Boulder a game clear on top after second GFLW victory over reigning premiers

Boulder’s perfect start in the Goldfields Football League’s women’s competition has paved the way for a one-game lead in the standings after they accounted for defending premiers Kalgoorlie last Saturday by 29 points, 6.9 (45) to 2.4 (16).

After winning four games in a 2023 campaign marred by player shortages, the Tigers are unbeaten from two matches after Gaylee Rauch and Christina Bevan each kicked two goals.

The acquisition of Rauch is a major boost for Boulder after she captained Kalgoorlie to the flag last year and tied with Railways’ Faith Piuk for the GFLW fairest-and-best trophy.

Boulder laid the foundations for their second win with a five-goal opening term, with Taige Sullivan and Paris Ulijn complementing the forward work of Rauch and Bevan with a goal each.

Jemma Leeson and Tarmeka Smyth accounted for Kalgoorlie’s goals.

Kalgoorlie are in pursuit of a third straight flag but coach Shane Coysh is essentially in a rebuilding phase after a major turnover of players.

Despite an 0-2 start, Coysh said the squad was actually in better shape than a year ago when they struggled early in the season before peaking late and eventually beating Railways in the grand final.

“We have a bit of work to do (because) there’s a lot of girls who’ve never played before,” he said.

“That’s challenging but also refreshing because they come in with new enthusiasm — it’s like anything, you can dwell on the negatives or focus on the positives.

“Two years ago, I think we lost just over 10 players and last year wasn’t as bad and we still had a core group of players who could run through the (key) positions.

“It meant the new players had experienced players around them and this year we’re pretty light-on in that regard.

“But the upside is that those girls who perhaps tended to be a bit quiet because they had other voices around them are now speaking up.

“They’re acknowledging, without being told, what’s happening and taking on bigger responsibilities for the (inexperienced) players around them.”

Coysh pointed to last year’s shaky start — when the Roos lost three of their opening five games — as proof that there was no need for panic.

“We get knocked off in a few of those early games last year,” he said.

“That was more of a shock to us because we still had a core group of frontline players there.

“It took us a little while to re-adjust to what we were doing but we sorted it out.

“Compared to how we played those first few games last season, I still feel better about how we’re going about things now (because) there’s more positivity around it and quite a few players last year managed only three or four games.

“They’re back this year and you can just see the growth in them.”

Coysh said teaching new players from scratch to kick, handpass and mark was less of a challenge compared to game-day structures and a long list of other requirements.

“People say it’s an easy game because it’s basically keepings-off at the end of the day, but there’s so much to it,” he said.

“No disrespect to basketball and other sports because I love those, too, but you have five people out on the court compared to our 18.

“It’s a lot to understand across a lot bigger space and you’re covering a lot more ground.”

Kalgoorlie will chase their first win of 2024 on Saturday against Mines Rovers.