Got some things to say about this.
The first half was competitive and tough. it's a final after all. In Q1 I felt the Suns ruck was on top and they got a fair bit of ball and made some plays. Q2 Strom and the mids started to even it up but still very competitive. Freo far too strong in the end, and Suns fell away.
Really exciting to watch but I am starting to wince at some of the hits. It's ferocious. The women's game at this level is very physical and fast, as the ball doesn't travel as far and you have to think and act double-quick. There are stand-out players you watch for though. Gabby O'Sullivan is sometimes well held, but got off the leash yesterday and what a footballer she is.
Some praise for our bookends who also tend to get overlooked. In the past I felt Evie Gooch got beaten by bigger opponents, but now with tall defenders alongside, oozes class and settles the backline with flawless reading of the play, taking good options to run the ball out cleanly and set up the next counter-attack. Nothing showy about Evie, just love her silky work and when she was injured a few games back we got scored against heavily.
Similarly Gemma H. gets a bit of stick here. Actually I find her play utterly enthralling, a b**y Force of Nature, every game. Energetic strong and quick (Fyfe-like), she is a nightmare to defend against and perfectly suited to ALFW. She plays with a sure footballer's instinct: always positions where the ball is going up forward, takes 2 defenders, and can run all day, often right back to provide an outlet for defenders. Usually involved in Freo's goals, she wears her heart on her sleeve and has had a simply brilliant year, and anyone criticizing her occasional miskicks should see that set shot from the pocket 30m out with the eye of a needle to aim at. Perfect kick, straight through. For me, we are a much less watchable without Gemma and she has been best and fairest for me in a close race with many others (Duffy, Bowers, Strom, Miller, Gooch,..).
So, while at any moment both AFLW and AFL could be shut down, this is definitely Fremantle's year. The ladies team are unrecognisable from the grandfinal defeat by Adelaide 2 years back and no other team comes close to what we saw yesterday.
How did this happen? It's been a surprise that we have improved so massively after the exodus of all those players to WC. Actually I didn't mind some, after that GF defeat, we needed new rucks that could step up and compete with the best, a change that has brought in Strom and Roux and bolstered our excellent midfield. I felt he only player you'd really go to lengths to keep might have been Dana Hooker, but from her commentating she seems content to enjoy the success of her old team. All's well that ends well ... aha ha ha!