Fremantle preserved their unbeaten AFLW run with a tense one-point win against luckless St Kilda at RESA Park on Sunday afternoon.
With scores level heading into the last minute, Docker Gemma Houghton was off-line with a long shot on the run. But the miss was good enough to hand the Dockers the 3.6 (24) to 3.5 (23) victory.
Saint Molly McDonald was in tears after the game, playing the hero and villain in the thrilling last quarter.
McDonald put the Saints in a seemingly command position with a goal from a quick left foot snap early in the term.
But she conceded a 50m penalty by not handing back the ball after a free kick and the brain-fade infringement pulled Docker Kate Flood almost to the goalline to level the scores with 1.40 left on the clock.
It was double pain for St Kilda after losing forward Kate McCarthy to an ankle injury in the third quarter after teammate Tarni White became another suspected ACL victim in the opening minutes of the contest.
McCarthy had the left leg accidentally folded under her body weight after being tackled as she kicked on the run midway through the third quarter.
She writhed in pain on the turf, clutching the left leg and eventually limped to the interchange bench between trainers to also take no further part in the match.
St Kilda’s midfield set up was disrupted early with White’s mishap. The Saints onballer twisted her left knee while tackling an opponent early in the opening term.
She was helped off by two trainers in extreme pain, unable to put any weight on the left leg and she took no further part in the game.
If the early medical diagnosis is correct, it’s cruel luck for the Queenslander who was forced to miss the 2018 AFLW draft after a similar serious knee injury during that season in her local league.