The Eagles opened their 2025 campaign with a 15-point win over the Suns

By westcoasteagles.com.au

The West Coast Eagles secured a hard-fought 15-point victory over Gold Coast in an evening clash at Mineral Resources Park, with debutant Lucia Painter lighting up the scoreboard in a standout performance.

It was a memorable night for the home side, who unveiled three debutants Painter, Kayla Dalgleish and Liz McGrath in front of the Eagles faithful.

Dalgleish wasted no time making an impact in the midfield, applying pressure and generating turnovers to give West Coast the early ascendancy.

Ella Roberts opened the scoring five minutes in, slotting truly from the front of the pack, before doubling her tally with a clever dribble kick moments later.

The Eagles controlled territory and resisted repeated Suns attacks across half-back, heading into quarter time with an 11-point advantage.

Gold Coast tightened the screws in the second term, with Maddy Brancatisano limiting Roberts’ influence and Charlie Rowbottom dominating around the stoppages.

While West Coast remained composed in defence, neither side could find the big sticks, leaving the Eagles 10-points clear at the main break.

The third quarter belonged to Painter, who kicked her first AFLW goal from a set shot after Gold Coast’s Georgia Clayden broke the Suns’ drought.

The 19-year-old followed up with a classy left-foot snap and a strong contested mark to complete her hat-trick, helping West Coast stretch the margin to 23-points heading into the final term.

Gold Coast threatened a late fightback when Havana Harris struck early in the fourth, but the Eagles’ backline led by the composure of Bella Lewis and Charlie Thomas stood firm.

Jess Rentsch was relentless with a career-high 12 tackles, helping to lock the ball in and secure a 5.5 (35) to 2.8 (20) victory.

Roberts finished with a game-high 24 disposals and two goals, while Painter’s three-goal debut will go down as one of the season highlights for the club.

WEST COAST     2.1    2.2    5.4    5.5    (35)
GOLD COAST     0.2    0.4    1.7     2.8    (20)   

GOALS 
West Coast: Painter (3), Roberts (2)
Gold Coast:  Clayden, Harris

BEST 
West Coast: Roberts, Painter, Lewis, Thomas, Rentsch, Swanson
Gold Coast:  Single, Rowbottom, Harris, Brancatisano

INJURIES
West Coast: Beth Schilling (foot)
Gold Coast: Nil

LATE CHANGES
West Coast:  Nil
Gold Coast: Nil

Crowd: 1,453 at Mineral Resources Park.