West Coast star Ella Roberts expects the Western Bulldogs to be ‘hungry’ after winless start, as the Eagles hit the road for the first time in the 2024 season.
The Dogs are sitting at the bottom of the ladder with a percentage of just 12 after back-to-back losses for a combined margin of 103 points, while the Eagles are 1-1 after going down to Essendon by 16 points on Saturday.
West Coast will face the Dogs in their opening home AFLW match at Whitten Oval on Thursday as the visitors look to bounce back and start the season 2-1 for the first time.
“The Bulldogs will definitely come out hungry,” Roberts told The West Australian.
“As soon as you start a season 0-2, you just want to get after the next one. They are a great side and they’ve got some stars in their team.
“We’re not expecting anything less than the best so we’re going into it with the expectation that they’re going to go after us and we’re prepared for them.”
The Eagles opened their season with consecutive games at Mineral Resources Park against Richmond and Essendon but now face a tough road trip over the next fortnight.
Following a five-day break ahead of their date with the Dogs, the Eagles will remain in Melbourne for the club’s clash with Collingwood on Tuesday, before returning to Perth to host Brisbane the following Sunday.
Including the Bombers clash, that’s four games in 15 days. But Roberts said the playing group was “excited” to get on the road.
“We haven’t done an away trip yet this season but we love it. We love getting some bonding time,” Roberts said.
“We’re already a close group but you can never get too much time to bond with your teammates.”
The 19-year-old also praised the impact of new coach Daisy Pearce, saying it was “a dream come true” to play under the AFLW pioneer.
“She’s brought in a lot of experience and knowledge, she’s so smart,” Roberts said.
“She’s only had a few years out of the game so she knows what it’s like as a player as well as a coach.
“You respect everything she says and she knows what she’s talking about.
“She’s also really good in the relationships side of things, she just cares about everyone so much and it’s really special, something that’s needed from a coach, definitely.”
While Pearce’s appointment brought with it a lot of excitement, it also raised the pressure on the young and inexperienced side.
But Roberts, who came runner-up in last year’s club best and fairest award, said the coach has kept it real.
“She’s realistic with goals and expectations. She doesn’t set expectations through the roof but she knows that we’re good enough to beat any team,” Roberts said.
“She’s just real with everything and keeps us grounded as well. It’s really important to have a coach that doesn’t sugar coat, doesn’t beat around the bush. She just says it how it is and a lot of us really appreciate that honesty.
“Her approach at it all has been really good.”
#West #Coast #Eagles #star #Ella #Roberts #expects #hungry #Western #Bulldogs #trip #road #season
