WAFL Match Report: Round Eight v West Perth

by Liam Maher

It was a great WA Day at Sullivan Logistics Stadium as East Perth celebrated a comprehensive victory over arch-rivals West Perth. Although the conditions were tough, the Royals were up to the challenge, learning from the East Fremantle game the week before, playing a great brand of wet-weather footy to bank an important win that lifts them to second on the ladder (12.11 – 83) to (5.8 – 38).

It took the Royals a little while to settle into the game as heavy rain greeted the teams at the first bounce of the day. Once adjusted to the conditions, East Perth started to take control of the contest early in the game. While forced into slow, methodical ball movement at times, they still dominated territory and field position. The stats reflected this with an inside 50 count of 18 to five for the quarter.

Despite this dominance in field position, East Perth went into the first break down by five points as they failed to create scoring opportunities (1.3 – 9) to (2.2 – 14). It was clear that the intent and effort were high from the Royals and more football like this would see the team come out on top. Two notable performances in the first quarter were Scott Jones amassing 17 hitouts and Christian Ameduri laying five tackles.

The Royals began to turn territory into scoreboard pressure in the second term. Cleaner ball movement up the ground opened the game, and East Perth took advantage. Enhanced efficiency within the 50-meter arc resulted in six scoring attempts from eleven entries, achieving a commendable conversion rate despite the slippery conditions.

The Royals put on 5 goals to 1 in the second quarter to open a 16-point buffer heading into halftime (6.4 – 40) to (3.6 – 24). East Perth had adjusted their game style well in trying conditions and put themselves in a great position at the main break.

East Perth looked to put the game beyond doubt after half-time, producing another five-goal quarter to seize full control. Sam van Diemen got things rolling with a goal in the first 30 seconds, and the Royals just keep rolling from there. The team’s pressure around stoppages, strong aerial presence and precision kicking were all on display as they proved to be a class above their opposition.

The Royals were ruthless with their entries again, generating seven scoring shots from 10 inside 50s. East Perth simply outworked West Perth across the ground and were rewarded with a 34-point lead heading into the final quarter (11.6 – 72) to (5.8 – 38).

East Perth started the final quarter in control again as they looked to finish strong. Without playing their cleanest football, the Royals professionally closed out the match. A few missed chances stopped the margin from blowing out further. Still, East Perth dictated the pace of the game and ran out the contest with maturity and physicality.

Sam Van Diemen stood out again, kicking the only goal of the quarter, his fourth for the day, and nearly another spectacular goal as a banana right on the boundary was inches away from going through. East Perth kept their opponents scoreless in the final quarter to run out 45-point winners in a successful WA Day Derby (12.11 – 83) to (5.8 – 38).

A great game to cap off Round 8 of WAFL action left plenty of Royals’ fans with smiles on their faces despite the cold, wet weather. Sam Van Diemen played his best game for the season in a dominant display up forward with 21 disposals and four goals. Scott Jones put on another ruck masterclass with 57 hitouts to go along with 14 disposals and four tackles. Liam Tedesco (25 disposals, six marks, four tackles, one goal) was impressive all day alongside Angus Scott and Tom North, who both racked up plenty of the footy (30 disposals each).

The win was great for East Perth, taking their learning from the week before to play a great brand of wet-weather footy the following week. The Royals are now back to 2nd on the ladder, headed into a bye. A break will come in handy as their next game is a trip down to Fremantle to take on the top of the table side, South Fremantle. The game should be ripper, so get down to Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Saturday, 14th of June to watch the Royals in action.