Royals Rally to Defeat Swans

The battle between the Royals and the Swans attracted a 4000-strong crowd to Steel Blue Oval for what was arguably the game of the round. In a tightly contested match, East Perth trailed by three goals at the end of the first term before bridging the margin to within one goal at the main break. The Royals never panicked and rallied in the third quarter to pinch the lead by five points and then drove it home in the final term booting three straight goals to record a 17-point victory.

Paul Johnson had an imposing presence with 39 hit-outs and collecting two goals. Jack Darling was on fire in his return to football after being sidelined by West Coast with stress fractures. He took seven momentum-shifting marks and scored five goals in his impressive 80-minute effort. Xavier Ellis was also prominent with eight marks of his own and 27 possessions. The win capped off a fantastic milestone for Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls who played his 100^th game for the black and blue. The win also means that East Perth are back inside the top five, but they will have to topple Peel on Sunday to cement themselves at the top end.

Peel defeated the Royals 70 to 47 in their round five clash and will go into the weekends match full of confidence and the home ground advantage down at Bendigo Bank Stadium. Both teams sit on equal points with five wins and five losses so far this season so it is sure to be a belter.