Round 13 McDonald's WAFL Wrap UpTuesday, June 21, 2016 - 2:00 PM - by Chris Pike

SUBIACO and South Fremantle cemented their spots on top of the WAFL with strong Sunday Round 13 victories following the state game while West Perth won a seventh straight and East Perth kept its finals hopes alive.

Following the WAFL's record 134-point state game victory over Tasmania at Steel Blue Oval, the season resumed on Saturday with East Perth defeating Perth 14.18 (102) to 10.6 (66) at Medibank Stadium and West Perth held off Claremont 14.10 (94) to 14.7 (91) at the Claremont Showground.

Then on Sunday, Subiaco thumped East Fremantle 16.14 (110) to 5.2 (32) at ATOM Stadium and South Fremantle defeated Peel Thunder 15.11(101) to 10.9 (69) at Bendigo Bank Stadium.

The results see Subiaco jump to the top of the ladder at 9-3 less than half a per cent ahead of the 9-2 South Fremantle. West Perth (8-4) now is in third place ahead of East Fremantle (7-5) and Peel Thunder (7-5).

East Perth (5-7) sits outside the top five ahead of Claremont (3-8), Perth (3-8) and Swan Districts (1-10).

Click here for the summary of Round 13 of the WAFL 

TEAM OF THE WEEK (club, times named)
BACK: Xavier Ellis (EP, 1), Haydn Busher (C, 1), Garrick Ibbotson (PT, 1)
HALF-BACK: Tendai Mzungu (PT, 1), Lennon Marlin (P, 1), Greg Broughton (S, 3)
CENTRE: Ed Langdon (PT, 1), Chris Phelan (S, 3), Jared Hardisty (C, 1)
HALF-FORWARD: Steve Potente (WP, 1), Zac Strom (SF, 1), Braden Fimmano (S, 1)
FORWARD: Scott Lycett (EP, 1), Hamish Shepheard (S, 3), Lewis Krakouer (EF, 1)
RUCK: Brock Higgins (SF, 2), Shane Nelson (WP, 6), Adam Cockie (S, 3)
INTERCHANGE: Tom Ledger (C, 1), Jay van Berlo (WP, 2), Patrick McGinnity (EP, 3), Clancy Wheeler (S, 3)

PLAYER OF THE WEEK – BROCK HIGGINS
South Fremantle ruckman Brock Higgins missed the opening six games of the season with a calf injury. The Bulldogs covered his absence well with Josh Branchi holding down his spot but Higgins has returned strongly since the reclaim the No. 1 ruck role.

Then on Saturday, Higgins took full advantage of a Peel Thunder side missing its contingent of tall Fremantle players to put in as dominant a display from a ruckman that you are likely to see.

Higgins finished the game with 28 possessions, 46 hit outs and four tackles while also being the dominant clearance player in the contest.

Peel's debutant teenager Nick Merritt battled hard but proved no match for Higgins' size, experience and grunt.

Higgins is now in his third season with South Fremantle after crossing from East Perth and with his big heart to take on multiple opponents on a regular basis by doing the majority of the ruck work on his own make him an important part of the Bulldogs' push for success in 2016.

THE SHINING LIGHTS
Shane Nelson was outstanding again in the midfield for West Perth with another 34 possessions, 11 tackles, 10 marks and a goal.

Aaron Black also worked hard for 30 disposals with captain Jay van Berlo terrific with 21 possessions, seven inside-50 entries and five tackles. Rohan Kerr shook off an early tag from Tom Shanahan to end the afternoon with 23 touches and eight marks.

Steve Potente put in a strong performance for West Perth ending up with 18 possessions, eight inside-50 entries, eight marks and five tackles including two spectacular high flying grabs in the final term defying his size.

Aidan Lynch was another to work hard for the Falcons with 16 disposals and 13 tackles.

Andrew Strijk kicked three goals for West Perth with Max Duffy booting two from 17 touches after a particularly encouraging first half. Luke Meadows moved forward in the second quarter to boot two goals as well.

Dean Munns got the tagging job again on Simpson Medallist Jye Bolton and did well limiting him to 17 possessions after he racked up 46 in last week's state game win over Tasmania.

Claremont finished with 72 more disposals for the game than West Perth and had plenty of huge ball winners led by Tom Ledger with 35 possessions, nine marks and a goal.

Jared Hardisty returned from a week in the reserves to rack up 35 disposals and 12 marks on the ball while captain Jake Murphy finished with 26 possessions, Tom Shanahan 25, Keifer Yu 24 and Justin Speed 21 (10 tackles).

Haydn Busher returned from the reserves and was given the job on Michael Lourey at full-back and not only did he keep him to one goal, but did well offensively with 23 possessions and five marks. Bailey Rogers also had 23 possessions and 11 marks from defence.

Jack Richardson and Beau Maister kicked three goals apiece for the Tigers with Harrison McCracken booting two along with Jack Bradshaw. Ian Richardson worked hard off half-forward for 24 possessions and nine marks.

The Royals had to work hard to overcome a committed Demons outfit, but in the end East Perth had a bit more polish and experience to kick seven goals to three in the final term to run away with the important win.

All eyes were on Scott Lycett after he was dropped by West Coast for disciplinary reasons and he didn’t disappoint on return to East Perth finishing with 26 possessions, eight marks, 27 hit outs and a goal.

Usual defender Mitch Brown also got forward to kick two goals for East Perth with his West Coast defender Eric Mackenzie holding together the defensive unit with 13 touches and four marks.

Tom Lamb and Malcolm Karpany kicked two goals apiece for East Perth as well.

Xavier Ellis was another player to respond well to being demoted by the Eagles finishing with 29 possessions and nine marks for the Royals while Patrick McGinnity had 25 disposals, Kane Lucas 22, Jackson Nelson 20, Corey Adamson 18, Brant Colledge 18 and Paddy Brophy 18.

Clint Jones continued his outstanding form in the midfield for Perth ending the afternoon with another 35 possessions, seven marks and a goal.

Liam McKenna also gathered 29 disposals, Aidan Tropiano 26, Brett Wolfenden 19 and Michael Sinclair 19 with ruckman Angus Graham battling hard for 12 touches, eight marks and 30 hit outs up against both Scott Lycett and Paul Johnson.

Kristian Cary and Sam Garstone both kicked two goals apiece for Perth while Brent Latch and Lennon Marlin fought hard in defence, with Marlin also ending up with 22 possessions and nine marks.

South Fremantle lost its last up effort prior to the state game to East Fremantle and lost dangerous half-forwards Haiden Schloithe and Blaine Johnson in the process.

Then during the game against Peel in Mandurah on Sunday, star veteran Ashton Hams injured a calf and reliable defender Adam McIntosh broke a bone in his lower leg, but the Bulldogs still did well to finish over the top of the Thunder who had won their last three matches.

South Fremantle ruckman Brock Higgins was far and away the most dominant player on the ground finishing with 28 possessions, 46 hit outs and four tackles.

Peel was missing Fremantle big men Zac Clarke, Jack Hannath, Tanner Smith and Michael Apeness, and then Matthew Uebergang injured a hamstring early in the game on Sunday.

Debutant Nick Merritt fought hard against Higgins for 15 touches and 13 hit outs but was ultimately no match despite the 18-year-old sure to greatly benefit from the experience.

Tim Kelly continued his terrific form in the midfield for the Bulldogs with 22 possessions, seven inside-50 entries and six tackles while Shane Hockey finished with 20 disposals and six tackles, Steven Verrier 17 possessions and five tackles, Tim Stewart 17 touches and six tackles.

Shaun Bewick earned his spot back in the South Fremantle team and played well for 15 possessions and two goals with Jacob Martinez playing his first game since Round 2 and delivering 17 disposals, eight tackles and a goal.

Despite the wet conditions, South Fremantle's forward-line was productive with Ben Saunders kicking three goals, Zac Strom three and Mason Shaw two. Small forward Brandon Donaldson made his debut and looked lively and went on to kick the last goal of the game.

Ed Langdon was the standout player for Peel finishing the afternoon with 25 possessions, 10 marks and five goals.

Peel might have been missing the majority of its usual brigade of Fremantle big men, but they were well stocked with Dockers ball winners along with Langdon. Tendai Mzungu racked up 29 possessions, Brady Grey 20, Clancee Pearce 19 and Matt de Boer 17.

Garrick Ibbotson returned from injury and had to play a key defensive role and worked hard ending up with 24 possessions and nine marks.

Rory O'Brien battled away on the ball for the Thunder with a game-high 31 possessions while Brayden Lawler collected 23 disposals and Brad Walsh 22.

Subiaco's midfield dominated with East Fremantle struggling to cover for the absence of Cameron Eardley, George Hampson and Liam Anthony.

Chris Phelan racked up 31 possessions for Subiaco, Craig Hoskins 23, Leigh Kitchin 21, Kyal Horsley 20 and Adam Cockie 20 to go with 11 tackles and three goals.

Greg Broughton was outstanding off half-back for the Lions ending the game with 29 possessions, eight marks and a goal.

Hamish Shepheard booted another three goals to maintain his lead in the Bernie Naylor Medal race with Braden Fimmano playing what was likely the best game of his league career with 21 disposals and two goals.

Subiaco big men Clancy Wheeler and Lachlan Delahunty both kicked two goals apiece as well for the Lions with Wheeler particularly prominent with 19 possessions, six marks and five inside-50 entries as well.

Subiaco premiership defenders Wayde Twomey (19 possessions) and Jordan Lockyer (15 touches) both made strong returns as well while Sean Bradley held down the ruck for much of the day with 15 disposals and 17 hit outs.

It proved to be a day largely to forget for East Fremantle with the Sharks missing a chance to move into the top two and instead falling a game behind the third placed West Perth, and two behind Subiaco and South Fremantle.

One bright spot for the Sharks was the debut of small forward Lewis Krakouer who ended up kicking three goals from five kicks.

Brock O'Brien kicked East Fremantle's other two goals to go with 24 possessions, six marks and four tackles.

Jayden Schofield worked hard for East Fremantle ending up with 25 disposals and 10 marks while Tim Bristow finished with 22 disposals and eight tackles. 

RESERVES STANDOUTS
Then in the reserves, Claremont won a thriller over West Perth with Eddie Simpson kicking a long behind after the siren for the one-point win. He took the mark just before the siren and then took his shot from outside 50 and while West Perth was able to touch it on the line, they couldn’t stop it going through for the winning behind.

Ben Higgs, Chris Oakley and Gerrick Weedon all kicked three goals each for Claremont with Rowen Powell racking up 31 possessions, Morgan Davies 25, John Williams 22, Toby Plant 22, Anton Hamp 22, David Ehlers 20, Jacob Sideris 19 and Dylan Ross 19.

Jordan Mills kicked three goals from six kicks for West Perth with Joel Leeson returning from injury to kick two to go with 21 possessions. Matt Fowler also booted two goals for the Falcons in his first game since Round 1.

Mitch Antonio picked up 27 possessions for the Falcons while Mitch Peirce ended the afternoon with 23 disposals, James Batterham 21, Conal Lynch 18 and Alexander Coe 18.

Ruckman Chris Keunen played his fourth game in the reserves back from a fractured leg and had 19 possessions, five marks, 29 hit outs and a goal for West Perth.

East Perth's reserves defeated Perth 15.13 (103) to 9.12 (66) at Medibank Stadium.

Nathan Eaton, Matthew Allen and Agid Gardoud all kicked three goals apiece for the Royals with Asher Samelko booting two.

Nathan Blee responded to being dropped with 28 possessions for East Perth with Jordan Snadden collecting 28 disposals, Julian Ameduri 26, Tom Omodei 22, Daniel Perkins 21, Will Young 21, Allen 20 and Jamie Bennell 20.

Brennan Stack kicked four goals for Perth and Clint Chivers three with Kurtis Chester collecting 24 possessions, Ashley Boyes 22, Mitch Browne 21, Jacob Payne 20, Kasey Nicholas 18 and Kodie Fleay 18.

And then in the reserves matches, South Fremantle scored a thumping 22.11 (143) to 10.6 (66) win over Peel Thunder.

Jesse Mirco kicked six goals for the Bulldogs to go with 22 possessions and seven marks while Noah Strom booted five majors, Tyson Pickett three and Brendan Verrier.

Josh Pullman returned from injury with 21 possessions and 14 marks while Brayden Andrews racked up 27 disposals, James Laurino 24, Dylan Main 24 and ruckman Josh Branchi 19 along with five marks, 33 hit outs and a goal.

Haydn Matthews was a strong performer for Peel with 20 disposals and three goals while Jakob Janzekovic kicked two goals.

East Fremantle won a much tighter reserves contest over Subiaco winning 10.6 (66) to 9.11 (65).

Jacob Green kicked three goals for the Sharks, Andrew Stokes two and Jesse Adamini two to go with 20 possessions.

Dion Anthony racked up 33 disposals for East Fremantle, Conor Regan 29, Tyler Chalwell 27, Tom Marshall 21, Aiden Anthony 19, Matthew Bannister 18 and Tom Bennett 18.

Hayden Yarran kicked three goals for Subiaco and Jeremy Woodley two with Matt Bogensperger gathering 32 possessions, Max Walters 27 and returning premiership defender Daniel Leishman 26.

REDiMED COLTS RISING STARS
Earlier on Saturday in the RediMed Colts, Claremont scored a comfortable 6.11 (47) to 2.4 (16) victory over West Perth at the Showground.

Josh Bennett racked up 27 possessions to go with nine tackles, five marks and a goal for Claremont with Tyson England finishing with 19 disposals, Ben Rushforth 18, Josh Houwen 18 and Oliver Eastland 17.

Alec Johnson and Kurt Hindmarsh were West Perth's goal kickers with Zac Guadagnin finishing with 24 possessions, Nick Marinovich 23, Joel Horgan 21, Connor West 20, Oliver Kidd 20, Josh Romanelli 20 and ruckman Oscar Allen 17 to go with 35 hit outs and four tackles.

Perth's colts won a thriller over East Perth 9.8 (62) to 8.11 (59) at Medibank Stadium.

Cody Ninyette was the star for Perth with 23 possessions, seven inside-50 entries, five tackles and two goals.

Chris Leonard also finished with 21 disposals for the Demons, Kristian Morisey 20, Bradley Pattison 20 and Joseph Ugle 18.

Mitch Dobson racked up 26 possessions for East Perth while Ben Miller compiled 22 disposals, Christian Ameduri 21, Jalen Hoffman 18 and Connor De Campo 18.

The RediMed Colts action started on Sunday with South Fremantle beating Peel Thunder 13.14 (92) to 4.7 (31) at Bendigo Bank Stadium.

Andre Coutinho kicked three goals for South Fremantle, Antionne Forrest-Yarran two and Jarren Colpitts two.

Daniel Burke racked up 29 possessions for the Bulldogs, Kyle Russell 27, Zac De San Miguel 26, Caleb Datson 26, Bruno Faulkner 22, Dylan Brown 20, Bodhi Corner 19 and Chad Pearson 18.

Jimmy Miller (15 touches, six marks, 13 hit outs) and Jacob Warne (14 disposals, 19 hit outs) both did well sharing the ruck duties.

Fletcher Klasztorny kicked two of Peel's four goals while Michael Humble gathered 24 possessions, Brandon Penny 23, Alex Cohen 22, Cruze Wilson 20, Jackson Capurso 19 and Jakeb Shine 18.

East Fremantle's colts beat Subiaco 10.8 (68) to 6.7 (43) at ATOM Stadium with Matthew Burton the dominant player on the ground with 31 possessions and two goals.

Dylan Campbell kicked three goals as well for the Sharks and Hamish Rodgers two with Ben Harding gathering 21 possessions, Corey Holmes 20, James Valentine 18 and Liam Rajanayagam 18.

Corey Young booted four of Subiaco's six goals with Jack Beverley compiling 28 possessions, Jacob Miller 26 and Aaron Breman 23