Royals Report Round 19

From tall to small, young and old, the Royals produced an absolute classic against the Claremont Tigers last Saturday. Both sides were playing to keep their finals hopes alive and the Royals came out on top, taking home a big win and four crucial points going into next week's derby against West Perth.

East Perth got off to a blistering start with Benjamin Miller kicking the opening goal. Julian Ameduri’s forward pressure paid off, earning him a well-deserved goal off a smothered ball. Then just before the end of the first term Kyle Anderson was paid a 50 meter penalty, putting him within range to boot a long goal just inside the forward 50.

The Tigers came back in the second quarter but could have easily been ahead had they capitalized on their entries going forward. They booted three unanswered goals from strong contested marks, leaving the Royals goalless going into halftime. However, Jonathon Giles and Scott Jones dominated in the ruck, whilst midfielders Stanley Wright, Patrick McGinnity and Julian Ameduri were all impressive around contested balls, clearances and applied solid tackling pressure.

Patrick McGinnity got himself a captain’s goal in the opening of the third term to give his team a good confidence boost. In slippery and cold conditions, both teams seemed to find the scoreboard and went on a strong offensive push. The Tigers kicked four, but the Royals were better and put on six majors. Shayne Hille booted two, whilst debutant Mitchell Dobson put on a textbook display of marking bodywork to boot his first goal in league football.

The last term was an absolute thriller as the sun went down and an afternoon game, turned into a nighttime match. With both teams desperate, the game’s intensity shifted into sixth gear. Even though the Tigers kicked three goals in the last quarter, East Perth responded quickly. Tom Cole laid a tackle on the boundary line just outside the Royals forward 50, and Ben Miller cleaned up a loose ball to then sneak a goal home from long range on the wing. But it was big man Scott Jones, who took a heroic strong mark overhead to seal the game 74 to 70.

The Royals sit two games behind West Perth outside the top 5 on the league ladder. They take on West Perth next week at HBF Arena in another epic derby clash.

Goals: 2 B.Miller, S.Hille, 1 K.Anderson, P.McGinnity, S.Jones, F.McInnes, J.Ameduri, J Giles.

Best: J.Giles, S.Wright, S.Jones, C.Masten, B.Miller.