AFLW Finals 2024: Fremantle record-breaker Mim Strom leads Dockers past valient Essendon Bombers in eliminator

Fremantle are one win away from an AFLW preliminary final after holding off Essendon in a thrilling and see-sawing 10-point win at Fremantle Oval.

In front of a record crowd of 4934, the two sides went blow for blow as momentum ebbed and flowed, with Essendon leading at the end of the first and third quarters despite and Fremantle fighting back to lead in the second and fourth quarters.

Final quarter goals to Orlagh Lally and Gabby O’Sullivan proved to be decisive for the Dockers and too much for a brave Essendon — who lost star Madi Prespakis in the first half — to overcome as Fremantle prevailed 5.6 (36) to 4.2 (26).

The Dockers will now head to South Australia next weekend to take on Adelaide with a place in the final four at stake.

Mim Strom dominated in the ruck yet again and broke her own league hit-out record with an eye-watering 56, although Essendon managed to prevent the clearance count from being too lopsided.

“Sometimes we kind of run out of words for her. She’s as humble as they come,” Fremantle coach Lisa Webb said of Strom after her third record-setting game for the season.

“Before the game, you just keep her composed, but you really don’t need to because she’s got that look in her eye.

“She’s extremely focused on what she needs to do, she’s watching center bounces from the opposition, and then she’s trying to execute her best game as well.”

Webb, who vacated the coach’s box in the fourth term in favour of the boundary, was full of pride for her players, particularly the way they got the game back on their terms in the final quarter.

“I was pretty nervous up in the box, as per usual with these tight games - you think I’m used to them, but I’m not,” she said.

“I was really composed with my messaging to the playing group at three quarter time, I thought it was really important that we just made better decisions with ball in hand.

“Especially early on, we were just a bit panicky and a bit chaotic at times, we didn’t make the most of our opportunities, and Essendon clearly did.”

Despite less territory in the first-half, the visitors turned their chances inside 50 into scoreboard pressure, meaning the two sides were never more further than an arm’s length from one another.

While Ash Brazill was withdrawn as her ankle injury prevented her from taking her place in the team, her fellow off-season recruit Gabby Newton shone with 21 disposals and 20 tackles.

Ironically, the team nicknamed the Bombers were the ones having to cope with heavy artillery early as Fremantle rained down kicks into Essendon’s defensive zone.

But they responded perfectly and kicked the game’s opening two goals from their own first two inside 50s, as Amber Clarke finished off a breakaway goal with nary a Dockers defender in sight, before Emily Gough converted a set-shot.

Essendon stymied Fremantle’s ball movement and refused to let them dictate the tempo, with the Dockers held goalless in the opening term.

They trailed by 10 at the first change, despite leading the inside 50 count 9-6 and having a 14 disposal advantage, while Essendon had a slight edge at the clearances despite Strom’s dominance in the ruck.

But the Bombers’ task became more difficult when Prespakis went to move off the mark and immediately pulled up sore, and in the ensuing moments, Hayley Miller perfectly picked off a chipped kick inside 50 and stormed onwards to kick her side’s first goal.

The physical nature of the game brought Newton to the fore and the former number one pick had an astonishing 13 tackles in the first-half, while Prespakis sadly lasted just one more stoppage before she retreated in agony.

Essendon still posed a threat in transition, but Emma O’Driscoll and Laura Pugh swept up well behind the ball to keep the visitors scoreless in the second term, and with Strom winning hit-outs at will, she pulled the ball out of the ruck and goaled to give the Dockers a three-point half-time lead.

O’Sullivan proved a thorn in the Bombers’ side all game long, and when her hard work on the half-forward flank resulted in Airlie Runnalls walking into an open goal square, it appeared Fremantle were cruising to the second week of the finals.

But the pendulum swung dramatically in the other direction as a Brooke Walker kick on target survived a video review to narrow the gap to four points, and then Daria Bannister’s excellent snap flipped the script and gave Essendon a four-point lead at the final change.

Amy Mulholland’s towering, crashing mark brought some much-needed energy to the crowd at the beginning of the final term.

Soon after, the Purple Army were whipped into a frenzy when Lally steadied herself and guided the ball through the middle of the sticks to reclaim the lead for Fremantle.

Both teams could sense their finals future was up in the and players tossed themselves into contests with little regard for their own welfare.

It was Fremantle’s turn to weather the storm and a red wave as Essendon pushed players forward in desperation, before a superbly opportunistic long bomb from O’Sullivan ended their admirable effort.

FREMANTLE 0.2 2.3 3.4 5.6 (36)

ESSENDON 2.0 2.0 4.2 4.2 (26)

Goals – FREMANTLE: H Miller M Strom A Runnalls O Lally G O’Sullivan.

ESSENDON: A Clarke E Gough B Walker D Bannister.

Best – FREMANTLE: M Strom G Newton G O’Sullivan E O’Driscoll A Runnalls L Pugh.

ESSENDON: G Nanscawen A Morcom B Keaney S Cain B Brown.

Injuries – FREMANTLE: None. ESSENDON: M Prespakis (cork).

Reports – FREMANTLE: None. ESSENDON: None.

Crowd: 4934 at Fremantle Oval.