Lessons on debut

Dunsborough footballer Tayla Bresland made her debut at the launch of the AFL women’s competition at the weekend.

A crowd of about 10,000 packed into the VU Whitten Oval to watch the clash, in which Fremantle suffered a disappointing 32-point loss against the Western Bulldogs.

Despite the loss, Bresland was in high spirits and said stepping onto the field as a Fremantle Docker was an “amazing experience”.

“It was goosebump-type stuff, really,” she said.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and something I’ll remember forever.”

The key defender said the first match of the season came as a learning curve.

“I’m used to playing 18-a-team so you can definitely feel there are only 16 people out there,” she said.

“So it’s a lot more running and physical pressure than I expected.

“Not getting a win is disappointing and there’s a lot more to learn, but they (Western Bulldogs) obviously wanted it more and we will go out harder next week.”

Bresland said the team were focused on playing to their strengths leading into this weekend’s home game.

“I think just going harder at the ball and playing our style of footy that we have been training for all pre-season,” she said.

The Dockers women host the Brisbane Lions at Fremantle Oval on Sunday.