Royal Flush

East Perth had a field day on Sunday afternoon winning all three grades infront of a 3,000 strong crowd at Medibank Stadium. Teenager Tom Lamb kicked the winning goal in the final minute of the match to seal the victory for the mighty Royals. East Perth now move to outright fourth on the ladder and look promising for a final five finish. The win for the Reserves means they maintain fifth spot on the table and are two wins clear of Claremont in sixth. The Colts boys also pulled off a hard-fought win, but they face an uphill battle if they're to make a bid for the finals. It has been a topsy turvy season for East Perth, but they are gaining momentum at a pivotal point in the competition. It will be a testing run home, however a win against Claremont this weekend should provide some desireable breathing space for the Royals.

The first quarter of the derby was hotly contested, but East Perth had overriding control. Young gun, Tom Lamb continued his goal scoring spree from last week with the Royal's first six pointer of the afternoon. East Perth's run of play through the midfield was efficiently fluent and they were rock solid in defence. The Falcons were slow off the mark only managing one goal in the opening 50 minutes of the match. East Perth had the upper hand to lead by 14 at the first break.

It took 20 minutes for the first goal of the second quarter to be scored and it was West Perth's Aaron Black who broke the drought. The Falcons had plenty of chances to steal the lead, but poor accuracy cost them dearly. East Perth dropped the ball in the second quarter with their lead slipping to just 5 at the main break.

The Royals exploded from the blocks in the second half with Scotty Lycett booting a goal in less 30 seconds. The big man's goal was the catalyst for a dominant display of footy from the Royals in the third quarter, outscoring the Falcons 28 to 14. With a 19 point advatage at the final break, East Perth remained cool and composed. Bitter memories from their round 8 upset to the falcons was no doubt lingering.

They did it last week against Claremont and they tried it again on Sunday against the Royals, but the Falcons weren't able to stage another one of their classic final quarter comebacks. East Perth scored seven points in the opening five minutes of the final term, but the next twenty minutes belonged to West Perth. The Falcons dictated the play and seemed to have runners all over the pitch scoring 29 points in fifteen minutes to steal the lead with five minutes left on the clock. The Royals were desparate for an answer and thankfully it came in the final forty seconds through a brilliantly contested mark by Tom Lamb. The crowd was dead silent as the West Coast draftee lined up for his fourth shot on goal for the afternoon. The youngster powered one straight through the uprights from 45 metres out to win the game, the derby and the Jeremy Silcock shield for the third year in a row.

Patrick McGinnity (30), Brendan Lee (28) and Steven Payne (28) were exceptional for East Perth with a combined total of 86 disposals. Paul Johnson was also impressive with 27 hit-outs and two goals to help steer the Royals to their third consecutive win. Attention will now turn to Saturday's clash against the Claremont Tigers who sit in fifth position after a big win against Swans District.