Fan favourite suffers double blow at Margaret River
With surfing resuming at the West Australian break on Monday after a three-day break, Fitzgibbons was one of five Australian women in the round of 16.
Molly Picklum, Isabella Nichols and local wildcard Bronte Macaulay all won their match-ups, while Tyler Wright went down.
Fitzgibbons needed to beat Bryan, the defending Margaret Pro champion, to avoid the top-10 mid-season cut for the third successive year.
A victory in the heat would also secure 14th-ranked Fitzgibbons a place on the 2026 Championship Tour after the WSL announced a larger women's field next year.
If Wright had beaten Lakey Peterson, Fitzgibbons would have requalified, but instead the Californian veteran took the final spot, sending the Australian back to the Challenger Series.
Fitzgibbons opened their heat by attacking a wave to earn a 6.83, and with Bryan uncharacteristically falling off a few waves the 34-year-old NSW surfer looked in control.
She bettered her back-up score with a nervous 4.33, leaving Bryan requiring a 7.33 score to reach the quarter-finals.
But with 90 seconds remaining the Hawaiian launched on to a wave and showed off her power moves in a two-turn combination, wowing the judges to score a 9.00 to take out the heat.
An emotional Fitzgibbons stayed out in the water, devastated to have let the win - and the opportunities it secured - slip away.
"I think for the first, like, 98 per cent of that heat it was all going against me, I could not get it together," Bryan said.
"I'm like, I just need to do two big turns, and I hit the first one as hard as I could and then I was like, OK, just finish this thing, and it all worked out, so I was so stoked that wave came."
Picklum, who would have taken over the yellow rankings leader jersey if Bryan had bowed out, downed American teen Bella Kenworthy, while Macaulay secured a late wave to eliminate 2023 world champion and Olympic gold medallist Caroline Marks.
The pair will meet in the quarter-finals, while the in-form Nichols, who beat France's Vahine Fierro, faces Peterson.
The men's quarter-finals are next into the water, with local qualifier Jacob Willcox the sole Australian.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Fremantle Dockers ‘undervalued' in AFLW competition as Victorian teams favoured by bias
The Vic Bias is real. That is, according to leading commentator and former AFLW star Kate McCarthy, who believes Fremantle are 'undervalued' in the competition despite winning a final last year. Just days out from the start of the 2025 season, the Dockers are far from the bookmakers' darling for the premiership, paying $34, according to TABTouch. It comes after not a single club captain predicted Fremantle would win the grand final this season, with reigning premiers and heavy flag favourites North Melbourne receiving 10 votes. WATCH FREMANTLE V PORT ADELAIDE AT 2PM SUNDAY ON SEVEN AND 7PLUS 'I hate it but it exists, the Victorian bias, for sure,' McCarthy told The West Australian. 'Coming from Brisbane myself, it's very evident and I think the only reason we see sort of less of that is because of the powerhouses that Brisbane and Adelaide have been in the women's comp as well. 'And that's no disrespect to North Melbourne, they absolutely deserve to be the premiership favourites, considering what they did last year, and a ball hasn't been bounced yet for 2025. 'But I think Fremantle have been definitely a little bit undervalued from the wider media. 'They did have a number of injuries last year, and I think what Lisa Webb is building at the Fremantle Dockers is something that's very special.' Fremantle's best-ever player Kiara Bowers is set to make her highly-anticipated return against Port Adelaide on Sunday after missing last season due to pregnancy. The four-time club champion, three-time All-Australian and 2021 best and fairest winner will also play her 50th game for the club. Captain Ange Stannett, who did not play a game in her first season as skipper following an ACL injury, is also set to return in another huge boost for the Dockers' flag hopes. 'I'm really looking forward to actually seeing their progression from last year to this year,' McCarthy said of Fremantle. 'Obviously had a number of injuries to their forward line on the run, which is really hard to cover mid season. 'Getting Kiara Bowers back is a huge one, she's pretty irreplaceable. I think they're going to be really competitive. 'And they showed last year that their best is good enough to match it with some of the best teams in the competition.' Star ruck Mim Strom is firming for another huge season following a maiden All-Australian blazer. McCarthy said the reigning club champion, who led the league for hit-outs in 2024, had 'weapons that were pretty hard to stop'. 'No matter how much homework you do into Mim and her ability, either at the rough contest or around the ground, it's going to be pretty hard to stop her,' she said. 'And as we see key position players, they do take a little bit of time to develop and she's still really young, so I only see her game improving year on year from here out.'
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Lanning's assault on Aussies sets up Invincibles win
It is a rare experience for Australian bowlers to be clouted to all parts in the women's game, but if anyone can do it it's former captain Meg Lanning. The veteran played the leading role as Oval Invincibles smashed the best powerplay score in the five-year history of the Hundred Women, cracking 54 in 25 balls, the first 50 of which came from 20 balls bowled by a trio of Aussies. That set Invincibles up for a 100-ball score of 5-174, the third highest in Hundred history, and Birmingham Phoenix never looked like matching it. Georgia Voll gave them brief hope with a scintillating start, making 22 off 15 balls, but was caught at midwicket with a juggling catch by compatriot Amanda Jade-Wellington. Ellyse Perry hit her first two balls for four but she had come to the crease with Phoenix 2-31 needing a very demanding 144 off 74. The allrounder had just reached 29 off 16 balls by launching Jade-Wellington for six, but was caught behind next ball trying to cut. Six balls later Jade-Wellington brilliantly ran out Emma Lamb (25) and at 4-83, with 59 balls gone, the game was done. Jade-Wellington finished with 2-27 off her 20 balls as the visitors won by 22 runs at Edgbaston, Phoenix closing on 6-152. Phoenix had opened up on Tuesday (local time) with a trio of Australians, Megan Schutt, skipper Perry and Voll, and Lanning tucked into them with English opening partner Lauren Wingfield-HIll. A super shot by Meg Lanning! 🙇#TheHundred The Hundred (@thehundred) August 12, 2025 Meg Lanning launches a free hit from Georgia Voll for six All three bowlers took punishment at a rate of more than 10-an-over, not helped by each conceding extras. Perry used seven bowlers to try and stem the flow, but only spinner Hannah Baker had any effect, dismissing both openers as she took 2-24 in her 20, by far the best economy rate. Lanning was caught at deep midwicket by Lamb for a 19-ball 36, then Wingfield-Hill was taken by Perry at mid-off for 33 off 27. Meg Lanning is currently leading the way in #TheHundred Women's Competition with 177 runs! 😎 The Hundred (@thehundred) August 12, 2025 Meg Lanning has overtaken Grace Harris as this year's highest Hundred Women scorer. However, Alice Capsey had come in with the platform set and the big-hitting England batter, dropped on 21, thumped 52 off 29 balls. "The openers were brilliant," said Capsey. "One of our reflections after the first two games was that we bat so deep we can take some more calculated risks. "They took the game on so nicely and it made my job pretty easy." When she was out there were two balls left, Jade-Wellington was caught trying to hit the first for four, Ash Gardner then came in and hit her only ball to the boundary. Perry finished with 0-34 off 20 balls, Schutt 1-34 off her 20, and Voll's only five-ball set went for 20. "It was a little bit tough today," Perry told BBC. "We probably let up a few too many runs in the field, particularly in the powerplay. They batted really well as well, so you have to appreciate that. I thought we put up a pretty valiant chase and it was nice that we hung in there at the end."
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Lanning's assault on Aussies sets up Invincibles win
It is a rare experience for Australian bowlers to be clouted to all parts in the women's game, but if anyone can do it it's former captain Meg Lanning. The veteran played the leading role as Oval Invincibles smashed the best powerplay score in the five-year history of the Hundred Women, cracking 54 in 25 balls, the first 50 of which came from 20 balls bowled by a trio of Aussies. That set Invincibles up for a 100-ball score of 5-174, the third highest in Hundred history, and Birmingham Phoenix never looked like matching it. Georgia Voll gave them brief hope with a scintillating start, making 22 off 15 balls, but was caught at midwicket with a juggling catch by compatriot Amanda Jade-Wellington. Ellyse Perry hit her first two balls for four but she had come to the crease with Phoenix 2-31 needing a very demanding 144 off 74. The allrounder had just reached 29 off 16 balls by launching Jade-Wellington for six, but was caught behind next ball trying to cut. Six balls later Jade-Wellington brilliantly ran out Emma Lamb (25) and at 4-83, with 59 balls gone, the game was done. Jade-Wellington finished with 2-27 off her 20 balls as the visitors won by 22 runs at Edgbaston, Phoenix closing on 6-152. Phoenix had opened up on Tuesday (local time) with a trio of Australians, Megan Schutt, skipper Perry and Voll, and Lanning tucked into them with English opening partner Lauren Wingfield-HIll. Meg Lanning launches a free hit from Georgia Voll for six All three bowlers took punishment at a rate of more than 10-an-over, not helped by each conceding extras. Perry used seven bowlers to try and stem the flow, but only spinner Hannah Baker had any effect, dismissing both openers as she took 2-24 in her 20, by far the best economy rate. Lanning was caught at deep midwicket by Lamb for a 19-ball 36, then Wingfield-Hill was taken by Perry at mid-off for 33 off 27. Meg Lanning has overtaken Grace Harris as this year's highest Hundred Women scorer. However, Alice Capsey had come in with the platform set and the big-hitting England batter, dropped on 21, thumped 52 off 29 balls. "The openers were brilliant," said Capsey. "One of our reflections after the first two games was that we bat so deep we can take some more calculated risks. "They took the game on so nicely and it made my job pretty easy." When she was out there were two balls left, Jade-Wellington was caught trying to hit the first for four, Ash Gardner then came in and hit her only ball to the boundary. Perry finished with 0-34 off 20 balls, Schutt 1-34 off her 20, and Voll's only five-ball set went for 20. "It was a little bit tough today," Perry told BBC. "We probably let up a few too many runs in the field, particularly in the powerplay. They batted really well as well, so you have to appreciate that. I thought we put up a pretty valiant chase and it was nice that we hung in there at the end."
