Roxy Roux & Mim Strom help Fremantle Dockers beat North Melbourne Kangaroos to reach AFLW preliminary final

Dongara local Roxy Roux played a crucial forward role on Saturday to help an ultra-efficient Fremantle side cruise past North Melbourne into an AFLW preliminary final, while Exmouth’s Mim Strom stood tall in the ruck contest.

Roux had a typically fierce game up forward, putting in solid tackle pressure and kicking a major as the Dockers won by 38 points at Arden Street, 11.3 (69) to 4.7 (31).

Roux had just three disposals all game but put in four tackles and took two marks as 10 Freo players got on the scoresheet.

The Dockers controlled the midfield and led at half time before kicking a hatful of goals late on to run away with the game.

Exmouth product Mim Strom stepped up in the ruck, with 15 hit-outs.

The main ruck burden fell to Strom once again after the Dockers lost the player brought in to relieve the ruck pressure on her — Sarah Wielstra — to an ankle injury early on in a marking contest.

Strom’s threat in the contest was such that the Roos moved Emma King back after starting ruck Kim Rennie was concussed in the second quarter.

That left them with just one tall forward and needing to call in Jas Garner to spell King in the contest, depriving the Roos of ball-winning ability in the middle.

Dockers senior coach Trent Cooper said he felt the team was building nicely.

“We had a tough run for a few weeks, but we felt we were really building,” he said.

“Coming back to Victoria was great, we’re five from five this year.

“We made sure we kept our structure today, and I’m really proud of how the forwards managed to do that.”

The preliminary final will be against Adelaide in Adelaide.

The date and time are yet to be determined.