AFLW: All the latest news from Fremantle and West Coast

ELIZA REILLY brings you up to speed with the latest AFLW news out of Western Australia as Fremantle navigates Aine Tighe’s season-ending injury and a young Eagle waits for a call on when she can return.

The cruel irony of Aine Tighe’s season-ending ACL injury is that the Dockers have been actively trying to find more avenues to goal.

Now, they have no choice but to.

“We can’t just go to Aine every time,” midfielder Hayley Miller eerily told media last week. “She’s a fantastic player but we’ve been working on how when she’s got two or three players on her, where is the next opportunity.”

Tighe, 32, crashed to the turf after changing direction in the first quarter against Melbourne. It was hard to imagine the mechanism being anything other than a dreaded knee injury and scans over the weekend confirmed Fremantle’s worst fears.

Tighe has previously suffered two ACLs in her left knee as a result of jumping and twisting. This is the first to her right and you’d imagine the question will be asked about whether football is for her now that she’ll have to rehab another serious knee injury on the wrong side of 30.

When Tighe missed two full seasons recovering from her previous knee injuries, the Dockers didn’t know what they were missing.

Aine Tighe was injured in the first quarter against Melbourne. Pic: Fremantle FC

Sure there was excitement about Tighe’s athleticism and ability from those who’d seen her at training. But this will be Fremantle’s first extended look at life without their star Irishwoman.

Tighe is what Josh Treacy was to Fremantle’s AFL team this year. You can judge a player’s importance on how their team fares when they’re absent.

The Dockers lost three straight and tumbled out of finals after Treacy suffered a knee injury. Tighe missed the last two games last season with knee soreness and the Dockers lost both although they only won four for the year.

Fremantle has done well to cover for the loss of inactive pair Kiara Bowers (pregnancy) and Ange Stannett (ACL) so far this season. But without Tighe, the Dockers will have to navigate the rest of the year without their three most important players.

Tighe has been Fremantle’s No. 1 target going inside 50 so far this season. The Dockers had looked for the key forward 15 times in three games before she was injured in the first three minutes of Sunday’s win.

Laura Pugh (11 times), Ebony Antonio (9), Miller (7) and Airlie Runnalls (5) round out the top five.

Before her injury, Tighe had averaged 10.3 disposals, 2.3 shots at goal, 1.3 goals, 4.3 marks, and 3.3 score involvements in a game. She was on track to top Fremantle’s goal kicking tally for the third straight season and she may have even been destined for higher honours like All-Australian selection and best and fairest.

The Dockers are already missing Ange Stannett. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Tighe’s absence gives the Dockers the opportunity to do some different things.

Fremantle’s 18-point turnaround in the final quarter against Melbourne is the second-biggest comeback we’ve seen in the AFLW and it was largely because the Dockers had no choice but to attack directly and with speed.

Up stepped recruit Gabby Biedenweg-Webster and veteran Gabby O’Sullivan. Biedenweg-Webster has shown promise aerially but got the comeback underway from a free kick for high contact. O’Sullivan has now returned to a midfield/forward line role, where she’s played her best football, after starting the season at halfback.

Antonio levelled the scores after kicking a goal from a free kick for an arm chop. She’s been an incredible servant for the Dockers and boasts an unmatched highlights reel but it’s understood she’s still battling a persistent knee issue, making her not the same player she once was.

if a clutch match winner is what you need, enter @aish_mac 🔥 #foreverfreopic.twitter.com/8Zhnat9axy

— Fremantle Dockers AFLW (@freodockersAFLW) September 23, 2024

Former No. 1 draft pick Gabby Newton looks more at home in the midfield and behind the ball so it makes sense to leave her there despite the fact she’s played up forward in the past.

And Pugh appeals more as a defender even though Fremantle has attempted to play her in attack this season.

Where Fremantle’s goals are going to come from this season is anyone’s guess. However, the forced flexibility could be a blessing in disguise if and when Tighe returns next season.

Bowers won an AFLW best and fairest after overcoming three ACL tears. Tighe might just have the talent to do the same.

YOUNG EAGLE IN LIMBO AFTER PRE-SEASON CONCUSSION BLOW

Young Eagle Emily Elkington is waiting for the AFL to make a call on when she can return to play after suffering a concussion during a pre-season practice match.

Elkington, 19, entered concussion protocols after suffering a head knock in a Nicola Stevens tackle on August 16. Elkington was forced to come from the ground in the arms of two trainers and looked unsteady on her feet.

Stevens escaped suspension for the tackle but Elkington hasn’t played since. The Claremont product has already suffered several concussions throughout her short career, missing three games last season after a head knock.

It’s understood that the AFL has been managing her return to play but there is some doubt around whether she’ll be cleared to take to the field again this season. The Eagles don’t expect Elkington’s concussion to be career-ending despite several AFL players being forced to retire in recent years.

Welcome to the West, Emily Elkington! pic.twitter.com/ZSSpGl9iQQ

— West Coast Eagles (@WestCoastEagles) June 29, 2022

Elkington has been able to return to elements of training in a non-contact capacity. The forward has been listed as ‘TBC’ on West Coast’s injury list since sustaining the injury.

It comes as Sophie McDonald entered concussion protocols after Sunday’s loss to Brisbane. The key defender was playing her first game for the season after overcoming a pre-season concussion and wrist injury when she failed a head injury assessment.

McDonald’s return was delayed when she had a few setbacks early in the concussion protocol but now she faces another stint on the sidelines.

Emily Elkington on the ground for a long time after this tackle from Nic Stevens.

Walked with help from the ground by two Eagles trainers + looked groggy. pic.twitter.com/OakRumPMXC

— Paddy Grindlay (@pad_nauseum) August 16, 2024

First-year defender/midfielder Jess Rentsch also ended the fourth quarter on the bench due to a corked thigh while Zoe Wakfer was assessed for an ankle/knee concern after a tackle.

The Eagles were forced to name two train-on players as emergencies against Brisbane due to the club’s lengthy injury list. West Coast has now completed it’s compressed fixture block and will enj0y a full week to prepare for its clash against GWS on Sunday.

Coach Daisy Pearce expects Abbygail Bushby (abductor) and Roxy Roux (hand) to be available to face the Giants. Sasha Goranova is a chance to play as she recovers from a hamstring injury.

‘JUST NEED A POINT:’ MCCARTHY’S ONE FEAR BEFORE DECISIVE KICK

After the siren hero Aisling McCarthy revealed that her biggest fear was moving off the mark, not accuracy against Melbourne.

The Dockers midfielder won a free kick for holding the ball with around 15 seconds to play against the Demons. Scores were level at 41 apiece as McCarthy lined up from the left forward pocket, meaning that any score would do in Fremantle’s pursuit of victory.

McCarthy’s goal put the Dockers ahead for the first time all afternoon, capping a remarkable come-from-behind victory after Fremantle trailed by 18 points at the final break.

Now, McCarthy has given insight into what was going through her head as she lined up for goal, including an awareness of her natural Irish kicking arc.

“When we got the free kick, (Ash) Braz came up to me and said ‘We just need a point,’” McCarthy said. “Obviously when the siren went, that added a bit of pressure and I knew I had to stay on my line and not play on.

Fremantle’s after-the-siren hero Aisling McCarthy takes a selfie with fans. Picture: Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“But I knew that if I least got a point, we were going to win which actually took away the pressure. I was lucky to hit it nicely and it went through for a goal. I was just happy that I could take my moment when I got it.

“We practice that day in, day out at training. I just put my head down and went through my routine. The minute the ball left my boot, I knew it was going through so everyone came and swarmed me. It’s a team game but everyone has a moment and I’m glad I was able to take mine for the team.

“Across my footy career, I haven’t really experienced a win like that. To be part of today is amazing.”

McCarthy said that the win would give the Dockers confidence that they are never out of the contest, no matter what the scoreboard says.

“When we put the pressure on and got those repeat injuries, we felt like something was going to happen,” she said. “I think that knowing when the game is on the line we can dig deep and win, is important.

“You need to learn how to win and today we definitely did. If we’re ever in a similar scenario, we’ll have that belief. We’ve been there a few times this year.”

Aisling McCarthy competes with Megan Fitzsimon. Picture: Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images

The victory was also symbolic of Fremantle’s ‘grit’ trademark, a word McCarthy had written on her wrist tape.

“When things aren’t going your way out there, I always revert to that want and tackle pressure and the things that I can control,” she said. “It’s a reminder to dig deep and I think we did that in the fourth quarter.”

The season-defining victory was soured by a knee injury to Aine Tighe. The star forward went down in the first quarter with an injury to her right knee, having already suffered two ACL ruptures to her left.

A fellow Irishwoman, McCarthy is hoping for the best.

“She’s an amazing player for us and an even better person,” she said. “She’s such a leader.

“We just had to dig deep for her and bring a bit of what she brings and I think we did that. Hopefully, it’s nothing too serious but no matter what it is, we’ll all be behind her.”

McCarthy is confident of seeing out the season after being a late withdrawal from Fremantle’s win over Port Adelaide with knee soreness.

“It happened in the first quarter of the Adelaide game,” she said “I pulled up sore and did everything I could to get up for last week’s game but unfortunately I couldn’t.

“The work I did last week allowed me to be ready to go this week. I’ll probably be a bit sore again after that though. Not playing last week was the right call and hopefully, it’ll settle down more now in the next few weeks.”

Originally published as AFLW: All the latest news from Fremantle and West Coast