Gelmi has faith in Swans' premiership quest

Swan Districts defender Eliza Gelmi has been instrumental in helping her team to another WAFLW finals campaign and she has no doubt that Swans are capable of going all the way from fourth position.

Gelmi has been one of the leaders who has continued to step up further and further the longer the 2023 season has gone on for Swan Districts as they bounced back from losing the first four matches to win eight of the last 10 to qualify for the finals from fourth position.

The challenge ahead now for Swan Districts is to take on an East Fremantle team they have beaten twice already in 2023 in Sunday's first semi-final at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

While Swans have won the two encounters with the Sharks so far this season to give them confidence, Gelmi is fully aware of the challenge they will present on Sunday.

However, at the same time she feels if they play to their potential and stick to their plans like the last two meetings, then they should win and advance to the preliminary final against the loser of the second semi-final between Claremont and South Fremantle.

"They're a very experienced side and very good so we're definitely not going to take it lightly even if we have beaten them a couple of times," Gelmi said.

"It's important for us to go in with a lot of respect for East Freo because they are a good team but at the same time I know for a fact that if we play them the way we have the past, and don't veer away from that then we will be able to get that win again.

"We just have to make sure that we keep with what we've done the first two times this year and keep with the same team game, and back each other up. We have to go in there with respect for them, though, otherwise anything can happen in a game of footy."

Gelmi has been part of a Swan Districts team that dominated the home and away season back in 2021 before they lost the grand final to Peel, but she feels like this time might even be better placed to make a run for that WAFLW premiership.

While there is no room for error now given they finished fourth and have no second chances, Gelmi and her Swans teammates are just looking at it that if they win three more games, then the premiership is theirs.

Gelmi is fully confident in the team's ability to win the premiership, but knows it's important to not take anything for granted going into Sunday's first semi-final against East Fremantle.

"The big thing for us this year is that we've got a lot of new players and they've probably been our best performing players as well," she said.

"The new players have played so well and I think even at the beginning of the season, there might have been doubts with those first four games, but after that I haven’t had any doubts that we can go all the way.

"I think everyone feels the same way and I think that's really important, and we have to have that vision. It's just very important to also not get too ahead of ourselves and just focus on this first final,

and getting that under our belts and then we can go from there. But I definitely have no doubt that we can go all the way this year."

Gelmi doesn’t feel like it was just a coincidence that Swans were able to turn things around after those opening four losses of the season to Peel Thunder, Subiaco, Claremont and South Fremantle.

The playing group realised it was now or never to make a stand over that general break over the Easter weekend so they came together as a group, and after that everything started to click.

By spending that extra time together as a group to bond, Gelmi noticed an immediate change and they would go on to win their next seven matches before the bye in Round 13.

"There was actually a few things. We got our first win against West Perth and from that it gave everyone collectively a bit of confidence which is what we kind of needed to begin with," she said.

"We also caught up as a team and did something outside of footy as a group, and I feel like after that the girls started bonding a bit more on a personal level. That helped us build a family like cohesion and we've been able to bring that to the field, and everyone was trusting each other so much more.

"When you've got that, you win games because you really feel like you're playing for the team and not yourself. That was one big thing that I saw that changed with the confidence growing from everyone getting to know each other a little bit better."

While Swan Districts' first two wins this season came against West Perth and East Perth, it was the Round 8 win over East Fremantle at Steel Blue Oval that really was the moment the team started to believe in what they were capable of.

"With that first win we had over East Freo who are one of the better sides, our confidence really sky rocketed after that as a team and even with us as individuals," Gelmi said.

"Everyone was comfortable playing their roles and we were playing for each so we're feeling really comfortable out there now as opposed to the first four games which were a bit rocky. It feels like we're all having fun now so it's good."

While Swan Districts has been terrific winning eight of the last 10 games since those first four losses, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing with players coming in and out of the team through the season.

The biggest blow has been captain Jess Cox rupturing her ACL but Gelmi has been impressed with how all the other leaders have stepped up in her absence especially Naomi Baker and Demi Liddle.

"It's been rocky at times and I feel especially for Coxy. It's a really hard thing to go through especially when you're playing good footy and you're a captain as well," Gelmi said.

"You feel like you've got responsibilities to be there for the team but you've also got to make sure you look after yourself. But we do have quite a few good leaders who have stepped up like Demi who has done such a good job, the same as Bakes.

"They've been getting around the girls and making sure they're all comfortable and it's almost like we don't have that lack of a captain.

"It's great obviously to still have Coxy still around and no one could ever replace her, but Demi has definitely stepped up and the same with Bakes as the co vice-captains. They've done such a good job to lead the girls and support them."

Gelmi herself has been one of the leaders to step up as well since the injury to Cox. While it has been Liddle and Baker to step up to be co-captains since Cox's injury, Gelmi is part of the leadership group so has stepped up further but she prefers to take a bit more of a one-on-one approach.

"It's funny because the way I prefer to lead or get around my teammates is to have one-on-one conversations with girls," she said.

"I just like to have a little chat especially on the field and we always go around to check in with everyone or celebrate when anyone does something even if it's just a small thing.

"It might not always be kicking a goal or taking a really good grab, it might be laying a shepherd or a really good handball or something like that. I make sure I still recognise that to keep the girls up and it's important to make sure everyone remains in a positive mindset.

"Because I know that as a defender, if I stuff up a little bit and let a goal through, it's really nice to have girls get around me to keep my head up. So I try to do that for my teammates as a leader."

As for her own season, Gelmi admits to starting off a little bit slowly but that probably matched up with the rest of the team. But she's cemented herself still as one of the best and most consistent defenders across the competition the longer the season has gone on.

"I started off a bit slow. I missed a couple of weeks of pre-season so I started off a bit rocky and it's hard not to feel a bit old because one of our oldest players now even though I'm only 25," Gelmi said.

"So it can be hard to keep up with the younger girls sometimes, but I think as the season went on I've started getting comfortable in my role again even though it was hard to compete at first. But as soon as I got more comfortable, I started to get less nervous and became easier to play my role.

"To be surrounded by the group of girls that we have it makes it easier too. It's like a family environment where everyone has each other's backs so you don't feel too nervous going out there because you have the support around you, and that's really important."

Now that Sunday's first semi-final is so close, Gelmi is feeling nervous but will be feeling better after the Friday night training session to get together as a team and prepare for their season to be on the line against the Sharks at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

"I always get quite nervous especially before a final but you can't think too much about it or it gets a bit too much," Gelmi said.

"But I think us training on Friday nights before our games makes it a little bit easier and lets you think less about it, and you can get around all the girls.

"So that settles your nerves a little bit and that part of it makes it easier but as an individual it is quite nerve racking thinking about it and how you don't want to let your team down."