West Coast face one of the toughest assignments in the AFLW when they host unbeaten Melbourne at Mineral Resources Park on Sunday, with the Eagles still searching for their first win of the season.
The match, which begins at 3.05pm local time, will be played during Indigenous Round, with West Coast known as Waalitj Marawar and Melbourne as Narrm. The Demons have won their opening three matches and sit second on the ladder, behind only North Melbourne on percentage.
Melbourne’s impressive start continued last weekend when they defeated last season’s beaten grand finalists Brisbane by 56 points. They have also won the past three meetings with West Coast, including a 74-23 victory in round six last year.
West Coast make bold selection changes
Eagles coach Daisy Pearce, who captained Melbourne to an AFLW premiership before joining West Coast, said the Demons’ cohesion had become a defining strength.
“They’ve played a lot of footy together,” Pearce said. “Just how connected they are, whether it’s defensively or how quickly they all react to get dangerous offensively, I think it’s their great strength.”
West Coast were beaten by Adelaide last Saturday but produced a performance Pearce believes can provide a platform for the rest of the campaign.
“We got a bit more out of the game that looked like us and gave us a blueprint of what’s really important for us to get after,” she said.
“We really believe in the playing group that we’ve got, and we know that our best is competitive against anyone. 0-3 is not ideal, but the equation’s still the same. We’ve got an opportunity to knock one of those wins off this weekend.”
The Eagles have made three changes for the clash, with defender Georgie Cleaver among those omitted after finishing fourth in last season’s best and fairest count. Lisa Steane and Isabella Shannon have also been left out.
They are replaced by 2025 draftee Mia Russo, forward Kayla Dalgleish and utility Roxy Roux.
Narrm have recalled forwards Meg Mahony and Alyssia Pisano, with Mia Austin managed and ruck Lauren Pearce ruled out with a knee injury.
