FREMANTLE is confident star midfielder Kiara Bowers will be available for the round two clash against Collingwood after being withdrawn late from Sunday's Derby.
Bowers was a shock pre-game omission against West Coast after presenting with knee soreness, with the Dockers replacing their four-time All-Australian with Mikaela Tuhakaraina.
Coach Lisa Webb, who registered a hard-fought win in her first game in charge, expected the Dockers to have Bowers available when they shoot for a 2-0 start to the season against the Magpies at Victoria Park next week.
"She’ll be okay, she just had a bit of soreness but we’re pretty confident she’ll be OK for next week," Webb said after the low-scoring eight-point win.
Despite the loss of Bowers, Fremantle went on to set a new club record for tackles in a high-pressure game, laying a massive 98 in their opening game for 2023.
They missed their star ball-winner at the coalface, however, with West Coast winning the clearance battle 31-16 on the back of midfield trio Ella Roberts, who won the Derby Medal, and Aisling McCarthy and Emma Swanson.
With Bowers absent, the Eagles were also able to focus on Freo captain Hayley Miller, holding the star ball-winner to 12 disposals.
Webb was proud of the way her team fought out the match after the Eagles built momentum through the third quarter and cut the margin to two points.
