WEST Coast has ended its Derby draught in stunning style, coming from behind to win its first ever AFLW clash against crosstown rival Fremantle by 12 points in a pulsating match at Sullivan Logistics Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Trailing by eight points early in the third term, West Coast booted the final three goals of the game in a fiery and physical clash, winning 5.9 (39) to 4.3 (27) and ending an eight-game losing streak against the Dockers.

EAGLES V DOCKERS Full match details and stats

Ella Roberts was the star with 22 disposals, 12 contested possession and a crucial running goal in the third quarter, winning her second AFLW Derby Medal and declaring the Eagles never needed to hear again that they hadn't won an AFLW Derby.      

Forward Amy Franklin was outstanding late, stepping up to boot the go-ahead goal early in the final quarter when she kept her feet in a contest and shrugged a tackle to snap accurately, before Keeley Skepper made sure of the result with a late goal.

Charlotte Riggs, Jess Rentsch and Zoe Wakfer were terrific for West Coast and stood up in big moments in a contested game, while Skepper booted two goals.

"Being a Derby and our first one (win) means a lot and it gives the girls a bit more belief and signs of their growth," West Coast coach Daisy Pearce said after the Eagles won their fourth consecutive game. 

"It wasn't perfect out there today and plenty of girls were under the weather, but to be able to grind out a win and win on the big stage like this when plenty of fans have turned out, it gives them another bit of evidence of how far we've come." 

It was a tough result for Fremantle, which lost former skipper Hayley Miller to injury early in the fourth quarter in her 100th game, the Dockers now slipping to 4-4 and sitting only percentage ahead of the Eagles, who squared their season. 

Gabby Newton (23 disposals and four inside 50s) stood a class above with her ball-use, while fellow midfielder Aisling McCarthy (28 and a goal) relished the contested conditions.

"We're definitely disappointed. We didn't absorb the pressure as well, we couldn't get the ball back on our terms, and some of the things we did were quite uncharacteristic," Fremantle coach Lisa Webb said.  

Rentsch set the standard early for West Coast with her tackling pressure and overall tenacity, allowing the Eagles to lock the ball in their front half and kick the opening goal through Kayla Dalgleish.

The Dockers then enjoyed their own extended period of ascendency and struck back through Noa McNaughton, but the West Coast landed a second goal just as the siren was about to sound for quarter-time when Skepper snapped accurately to give her team a seven-point lead.

The second term started with a string of missed opportunities for the Eagles, who didn't take full advantage of their dominance before Fremantle kicked into gear and landed back-to-back goals through Matilda Banfield and Orlagh Lally, taking a four-point lead into half-time.

Both teams ramped up their pressure in the third as the game went up a notch, with crunching tackles and goal-saving defensive efforts typifying the term as players put their bodies on the line.

Charlotte Riggs took a brilliant contested mark at half-back, while Aisling McCarthy and Ella Roberts kicked goals to ensure the margin was held to two points and setting up the thrilling finish as West Coast secured a win to remember.  

Roberts lifts for the occasion
Ella Roberts was already an AFLW Derby medallist after winning in the Eagles' losing Derby of 2023, but now she has a winning medal to celebrate after standing tall when the game was on the line. While Skepper sealed the victory with her late goal, it was Roberts who helped surge the ball forward with her will to win the footy and classy hands. Her clearance impact was down, but Roberts impacted with her physicality and ball-use, earning the maximum votes from two of the three judges and polling eight to win the Derby Medal from Mim Strom (four votes), and Megan Kauffman (three). She joined four-time winner Bowers as the only multiple winner of the AFLW Derby Medal. 

Next up
The Eagles hit the road to take on Port Adelaide at Alberton Oval next Saturday, having won their most recent clash against the Power last season by 19 points. Freo will also travel, taking on North Melbourne at Arden Street Oval next Sunday. The Dockers last beat the Roos in 2022.

WEST COAST     1.1   2.5   3.7   5.9 (39)
FREMANTLE       2.2   3.3   4.3   4.3 (27)

GOALS
West Coast: Skepper 2, Dalgleish, Franklin, Roberts
Fremantle: Banfield, Lally, McCarthy, McNaughton  

BEST
West Coast: Roberts, Riggs, Z.Wakfer, Rentsch, Franklin, Skepper  
Fremantle: Newton, Strom, Kauffman, McCarthy, Bowers, Banfield,   

INJURIES
West Coast: Russo (hamstring)
Fremantle: Miller (Corked leg)

Crowd: 5,711 at Sullivan Logistics Stadium