Round 20 Match Report: East Perth v East Fremantle

East Perth vs East Fremantle Match Report
by Liam Maher

A wet and wild day at Lake Leederville set the scene for a big showdown between two finals contenders. The adverse weather meant a hard-fought effort was required for victory, and East Perth proved to be up for the challenge. The Royals secured a three-point win, (4.9 – 33) to East Fremantle (3.12 – 30), and kept their dreams of finishing atop the WAFL ladder alive. 

The wet and muddy ground was going to make for a slow and contested game of football. Both teams took to the challenge early as there was lots of clearance and stoppage work early. Neither side was able to take a clear advantage in the first quarter as both the Royals and the Sharks worked hard right across the ground to win contested ball.  

East Perth held the ball in their forward half for small periods but couldn’t find a goal. Much was the same for East Fremantle as both tried to fire as many shots as possible but struggled in the conditions. The Royals had the better of the chance early on as they were able to find a couple of marks in attack. They led this statistic (15 – 6) as they tried to create something to start the game. Tom Graham scored the opener of the game after receiving a free kick from 15 metres out directly and cooly converted the shot on goal. The result was all tied up after a very tough first quarter (1.3 – 9 to 1.3 – 9). 

As the second quarter started the teams seemed somewhat adjusted to the conditions. East Perth controlled the territory battle for the first half of the quarter. The pressure from the Royals’ defenders and contested ball wins from midfielders gave East Perth plenty of chances early to try to put a score on the board. Liam Tedesco had that breakthrough as he split the middle on a set shot to give the Royals a slight advantage.  

After that goal, the tables turned. East Fremantle now had all the run and attacking play, putting East Perth on the back foot. Under pressure, the Royals defender stood strong for the most part. Harrison Macreadie and Kye Willcocks still managed to make spoils and even reel in an intercept mark or two. Despite the Royals’ efforts, East Fremantle kept creating opportunities and eventually found the goal that gave them the lead at halftime (2.4 – 16 to 2.6 – 18).  Stan Wright was massive in the first half. He had 18 disposals which included 16 kicks as he worked hard to keep creating chances for his team. Scott Jones also put in a massive first-half performance. His 16 hit outs and 5 tackles assisted the team in trying to get on top in the contested ball battle. 

The rain had eased off to start the second half but the effect it had on the ground remained the same. A highly contested game with limited scoring opportunities, this game was going to be a scrap to the end. East Perth was able to add a little bit of run into their game in the third quarter, but their ball movement was well restricted by East Fremantle. The Royals may have been up to get the ball forward easier but creating chances was still a challenge. East Fremantle played an extra behind the ball and set up well to put a stop to many East Perth attacks. 

The Royals again had to deal with a lot of pressure in the third quarter. For the most part, East Perth were able to match the opposition. The tackle count was 38 to 36 and the inside 50 count was 11 to 12. Although the stats reflected an even contest, East Fremantle got on top of the scoreboard. East Fremantle managed to find the only goal of the third quarter which gave them the biggest lead (9 points) of the game heading into the final term (3.9 – 27 to 2.6 – 18). With one quarter to play, East Perth had a massive task set for them. 

The game was on in the final quarter. With plenty to play for, the intensity lifted from both sides as the atmosphere gave off a finals-type feeling. Both teams found some deep entries going forward to start but goals were still very hard to come by. East Perth made some positional and structural changes in attempts to win and retain the ball on attack. Neither team had scored a goal halfway through the quarter with both teams refusing to give in to another. It would take something special to break this deadlock and Tom North had the answer. A ball came North’s way, and he was able to gather, collect and compose himself to snap home a fantastic goal. This cut the margin down to two points with still plenty of time left for the Royals to reclaim the lead. 

East Perth had been courageous in the last quarter to fight their way back into the game. Another moment of brilliance was required to take the lead. Enter Harrison Macreadie. The defender who at times this season has played up forward found himself up there again with a chance to win the game. Macreadie got the ball beyond the 50 and with an open goal square looked toward goal. The ball bounced in favour of East Perth as Macreadie scored what would prove to be the deciding goal in the game. Although the Royals had taken their lead, there was still some time left on the clock. East Fremantle put it all the line to try and regain the lead, but East Perth refused to give in. Kye Willcocks was impressive down back again as he stopped a couple of East Fremantle attacks towards the end of the game. Tom North again provided a match-winning act right at the end of the game as he smothered a ball over the boundary line to ensure an East Perth victory (4.9 – 33 to 3.12 – 30). 

A hard-fought and well-earned victory for the Royals proves that this team is ready for finals football. There were so many fantastic individual performances on the day. Scott Jones was the pick of the bunch (20 disposals, 47 hit outs, 9 tackles). His efforts and hard-working attitude helped lift the team and provide the first use of the ball all day long. Michael Randall and Liam Tedesco both partnered well in an undermanned midfield with an identical stat line of 23 disposals, 9 tackles and 5 inside 50s apiece. A special mention to the defensive efforts of Christian Ameduri and Sam Van Diemen who recorded 16 and 13 tackles respectively. 

A massive win for the Royals means that next week’s final game of the season is for the top spot against Peel Thunder. With everything to play expect another final-like game in one of the games of the season. Get down to Sullivan Logistics Stadium on Saturday, August 24th for 2.30 pm and cheer on the team in the final game of the season before finals.