West Coast AFLW coach Daisy Pearce says her side will draw positives from their ability to challenge Fremantle across four quarters, despite falling short in a hard-fought RAC Derby on Sunday.

The Eagles were left to rue some costly defensive lapses and missed opportunities in front of goal, with Pearce crediting Fremantle for adjusting quicker to the wet conditions at Fremantle Oval.

“It’s a disappointing result you come here to win and it’s always a flat feeling when you don’t,” Pearce said post-match.

“We were up against a competitive outfit in Fremantle, and a credit to them for the pressure they brought.

“I thought they adjusted to the conditions a bit quicker than we did early in the game. A couple of defensive accountability moments cost us two almost uncontested marks in our goal square gave them their first two goals. On a day where easy goals are hard to come by, that left us playing catch up.”

Despite the early setbacks, Pearce praised her team’s response after quarter time.

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Pearce post-match v Dockers

Eagles Senior Coach Daisy Pearce speaks to the media followering her side's close defeat to Fremantle

“To our players’ credit, they turned the game in terms of contested ball, ground ball gets, and then our decision-making with ball in hand got better,” she said.

“We had periods of momentum where we just didn’t capitalise. Fremantle did, and that was the difference.”

The Eagles were challenged late with injuries to key players, including ruck Liz McGrath who was sidelined early with an ankle injury, while midfielder Lucia Painter missed a quarter under concussion protocols before being cleared to return.

“It meant we were a couple down on the bench late, but the feedback from the players was that they felt like they were starting to run over the top of Fremantle,” Pearce said.

“In the end, it was just moments and decisions with ball in hand, not hitting the scoreboard when we had golden opportunities, and then coughing a few up the other way.”

While the defeat denied West Coast a breakthrough Derby win, Pearce said her players were growing belief and resilience with every contest.

“One of the pleasing things this year is the way they compete and never give up,” she said.

“It’s been one of our biggest growth pieces, having the resilience to keep turning up, problem-solving and having a go no matter where we end up in a game.”