WAFL Round 10 WrapMonday, June 27, 2022 - 1:21 PM - by Chris Pike

NEVER has the evenness of the WAFL competition been more on display that Saturday's Round 10 action with two bottom three sides beating top three teams while two of the other winners came from West Perth and East Fremantle who now share the top two positions.

It turned out to be a fascinating day and evening of WAFL action on Saturday with West Perth and East Fremantle winning to consolidate top two spots while there were upset victories for East Perth and the West Coast Eagles while Swan Districts made quite the statement to return to the top five.

The Saturday afternoon Round 10 WAFL action saw East Fremantle bounce back with a hard earned 12.16 (88) to 12.5 (77) victory against Peel Thunder at the WACA Ground.

Jarrad Jansen kicked three goals for East Fremantle while Blaine Boekhorst racked up 40 possessions in the win. Blair Bell and Darcy Tucker kicked three goals each for Peel with Haydn Matthews gathering 25 touches.

Swan Districts then booked itself back in the top five on the back of dominating Subiaco after half-time to win 16.8 (104) to 7.11 (53) at Bassendean's Steel Blue Oval.

Jesse Palmer and Tom Edwards kicked three goals each for Swans while vice-captain Jesse Turner had the game of his life with 47 touches. Stefan Giro racked up 37 disposals for Subiaco and Liam Hickmott 31.

East Perth snapped its losing run and ended the winning streak of Claremont at the same time with their best performance of 2022 to win 10.12 (72) to 6.10 (46) at Leederville Oval to honour their 20-year premiership anniversary celebrations.

Christian Ameduri kicked three goals for the Royals with Angus Schumacher racking up 33 touches and Hamish Brayshaw 33. Jye Bolton finished with 27 disposals for the Tigers.

West Perth held Perth goalless in the first half on the way to an eventual 17.10 (112) to 7.9 (51) victory at Lathlain's Mineral Resources Park.

Falcons co-captain Aaron Black had a day out with 30 possessions, 15 marks and four goals while his partner-in-crime Shane Nelson racked up 37 touches. Harry Quartermaine kicked four goals for the Demons with Regan Clarke racking up 28 disposals.

The second half of the Lathlain double-header then saw West Coast snap its 13-game losing streak by beating South Fremantle 13.12 (90) to 7.7 (49).

Jack Williams kicked three goals for the Eagles while Harry Edwards gathered 30 possessions to go with taking 23 marks. Toby McQuilkin finished with 21 touches for South Fremantle.

Following Round 10 of the WAFL season for 2022, it's West Perth sitting clear on top of the ladder with an 8-2 record and the league's best percentage.

East Fremantle is second at 7-3 just percentage ahead of Claremont with South Fremantle back in fourth at 6-4 only percentage in front of Swan Districts to round out the top five.

Peel Thunder is a game further back at 5-5 in sixth position in front of East Perth (4-6), Subiaco (4-6), Perth (2-8) and West Coast (1-9).

The WAFL will take a general bye this coming weekend before returning to action on Saturday July 9 with Swan Districts at home to Perth, Claremont hosting South Fremantle, Subiaco taking on East Fremantle, West Coast playing East Perth and West Perth at home to Peel Thunder.

 

WAFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON – ROUND 10

EAST FREMANTLE 12.16 (88) defeated PEEL THUNDER 12.5 (77)

East Fremantle dug deep to finish strongly and beat Peel Thunder by 11 points in a terrific contest at the WACA Ground on Saturday.

Both teams had their moments where they were on top in the contest but it was East Fremantle who finished the better to win 12.16 (88) to 12.5 (77) and return to second spot on the WAFL ladder.

East Fremantle struck first at the WACA Ground with Reuben McGuire scoring the first goal but less than two minutes later and the Thunder responded courtesy of Ben Middleton.

The Sharks managed to kick the next couple through Luke English and Matthew Burton but the Thunder stayed close just before quarter-time when Darcy Tucker kicked his first of the day following a string of five East Fremantle behinds.

Peel then grabbed the lead just six minutes into the second quarter on the back of a pair of goals to Blair Bell and a second to Tucker.

East Fremantle was able to briefly stem the tide with three quick goals of their own with the first from English and then two to Jonathon Marsh, but the Thunder then finished off the first half impressively.

Tucker added his third of the half with Haydn Matthews, Sebit Kuek and Karl Worner all kicking truly before half-time as well to see Peel going into the long break leading by 13 points.

There were just the two goals kicked in the third quarter and both went the way of East Fremantle firstly through Tom Bennett at the 11-minute mark and then to Jarrad Jansen two minutes later.

That saw the Sharks take a two-point advantage into three quarter-time but Peel grabbed the momentum once more to start the fourth quarter with quick goals to Neil Erasmus and a third to Bell.

East Fremantle responded with a good crumbing goal to Jansen to stay in touch and then Blaine Boekhorst put them in front, and Ryan Lester-Smith sealed the deal for the 12.6 (88) to 12.5 (77) win in one of the best performances of his 127-game career.

Jarrad Jansen provided another avenue to goal for East Fremantle after they lost another forward option with the injury to Cody Leggett. He ended up kicking three goals from 10 kicks and six tackles with Luke English and Jonathon Marsh also kicking two goals.

Blaine Boekhorst continued his superb form for East Fremantle with another 40 possessions to go with 10 tackles, eight inside 50s, seven tackles and a goal.

Milan Murdock also finished with 29 touches and 12 tackles for the Sharks with Ryan Lester-Smith adding 23 disposals, English 21, Tom Bennett 19 and Michael Tassone 18.

Blair Bell took the most of his chances kicking three goals from four kicks for Peel with Darcy Tucker also kicked three goals in the first half before injuring his hand.

Haydn Matthews gathered 25 possessions for the Thunder, Neil Erasmus 24, Matt Johnson 22, Connor Blakely 22 and Nathan Wilson 20.
 

SWAN DISTRICTS 16.8 (104) defeated SUBIACO 7.11 (53)

Not only did Swan Districts turn around a rough recent history against Subiaco, but did so in emphatic fashion at Steel Blue Oval on Saturday to win by 51 points on the back of 10 goals to two in the second half.

Both teams were attempting to break into, or get closer, to the top five when they did battle at Steel Blue Oval on Saturday and it was an entertaining, and tight first half battle with the Lions up by the solitary point at half-time.

However, it was all the Swans after the break with the only six goals of the third quarter and four more to two in the fourth to end up winning 16.8 (104) to 7.11 (53).

The win returned Swans to fifth position on the WAFL ladder and was just their second win in the last 15 attempts against the Lions.

It was an ominous start to the clash with Ryan Borchet kicking a goal for Subiaco to continue his impressive form while the Lions would have been confident of continuing their dominance of Swan Districts on the back of it.

Swans were able to steady, though, and got the next goal of the game courtesy of Seb Bright and the trading of goals continued leading into quarter-time with Jesse Palmer booting a couple for the home team, and Ben Sokol and Max Walters combining for the two for the Lions.

Subiaco clung to a narrow one-point lead at quarter-time and then the Lions went further ahead to start the second term with a goal to the in-form Liam Hickmott.

It remained a tight contest, though, with Swans back within three points with a goal to Ryan Kemp before Jesse Turner added a goal to what was turning out to be a remarkable afternoon for him.

Sam Fisher then added another for the black-and-whites to put the home team up by seven points but it was Subiaco still up by a point at the long break following a late goal to Sokol.

It had been a tremendously competitive first half but it was all Swan Districts coming out of the break and that started instantly from the first bounce when Palmer kicked a goal to regain Swans' lead.

A few minutes later and Josh Cipro kicked truly before Chris Jones put Swans 17 points in front and then Lachlan Riley made it a 23-point lead just 16 minutes into the third quarter.

Two more goals for Swan Districts to close the third quarter from Tobe Watson and Tom Edwards saw Swans turn that one-point deficit into a 37-point lead having held the Lions scoreless for the term.

Borchet did open the fourth quarter by kicking his second goal to give Subiaco its first score of the half, but it mattered little with Swan Districts going on to kick four of the game's last five goals to win emphatically and impressively 16.8 (104) to 7.11 (53).

Swan Districts vice-captain Jesse Turner was playing his 111th match and he had the afternoon of his life finishing with 47 possessions, nine marks, four inside-50 entries and a goal.

Jesse Palmer and Tom Edwards both kicked three goals in the win for Swans while Sam Fisher and Ryan Kemp added two goals apiece as well.

Fisher also racked up 29 disposals to go with his two goals with Tobe Watson also finishing with 28 touches, Aidan Clarke 25, Josh Cipro 24, Brandon Erceg 24, Kemp 20, Jarvis Pina 19 and Tony Notte 19.

Ryan Borchet kicked two goals for Subiaco from just five kicks and two marks while Ben Sokol also kicked two goals for the Lions.

Stefan Giro did what he could to try and lift Subiaco with 37 possessions while Liam Hickmott continued his career-best form with 31 disposals.

Wil Hickmott also gathered 24 touches for the Lions, Leigh Kitchin 22, Chad Harris 22 and Lachlan Delahunty 19.
 

EAST PERTH 10.12 (72) defeated CLAREMONT 6.10 (46)

It loomed as a significant task for East Perth up against Claremont at Leederville Oval on Saturday, but the Royals delivered their best performance of the season to end up winning by 26 points.

On the day that the Royals were celebrating the 2002 premiership which marked the third straight flag to start the century, the team of 2022 channelled that into an outstanding performance against Claremont.

East Perth came into the game having lost six of the past seven games this season while the Tigers had won their past three, but that counted for little in a spirited and heartening Royals performance.

East Perth only led by four points at half-time but turned it on in the third term with the only four goals to set up the eventual 10.12 (72) to 6.10 (46) victory.

East Perth was hoping to use the motivation of its triple premiership winning team from the start of the century and the Royals did come out and kick the first goal of the game through Nick Robertson just over a minute in.

However, it was all Claremont after that including the Tigers kicking a couple of goals through Bailey Rogers and Timm House. East Perth answered through Harley Sparks but another for Claremont to Ryan Lim saw the visitors lead by nine points at the first break.

It took less than a minute for East Perth to kick a second quarter goal thanks to fourth-gamer Mitch Schofield.

Debutant Tom Graham also kicked the first goal of his career soon after and when he added a second at the 17-minute mark, the Royals were out to an 11-point lead before still being up four at half-time despite a late goal for Claremont from Tyron Smallwood.

Schofield then opened the second half with his second goal before Christian Ameduri kicked two in the space of five minutes and suddenly the upset was a real possibility with the Royals leading by 24 points.

That lead was out to 31 points by three quarter-time with Robertson kicking a second.

There was a brief Claremont flurry to start the fourth term with goals to Jack Buller and House, but it wouldn’t last and a third goal to Ameduri in spectacular fashion sealed the deal for the Royals who went on to win 10.12 (72) to 6.10 (46).

Reigning East Perth fairest and best winner Christian Ameduri played the role of a small forward on Saturday and did so impressively to kick three goals with debutant Tom Graham kicking two as did fourth-gamer Mitch Schofield and Nick Robertson.

Angus Schumacher racked up 34 possessions for East Perth, Hamish Brayshaw 33, Angus Scott 30, Damon Greaves 28, Stan Wright 23, Jacksom Ramsay 22, Kye Willcocks 22, Kyle Hamersley 22 and Harley Sparks 21.

Timm House was the only multiple goalscorer for Claremont kicking two goals while Jye Bolton finished with 27 possessions, Bailey Rogers 23, Ben Edwards, 18, Lachlan Martinis 18 and Jared Hardisty 18.
 

PERTH 7.9 (51) lost to WEST PERTH 17.10 (112)

West Perth kept its dominance rolling over Perth on Saturday winning by 61 points at Mineral Resources Park to maintain their hold over top spot on the WAFL ladder.

West Perth was able to hold Perth goalless in the first half and while the Demons showed some life in the third quarter with six goals, the Falcons remained in control and kicked seven themselves in the fourth to end up winning 17.10 (112) to 7.9 (51).

The Falcons have now won three in-a-row against the Demons but going back further its 22 of the past 23 following Saturday's win. And at Lathlain, West Perth has now won on its last 13 last visits against Perth and not lost in its last 18 with a draw in 2008 thrown in.

West Perth had dominated Perth for a long time and the way the game started wasn’t what the Demons were hoping for with the only two goals of the first term going the way of Falcons spearhead Tyler Keitel.

Perth had some chances but only kicked five behinds and it was more of the same in the second quarter.

Again, the Demons had some opportunities but only managed four behinds while West Perth added four more goals with two coming from Anton Hamp, Mitch Dobson ran into an open goal and Mark Hutchings marking his first game of 2022 with another.

West Perth had the only six goals of the first half to lead by 31 points but the Demons weren’t willing to go down without a fight.

Harry Quartermaine kicked two quick goals to start the second half and when he kicked a third to finish the quarter, the Demons had kicked six for the term to give themselves a sniff.

However, West Perth had also kicked four goals themselves to still be up by 22 points at three quarter-time.

The Falcons then again dominated the final term piling on another seven goals to one to wrap up the 17.10 (112) to 7.9 (51) victory to consolidate top spot on the WAFL ladder. 

West Perth co-captain Aaron Black produced one of the more remarkable performances of his 231-game career finishing with 30 possessions, 15 marks and four goals. It's the 77th time he's reached 30 touches in his career but the first time kicking four goals.

Tyler Keitel also kicked three goals for West Perth from 19 touches and seven marks with Mitch Antonio, Mitch Dobson and Anton Hamp all adding two majors.

Mark Hutchings kicked two goals as well for the Falcons to go with 27 touches in his first game of the season and 100th WAFL appearance of his career.

Shane Nelson also racked up 37 disposals for West Perth, Conal Lynch 27, Luke Meadows 22 and Tristan Hobley 20 while Troy Yukich had another 30 hit outs in the ruck.

Trent Manzone had another 27 touches in what was the 150th appearance of his career with West Perth to see him earn life membership.

Harry Quartermaine was impressive in attack for Perth kicking four goals from nine marks and seven kicks in the third league game of his career. Kristian Cary also kicked two goals.

Regan Clarke gathered 28 touches for Perth, Mitch Browne 25, Austin Davis 25, Matt Taylor 24 and Jye Clark 21.
 

WEST COAST EAGLES 13.12 (90) defeated SOUTH FREMANTLE 7.7 (49)

The West Coast Eagles snapped a 13-game losing streak with a commanding performance to beat South Fremantle by 41 points at Mineral Resources Park on Saturday night.

West Coast came into the game on Saturday evening yet to win in 2022 and on a 13-game losing streak dating back to last year coming up against a South Fremantle team on a three-game winning run and having played in the last three Grand Finals, and six preliminary finals.

However, the Eagles were boosted with the inclusions of Nic Naitanui, Greg Clark, Jackson Nelson and Sam Petrevski-Seton, and with the Bulldogs without ruckman Hamish Free, gun on-baller Jake Florenca, spearhead Mason Shaw and star defender Chad Pearson, the surprise result was in order.

West Coast kicked four goals to one in the first quarter and then the only three goals of the third term set them up for the eventual 13.12 (90) to 7.7 (49) victory.

It was a first win for the Eagles since Round 17 last year when they beat Perth while for South Fremantle it was a first defeat since going down to Swan Districts at Steel Blue Oval back in Round 6.

The presence of Nic Naitanui gave the game an added excitement factor and that was shown to have plenty of merit as he took the first centre bounce, kicked the game's first goal and gave the Eagles a spark as they chased a drought breaking victory.

Greg Clark was back for the Eagles WAFL team too and he kicked an early goal and Jackson Nelson was making his return from injury and he added another. West Coast had three goals in 11 minutes and the Bulldogs were shellshocked.

Isiah Winder added another for the Eagles too before South Fremantle eventually got on the board courtesy of tall forward Jimmy Miller.

But West Coast went into quarter-time on a high leading by 18 points which was again back out to 23 early in the second term when Jack Williams kicked truly.

South Fremantle needed to show some bark and they haven’t played in the last three Grand Finals for nothing, and they did finish the half strongly with goals to Brendon Ah Chee, Brandon Donaldson and then Blake Schlensog after the siren.

The Eagles were still leading by 13 points at the main break and then all but put the result beyond doubt by holding the Bulldogs scoreless in the third quarter while kicking another three goals themselves.

Four more goals to three in the last quarter and really for the entire second half the Eagles were never seriously threatened and recorded the emphatic streak breaking 13.12 (90) to 7.7 (49) victory.

Jack Williams ended up kicking three goals in the win for the Eagles with Jayden Johnstone also kicking two goals.

Nic Naitanui might have been on restricted minutes, but his impact for West Coast was immeasurable in his 17 possessions, 26 hit outs and two goals while Patrick Naish was superb with 25 touches, 14 marks and two goals.

Harry Edwards took a WAFL record 23 marks as well for West Coast to go with 30 possessions with Alex Witherden finishing with 27 touches, Xavier O'Neill 27, Greg Clark 27, Luke Foley 24, Josh Browne 23, Ethan Hansen 23 and Jackson Nelson 20.

Toby McQuilkin again did what he could down back for South Fremantle finishing with 21 possessions and six marks.

Glenn Byron also finished with 18 touches for the Bulldogs, Tom Blechynden 17, Dylan Main 17, Steve Verrier 16 and Aiden Hall 16.