10 (58) to 3.6 (24).

The visitors dominated at stoppage and with intercepts, and although both teams had almost identical numbers of inside 50s, the Power managed to create and convert a lot of chances from closer range.

Jo Miller and Gemma Houghton led the way with two goals each for Port Adelaide, while the Suns had no multiple goalkickers.

The win was the Power's sixth of the year, ensuring they will be in the eight going into next week's final round.

In Perth, it was time for another Irish player to star, as Aishling Moloney kicked six goals for Geelong as the Cats beat West Coast by 33 points, 9.2 (58) to 3.5 (23).

The game was level until about half-time — when Geelong held a two-point lead — before the Cats kicked away, adding 5.2 to no score in the second half. Geelong made play out of their ability to hit targets inside the arc, with eight marks inside 50 to just one for West Coast. 

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