West Coast Eagle Bella Lewis admits derby loss to Fremantle Dockers hurts more than normal

October 20

West Coast star Bella Lewis says her team’s western derby defeat to Fremantle felt like a cut-throat final and admitted it means more to lose to the Dockers.

But she still feels the Eagles’ impressive first season under Daisy Pearce has been a success, despite finals being almost out of the question.

Lewis came desperately close to the rare feat of winning a best-on-ground medal in the losing side in Saturday’s 23-point defeat at Sullivan Logistics Stadium.

She was easily the leading disposal-winner on the ground with 26, had seven clearances and five tackles in a bid to will her team back into the game after a nightmare start.

The defeat all but ends the Eagles’ first season under Pearce and Lewis said the game had that sort of feeling about it.

“I think we knew this game was different to other games and we both needed to win to make finals, and that’s how it feels, it almost feels like a knockout final,” she told The West Australian.

“But I thought we showed up really well to be honest and we just keep looking to improve and building and on to next week.”

The Dockers have no one all of the first seven derbies in the history of the AFLW rivalry between the two sides.

It is a record the Eagles a desperate to snap, but one of the few bits of new ground they are yet to break under Pearce.

Asked if it means more to lose to Fremantle, Lewis said “yeah, of course”.

“When you have cross-town rivals it brings the atmosphere like you saw today and (with) how many people, came the atmosphere was electric,” she said.

“So there definitely is a step up into a derby and hopefully one day when we get that win it will feel even sweeter.”

Lewis said she was proud of the group and the massive strides they have made this season, winning four games having never had more than a two-win season.

“I’d still consider it a success and the beauty that is that we’ve got two games left and we can still make finals,” she said.

“Unfortunately, I think it’s dependent on other teams, but we can still have that week-by-week mentality and the fact that we’ve gotten this far to the end of the season, and we can still make and still be in every week, and every game is such a success, and it’s such an improvement. So we’re just gonna keep taking that.”

Lewis, who openly declared at the start of this season she holds leadership aspirations at the Eagles, said lifting for big games was a point of pride.

“I think leadership can come in different forms and throughout the season, I think we show in different areas,” she said.

“And I think when you talk about the big games, a derby is one of them, and I think leadership in action is probably one of the best ways.

“So I think about it a little bit like that, and trying to continue to do that for four quarters and help the girls along, which Dreno (Ali Drennan) did, Ella (Roberts) did in patches and Swanny (Emma Swanson) did really well, so we’re starting to build that.”

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