WAFL Match Report: Round Eighteen v South Fremantle

by Liam Maher

On a challenging day for football, East Perth struggled to find their rhythm, ultimately falling short against South Fremantle. The top-of-the-table team proved too strong, with East Perth never quite getting into the game. It was a disappointing result in the final home game of season going down by 47 points (4.4 – 28) to (11.9 – 75).

From the outset, it was clear that this would be a tough contest. Cold weather, rain, and a muddy ground set the scene for a challenging game. Nevertheless, both teams pushed on. The early stages saw a lot of slow, congested play, with both sides struggling to move the ball effectively. As expected, it was a high stoppage, contested ball affair.

Statistically, the teams were evenly matched, with both recording 82 possessions by the end of the quarter. However, South Fremantle showed better efficiency in working the ball forward. East Perth, on the other hand, found it difficult to create quality opportunities on goal, managing just a single point for the quarter, leaving the opposition with the early advantage (0.1 – 1) to (2.3 – 15).

East Perth needed to lift their intensity in the second quarter, but they struggled to find their rhythm. While they started winning more ball at stoppages and had enough possession to make an impact, their kicking and marking game failed to deliver. A lot of East Perth’s ball movement was stagnant, and despite having the ball for long periods, they couldn’t generate any significant momentum.

South Fremantle, in contrast, adjusted better and capitalised on their opportunities. The Royals’ defence was often stretched, allowing the opposition to create several high-quality scoring chances. Despite their efforts, East Perth was unable to register a score for the entire quarter, leaving them 40 points down at halftime, with just a single point to their name. With such a large deficit, the Royals would have needed an epic comeback to get back into the game (0.1 – 1) to (6.5 – 41)

For East Perth to make any progress in this game, a strong third quarter was essential. While their effort improved, their game style still fell short of the required standard. Credit to the defence, however, as they held South Fremantle to just one goal for the quarter. The Royals also found the scoreboard, kicking their first two goals of the game through Tyler Lindberg and Sam Van Diemen.

Despite this, it was yet another frustrating quarter for East Perth, as they struggled to gain any real momentum. While they reduced the margin slightly, they were still off the pace, heading into the final term needing nothing short of a remarkable comeback (2.4 – 16) to (7.7 – 49).

As the final quarter began, East Perth still held a glimmer of hope for a comeback. However, those hopes were dashed by South Fremantle, who kicked two early goals to put the margin beyond reach. It was a tough sight for Royals fans, as for the first time this season, it seemed the East Perth players dropped their heads and lacked the usual intensity.

Credit must go to South Fremantle, who professionally saw out the game and demonstrated why they sit at the top of the ladder. That said, the Royals will be deeply disappointed with their performance. Mitch Schofield and Liam Tedesco did manage to kick a couple of consolation goals to reduce the margin, but it was a heavy 47-point loss for East Perth in what was an unusually poor showing (4.4 – 28) to (11.9 – 75).

This was certainly not the result East Perth would have wanted, and it will be a tough one to bounce back from. However, there were still some solid individual performances on the day. Scott Jones once again dominated in the ruck, recording 54 hitouts along with 16 disposals and 10 tackles. Kye Willcocks was also among the team’s best in his 100th game (28 disposals, eight marks, four tackles), playing off half-back and well supported by Stan Wright (29 disposals, five marks, six tackles). Sam Van Diemen also continued his strong run of form (17 disposals, 11 tackles, one goal).

The result leaves East Perth stuck in 3rd spot on the ladder. They are six points behind Claremont with two games to go. The Royals and Claremont face each other in the last game of the season. This week, East Perth are headed down to Fremantle to take on East Fremantle at The Good Grocer Park. Another big test for the team, the game starts at 2.30 pm on Saturday, August 16th. Make the trip down to go and support the Royals as they look to return to the winners list this week.