Fremantle’s quest for a perfect season will be put to the test next weekend when they take on Melbourne in a blockbuster AFLW clash in Perth.
The Dockers posted their sixth straight win of the season when they came from 17 points down in the third quarter to post a 15-point win over the Bulldogs on Sunday.
Fremantle lead Conference B with a perfect 6-0 record, but they are set to face a huge challenge against Melbourne next Sunday.
The Demons (4-2) are in third spot in the same conference, and just percentage ahead of Collingwood after losing to Carlton on Saturday.
Only the top three teams in each conference qualify for the finals.
“They’re a good side, they’ve always just fallen short of finals when they probably expected to (make them) – so they’ll have a lot of motivation to do it,” Fremantle coach Trent Cooper said of Melbourne.
“It would be a cracking game at Freo Oval – hopefully it goes ahead, really looking forward to that
“We had a really good game against them at Casey Fields last year – it was a cracking standard of a game.”
By that “hopefully” comment, Cooper is referring to the dramatic impact the coronavirus has had on world sport.
Some sports have either cancelled their season or postponed games.
Most of round six of the AFLW was played under lockout conditions, and there’s some doubt as to whether next round can even go ahead.
There’s even some talk the AFLW might cut the final two rounds and go straight to a grand final next week – in which Fremantle and North Melbourne would qualify given they currently sit on top of their conferences.
But for the moment that’s speculation, and Cooper is bracing his players for a tough challenge against the Demons.
Gold Coast also kept their slim finals hopes alive with a comprehensive 25-point win over West Coast.
The Eagles’ only goal of the 5.3 (33) to 1.2 (8) loss came midway through the final quarter.
GWS soared to second spot in Conference A with a five-point win over Adelaide.
Expansion club Richmond created unwanted history on Saturday with the lowest ever score in AFLW.
The Tigers posted just 0.3 (3) in their 39-point loss to St Kilda.
Brisbane’s bid for finals action is a tad shaky following their 29-point loss to the Magpies.
The Lions have now lost two straight games to slip to third in their conference, with Gold Coast now just one win and percentage adrift.
Brisbane have the chance to ease the pressure on themselves when they take on the winless Tigers on Friday night.
