WAFLW Team of the Week – Round 8Tuesday, May 2, 2023 - 9:28 PM - by Chris Pike

WITH a dominant performance in the ruck from Ariana Hetherington, a brilliant showing in attack from Courtney Zappara and Claremont's running brigade on song, there was again plenty of players in the running for the WAFLW Team of the Week.

With Claremont winning big again, South Fremantle and West Perth continuing to emerge with wins over perennial powerful teams, and then Swan Districts scoring a third straight win, and there was no shortage of standout players in Round 8 of the WAFLW on Sunday.

All four Round 8 matches took place on Sunday afternoon with South Fremantle consolidating second position with a first ever win against Peel Thunder, prevailing 12.10 (82) to 1.2 (8).

West Perth was another of the newer WAFLW teams to make history on Sunday by beating Subiaco for the first time with the 6.5 (41) to 4.6 (30) victory at Leederville Oval.

Swan Districts then made it three wins in-a-row after starting the season losing four straight to keep themselves in the finals hunt by winning 8.8 (56) to 4.3 (27) at Steel Blue Oval.

The last game of the round then pitted the unbeaten reigning premiers against the winless new club, and things went to script with Claremont holding East Perth scoreless to win 12.13 (85) to 0.0 (0) at Revo Fitness Stadium.

There were once again plenty of star performances across the four games and here's how the Round 8 Team of the Week came together.

WAFLW TEAM OF THE WEEK – ROUND 8

BACK: Ebony Dowson (PT), Clare McCarthy (S)
HALF-BACK: Jess Roper (WP), Kayley King (SD), Kate Orme (C)
CENTRE: Abbygail Bushby (SD), Kloe Bassett (SF), Jayme Harken (C)
HALF-FORWARD: Bethany Bond (SF), Makaela Tuhakaraina (SF), Brooke Whyte (C)
FORWARD: Adele Arnup (C), Courtney Zappara (SD)
RUCK: Ariana Hetherington (SF), Ruby Mahony (SD), Lauren Vecchio (SF)
INTERCHANGE: Sarah Madden (EP), Bianca Webb (WP), Sharon Wong (EF), Grace Betti (WP), Jess Ritchie (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 8 came together from the weekend's action.

The full back-line in the Round 8 Team of the Week consisted of Peel Thunder captain Ebony Dowson and Subiaco's Clare McCarthy.

Dowson continues to do all she can as Peel captain to try to keep her team in contests with her performances across half-back. She was named to the Team of the Week for a fourth time this season on the back of 24 possessions and four tackles in the loss to South Fremantle.

McCarthy earned a spot for the first time this season on the back of a strong showing down back in Claremont's defeat to West Perth where she ended up with 14 disposals and five marks.

Across the half back-line for Round 8 are West Perth's Jess Roper, Swan Districts' Kayley King and Claremont's Kate Orme.

Roper was named to the Team of the Week for the first time this season on the back of a standout performance in West Perth's breakthrough win against Subiaco where she had 16 disposals, five marks and three tackles.

King continued her strong form for Swan Districts as her team made it three consecutive wins beating East Fremantle. She ended the afternoon with 21 touches, six inside-50 entries and a goal.

Orme has slotted into a role across half-back for Claremont where she's able to utilise her running and kicking ability to set up play and create plenty of drive for the Tigers. She had 19 possessions, seven inside 50s, five marks and three tackles against East Perth.

There were no shortage of midfielders putting their hands up for selection in the Round 8 Team of the Week. 

In the end, the on-ball positions went to Swan Districts' Ruby Mahony and South Fremantle captain Lauren Vecchio along with her teammate Kloe Bassett. Swan Districts' Abbygail Bushby and Claremont's Jayme Harken rounded out the midfield brigade.

Mahony has been instrumental in Swans' last three victories with her performances through the middle. She had another strong showing on Sunday and finished with 25 touches, seven tackles and three marks.

Vecchio continues to lead South Fremantle admirably and after keeping the group together in some tough years, she's getting the reward of being captain of a strong 2023 team. Her form is outstanding too and she had 26 possessions, nine marks and three tackles in the win over Peel.

Her teammate Bassett was named to the Team of the Week for a second time this season as well and she finished the win over the Thunder with 24 touches, six inside-50 entries, four marks and four tackles.

Bushby was playing her fourth game of the season for Swan Districts and earned a spot in the Team of the Week for a first time on the back of 17 disposals, four inside 50s, five marks and three tackles.

Harken is another of the Claremont midfield having a terrific season and that continued on Sunday against East Perth where she had 22 touches, three marks, three inside 50s and a goal in the win over the Royals.

The ruck position for Round 8 once again went the way of South Fremantle's Ariana Hetherington. She continues to thrive on her conversion from basketball and put up 19 touches, 26 hit outs, seven inside 50s and a goal against the Thunder.

The half forward-line for Round 8 consists of South Fremantle pair Bethany Bond and Makaela Tuhakaraina along with Claremont's Brooke Whyte.

Bond was named to the Team of the Week for a third time already this season after kicking three goals to go with 20 possessions. Her teammate Tuhakaraina also kicked three goals from 12 disposals, four marks and two tackles.

Whyte was terrific in Claremont's win against East Perth with two goals to go with 23 touches, seven marks, four inside 50s and three tackles.

The full forward-line features Claremont's Adele Arnup and Swan Districts' Courtney Zappara with the pair combining for seven goals in the wins for their teams.

Arnup continued to be a danger around goals for the Tigers. She has now kicked 14 goals for the season and finished with three more goals on Sunday against East Perth from six kicks.

Zappara was brilliant in the win for Swan Districts against East Fremantle. She kicked four goals and five behinds from her 14 possessions and five marks.

Then there is the five players on the interchange for Round 8 and they are East Perth's Sarah Madden, West Perth's Bianca Webb and Grace Betti, Subiaco's Jess Ritchie, and East Fremantle's Sharon Wong.

The first season in the competition might be increasingly challenging for East Perth, but Madden is holding firm down back and she had another 18 possessions in the loss to Claremont.

West Perth beat Subiaco for the first time and in that game, Webb delivered 13 touches, eight marks and seven tackles with Betti adding 19 possessions, four marks, three tackles and a goal.

Ritchie was named to the Team of the Week for the first time this season on the back of 11 possessions, six hit outs and two goals in that same game for the Lions.

Then there was Wong who continues to be one of the most consistent performers in the competition. The Sharks midfielder delivered another 19 disposals and nine tackles to be named to the Team of the Week for a third time this season.