WAFLW Team of the Week – Round 7Tuesday, April 25, 2023 - 8:12 PM - by Chris Pike

THERE is Subiaco sisters included in the WAFLW Team of the Week for Round 7 while South Fremantle's basketball turned football ruck star shone again in a historic derby win after a fascinating weekend of action.

It was a terrific weekend of action in the WAFLW competition to commemorate ANZAC Day with South Fremantle winning a derby for the first time, Subiaco continuing to impress, Claremont staying undefeated and Swan Districts stringing consecutive wins together.

On the back of the four matches across Friday, Saturday and Sunday, there were no shortage of players once again putting their hands up for spots in the WAFLW Team of the Week for Round 7.

It all got underway on Friday night at Leederville Oval with Swan Districts making it back-to-back wins by defeating East Perth 15.11 (101) to 2.0 (12).

The round continued on Saturday afternoon at Mandurah's Lane Group Stadium and it was Subiaco who returned to the top four on the back of an impressive 8.12 (60) to 2.1 (13) victory against Peel Thunder.

Then on Saturday evening, South Fremantle shot back into second position on the ladder with a first ever derby win against East Fremantle on the back of a tremendous second half, winning 5.4 (34) to 4.5 (29) at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

The round wrapped up on Sunday afternoon at Joondalup's Pentanet Stadium with the reigning premiers Claremont keeping its undefeated record intact by beating West Perth 6.7 (43) to 1.1 (7).

There were once again plenty of star performances across the four games and here's how the Round 7 Team of the Week came together.

WAFLW TEAM OF THE WEEK – ROUND 7

BACK: Hali Epis (S), Greta McKinley (PT)
HALF-BACK: Hanna Dethlefsen (S), Katelyn Catalano (EF), Claire Ortlepp (C)
CENTRE: Tiah Toth (S), Tarni Golisano (S), Tyla Fitzgerald (SD)
HALF-FORWARD: Courtney Zappara (SD), Kelsey Patterson (S), Natasha Spurr (WP)
FORWARD: Adele Arnup (C), Bethany Bond (SF)
RUCK: Ariana Hetherington (SF), Jasmin Stewart (C), Beth Beckett (EF)
INTERCHANGE: Sarah Madden (EP), Matilda Sergeant (C), Jess Cox (SD), Fina Dethlefsen (S), Meg Brown (S)

Each week of the WAFLW season during 2023, we will be selecting a Team of the Week and here's how the side for Round 7 came together from the weekend's action.

The full-back line in the Team of the Week for 7 is made up of Hali Epis from Subiaco and Greta McKinley from Peel Thunder.

Epis was named to the Team of the Week for a first time on the back of her strong showing in Subiaco's win against Peel down back. She finished with 11 possessions, four tackles and four marks.

In the same game, McKinley produced a strong performance defensively for the Thunder despite the loss. She was named to the Team of the Week for a second time and she ended up with 14 disposals, six tackles and two marks.

The three players featured in the half-back line are Subiaco's Hanna Dethlefsen, East Fremantle's Katelyn Catalano and Claremont's Claire Ortlepp.

Dethlefsen earned a spot in the Team of the Week for a first time this season as part of the Subiaco back-line in the win against the Thunder. She ended the game with 11 touches and three tackles.

East Fremantle might have lost its first ever WAFLW derby on Saturday night but Catalano did what she could down back to earn a spot in the Team of the Week for the first time. She finished with 11 possessions and two tackles.

Claremont continued its unbeaten season and Claire Ortlepp was once again outstanding to be one of just two players to be named to the Team of the Week four times so far in 2023. She produced 11 touches, four marks, four tackles and three inside-50 entries in the Tigers' win over the Falcons.

Once again there were no shortage of midfielders across the four games putting their hands up for selection, but in the end the three on-ballers named were Jasmin Stewart, Beth Beckett and Tarni Golisano with Tiah Toth and Tyla Fitzgerald outside them.

Stewart has been in such imposing form this season with Claremont that it has earned her another AFLW opportunity, and in Sunday's win against West Perth she had 25 possessions, eight inside 50s, five marks and a goal.

Beckett had another standout performance despite East Fremantle's derby loss as she earned Team of the Week selection for a second time in 2023 on the back of racking up 20 disposals to go with six tackles, three marks and two inside-50 entries.

Golisano is now 151 games into her standout career with Subiaco and she remains in brilliant form after putting together 35 possessions, 10 tackles, three marks and three inside 50s in Saturday's win against Peel Thunder.

Her Subiaco teammate Toth also earned Team of the Week selection for a second time this season by finishing with 20 touches, five tackles and a goal.

Fitzgerald also earned a spot in the Team of the Week for a first time this season after she had 18 possessions, six tackles and six inside-50 entries in Swan Districts' Friday night victory against East Perth.

The three players named across the half-forward line in the Team of Week are Swan Districts' Courtney Zappara, Subiaco's Kelsey Patterson and West Perth's Natasha Spurr.

Zappara's form has been building in Swan Districts' forward-line all season and it all came together on Friday night for her with three goals from 17 possessions to be named to the Team of the Week for the first time in 2023.

Patterson has been tremendous all season long in attack for Subiaco and against Peel on Saturday, she kicked three goals from her 11 kicks, three marks and three tackles to be named to the Team of the Week for a third time this season.

West Perth might have found the going tough against Claremont on Sunday but the lone goal of the day for the Falcons was kicked by Spurr who also ended up with 12 disposals and two inside-50 entries.

The two players in the full-forward line for Round 7 are Claremont's Adele Arnup and South Fremantle's Bethany Bond.

Arnup has been outstanding as a goal sneak all season for the Tigers and again in Sunday's win over the Falcons she took her chances kicking two goals from six kicks.

Bond has been one of the players behind the rapid improvement of South Fremantle this season and she finished Saturday night's derby win with 17 possessions, six tackles, seven inside-50 entries and four marks for the Bulldogs.

The ruck position in the Round 7 Team of the Week goes to South Fremantle's Ariana Hetherington.

It has been quite the stunning transition from basketball to football this year for Hetherington. She was already the captain of the Rockingham Flames in the NBL1 West where she was a championship winner and 140-game veteran, but she's quickly become a standout in the ruck for the Bulldogs.

On Saturday night in the derby win against East Fremantle, she delivered another 19 possessions, 24 hit outs, three tackles, two marks and two inside-50 entries.

The five interchange players are Sarah Madden, Matilda Sergeant, Jess Cox, Fina Dethlefsen and Meg Brown.

The East Perth back-line was under siege once again against Swan Districts on Friday night but Madden did what she could in another impressive performance that saw her end the evening with 13 disposals, three tackles and two marks.

Sergeant was another key player in Claremont's win against West Perth on Sunday ending up with 19 possessions, four tackles, three inside-50 entries and two goals to be named to the Team of the Week for a second consecutive round.

Swans made it back-to-back wins by beating the Royals on Friday night and it was captain Cox who was instrumental in the result by producing another 17 touches, five tackles, two marks and a goal.

With her older sister already a mainstay in the Subiaco team, Fina Dethlefsen made it a debut to remember for the Lions on Saturday in the win over the Thunder kicking two goals to go with 16 possessions, seven marks and five inside 50s.

Then there was Brown who earned her spot in the Team of the Week for the first time this season as another key player in Subiaco's win over Peel finishing with 18 possessions and three tackles.