Round 9 Match Report: East Perth v West Perth

East Perth vs West Perth Match Report 
by Liam Maher

The WA Day Perth Derby Day saw East Perth head to Pentanet Stadium to take on the old enemy West Perth. A highly anticipated game lived up to expectations as the Royals clinched a 3-point victory over their rivals. 

East Perth looked good from the start bringing a high-pressure and attacking game style right up to the Falcons. East Perth’s pressure and class around stoppages translated to turnovers by the opposition and plenty of opportunities to hit the scoreboard. 

East Perth utilised the give-and-go handball to great effect in the first quarter and hit the scoreboard consistently. The stats proved the game plan was working leading the handball count 53 -37 and the inside 50 count 14-10. The Royals converted from half of their inside 50s scoring five goals and two behinds for the quarter.  

Despite conceding the first goal, the Royals went on to kick the next four in a row. Sandon Page slotted the first to start the game positively. Milestone man Tom Medhat (50 WAFL Matches) scored the next two before ruckman Scott Jones snuck forward to snap his third goal of the season, opening a two-goal lead at the first break. 

Corey Watts led the backline well with numerous defensive acts highlighted by a big smother up on the wing to halt West Perth’s attack. 

The second quarter proved more challenging for the Royals. The ball lived in West Perth’s forward half at the beginning of the quarter. East Perth struggled to move the ball out of their defensive 50, regularly kicking to opposition players. 

East Perth’s backline stayed strong under repeat forward 50 entries to limit the scoreboard damage. Some impressive intercept marking stopped numerous West Perth attacks. West Perth’s inaccuracy also helped keep the score down as they kicked seven behinds for the quarter. 

When given the chance, East Perth were able to transition the ball quickly from defence to attack. The Royal’s first goal of the quarter came off the back of a fantastic effort by Christian Ameduri. The co-captain spoiled a kick through the middle of the ground, gathered the ball, ran towards goal and finished from around 40 metres out.  

Liam Tedesco and Sam Van Diemen were the other goal-scorers for the quarter. Van Diemen looked impressive in his first game back from suspension collecting 14 disposals and two goals in the first half.  

The game was shaping up as a great battle with only one goal separating the teams at half time - East Perth 8.3 (51) to West Perth 6.9 (45). 

The third quarter saw the game slow up, as East Perth set up well behind the ball, restricting West Perth’s ball movement. Corey Watts and Jacob Msando led by example, consistently taking intercept marks under pressure. 

West Perth began to gain momentum and kicked three goals in a row to claim a two-goal lead. The Royals hit back with a late goal off the boot of Liam Tedesco, lacing one from outside 50. Credit goes to Riley Saunders who set up the goal after laying a big tackle in the middle of the ground, before hitting the pinpoint pass to set up Tedesco’s goal.  

That effort and intensity needed to continue heading into the last quarter as East Perth trailed by one goal at the final break, 10.7 (67) to 10.13 (73). 

The game opened up in the fourth quarter as both teams played a more free-flowing style of football. A tactical move by East Perth saw gun defender Harrison Macreadie play forward for the final term. This proved effective as he kicked the first goal of the quarter which was quickly followed by another courtesy of Hamish Brayshaw, to give the Royals a five-point advantage early in the term. 

West Perth started to get on top, creating better opportunities going forward. Once again, the East Perth defenders were able to withstand the pressure from the opposition to maintain the lead.  

West Perth finally scored a goal through Jack DeMarte, gaining the lead late in the quarter, before Macreadie struck again with a snap from a deep forward entry that found its way to the goal.  

It was a tense final few minutes of the game as West Perth tried to steal the win. The Royals didn’t give in and ran out the game three-point winners 13.8 (86) to 11.17 (83). 

The result came down to moments late in the game. Jacob Msando running back with the flight to take an intercept mark and Tom Medhat taking a contested mark on the wing proved decisive moments in securing the Royals 5th win in a row. It was their first win against West Perth at Pentanet Stadium since 2017. 

Mitch Crowden starred in the midfield as he amassed 38 disposals, including 27 kicks and eight inside 50s. He was not alone as fellow midfielders Angus Scott (27 disposals, six marks) and Hamish Brayshaw (21 disposals, six Inside 50s) also played a pivotal role in securing victory. 

Christian Ameduri stood up and put in a great captain’s performance on his way to 16 disposals, 8 insides and 3 tackles. Tom Medhat’s 50th game was capped off with the win, as he put on a strong display up forward with 13 disposals, including 10 marks and two goals. 

East Perth now sits first on the ladder with a seven wins one loss record. They are back at home when they take on Claremont on Sunday 10th of June at 2.10 pm at Sullivan Logistics Stadium. Come on down to the game to watch as the Royals look to solidify their position atop the WAFL Ladder.