A win's a win!

Despite the dismal weather conditions and sub-par performance on Saturday afternoon, East Perth were able to get the job done 94 to 73 over the East Fremantle Sharks. The Royals have played much better football than they showcased on the weekend, however it was a massive turn around from their 55-point defeat to the Sharks in round 1.

East Fremantle opened the scoring on Saturday with two behinds, but the Royals found their feet and hit back with four goals in as many minutes. Hutchings and Newman were fantastic in helping East Perth take a commanding 23-point lead at the first break.

The Sharks went on the attack in the second quarter to outscore the Royals. East Fremantle’s pressure and quick movement of the ball helped break the Royal’s stride and although the Royals never looked too panicked, they didn’t make it easy for themselves with silly errors and avoidable turnovers.

East Fremantle continued their surge in the third quarter, opening the half with two consecutive goals. They created opportunities for themselves to get within 3 points of the lead, but the Royals refused to hand it over. Strong defence from Garry Moss and Tom Barrass kept things under wrap at the back, whilst Craig Wulff and Brendan Lee helped take the bite out of the Sharks attack with some critical goals right before three quarter time.

The Royals went into the final break with a 15-point advantage, but it was always going to be a fight to the end. East Perth are prone to a final quarter fade out with devastating defeats at the hands of West Perth and Peel, but they held it together until the final siren.

Corey Adamson and nineteen year old Damian Cavka both looked promising in their League debut. Adamson has been a dominant force for the Reserves outfit this year and proved his worthiness of the League call-up with 16 touches and a goal. Kane Lucas, Steven Payne and Mark Hutchings lead from the start and continued to do so in the second half with a combined total of 89 touches. Mitch Fraser was awarded as the club’s best on ground with 18 disposals and six marks. Brendan Lee and Craig Wulff also impressed with heavy involvement and quality leadership throughout the game.

After the gritty 21-point win, the Royals now have the chance to refresh and recoup for the back half of the competition. The Royals head into the bye with 6 wins and 6 losses and sit equal third on the ladder along with Swan Districts, Peel Thunder and South Fremantle. It’s been a topsy-turvy season so far for East Perth, however they remain strong contenders for a finals appearance. Our next match is against Swan Districts at Steel Blue Oval on July 4^th.