TABtouch Team of Round 5Wednesday, May 2, 2018 - 10:36 AM - by Chris Pike

ROUND 5 of the WAFL was played across Saturday and Sunday and right across Western Australia with South Fremantle, West Perth, Swan Districts and East Perth all coming away with impressive victories.

The round got underway with two matches in the traditional 2.15pm time slot on Saturday with West Perth beating Perth 17.11 (113) to 6.15 (51) at Lathlain Park and Swan Districts thumping East Fremantle 22.17 (149) to 9.5 (59) at Steel Blue Oval.

The final match on Saturday took place at Albany's Centennial Stadium in the tightest match of the weekend with South Fremantle finishing strongly to defeat Claremont 12.13 (85) to 8.10 (58).

The round concluded on Sunday at Leederville Oval with East Perth winning a third straight game defeating reigning premiers Peel Thunder 21.8 (134) to 10.8 (68).

Subiaco remains clear on top of the WAFL ladder after five rounds despite the bye with a 4-0 record and percentage of 259.1.

South Fremantle (3-1) now sits in second position with three straight victories ahead of West Perth (3-2), East Perth (3-1) and Swan Districts (3-2).

Peel Thunder (1-3) is sixth ahead of Perth (1-4), Claremont (1-3) and East Fremantle (1-4).

TABtouch TEAM OF THE ROUND (times named)
BACK: Anton Hamp (1), Haydn Busher (2), Nick Suban (1)
HALF-BACK: Blake Wilhelm (2), Will Schofield (2), Ben Hancock (2)
CENTRE: Corey Chalmers (1), Rhys Palmer (2), Kane Mitchell (2)
HALF-FORWARD: Patrick McGinnity (1), Corey Gault (1), Brandon Donaldson (2)
FORWARD: Matthew Allen (1), Tyler Keitel (2), Andrew Strijk (3)
RUCK: Michael Lourey (1), Shane Hockey (3), Mark Hutchings (1)
INTERCHANGE: Julian Ameduri (2), Warrick Wilson (1), Kris Shannon (1), Shayne Hille (1)

BACK POCKET – ANTON HAMP (Claremont)
The veteran of 112 games had a slow start to the 2018 season and even found himself in the reserves in Round 1 to build some form and fitness, but he's got back to some strong form as a key defender since including a tremendous game on Saturday in Albany where he limited South Fremantle's Mason Shaw to just five kicks, three marks and three behinds. He had 10 touches and four marks himself.

FULL-BACK – HAYDN BUSHER (Claremont)
Over the last 18 months since being made into a permanent defender, he has emerged as perhaps the best in the business in the WAFL having started his career at both Perth and Claremont splitting his time between a forward, a big-bodied midfielder or wingman or pinch-hit ruckman. But now down back he is proving tremendous at shutting down opponents, taking intercept marks and setting up play. On Saturday in Albany he restricted Ben Saunders to five kicks and one goal while having 22 possessions and nine marks himself.

BACK POCKET – NICK SUBAN (South Fremantle)
The former Fremantle veteran of 156 AFL games had some big shoes to fill on arrival at South Fremantle this year taking on the No. 8 jumper from Tim Kelly. But the triple WAFL premiership player always loomed as a terrific signing and he has delivered so far over the opening four games both in terms of production and leadership, and down back and through the middle. Against Claremont in Albany on Saturday, he had another good performance with 18 possessions, three marks and three tackles.

HALF-BACK FLANK – BLAKE WILHELM (West Perth)
With Kody Manning out injured and Andrew Strijk playing up forward, West Perth needed someone to fill that void across half-back of being the man to set up play and he did a terrific job. He virtually was allowed to do as he pleased all afternoon for the Falcons by Perth and finished with 26 possessions, seven marks and four tackles.

CENTRE HALF-BACK – WILL SCHOFIELD (East Perth)
The West Coast Eagles veteran of 165 games might not be able to quite break into the strong AFL team at the moment, but he couldn’t be doing any more at WAFL level with East Perth at centre half-back. He was another dominant presence for the Royals in Sunday's 66-point victory against Peel Thunder with 27 possessions, six marks and five inside-50 entries.

HALF-BACK FLANK – BEN HANCOCK (Peel Thunder)
The Peel Thunder premiership player from last year has only just turned 22 years of age and has started the 2018 season in career-best form settling into a role playing across half-back. He again was a steadying factor in a back-line under siege against East Perth on Sunday and gave some good drive with 19 possessions, seven tackles, five marks and four inside-50 entries.

WING – COREY CHALMERS (West Perth)
Having had to build some form and fitness in the reserves to start to the season, he is right back to the prolific ball-winning form he showed for the majority of the 2017 season for the Falcons. He finished with 35 possessions, eight marks and four inside 50s in Saturday's 62-point victory against Perth.

CENTRE – RHYS PALMER (Swan Districts)
Following his AFL career, the East Fremantle product signed with Swan Districts for 2018 rather than return to the Sharks after his former club loaded up on other recruits out of the AFL system. Whether he was irked by that or not, the reality is he has started the season in brilliant form for Swans and delivered another big effort on Saturday against East Fremantle with 28 possessions, six marks, four tackles and a goal.

WING – KANE MITCHELL (Claremont)
The Sandover Medal winner from 2012 and dual Claremont premiership player returned for Claremont in Albany on Saturday and showed that he is every bit as prolific a performer now for the Tigers as he was prior to his AFL career with Port Adelaide. The Tigers might have lost but he ended up with 33 possessions, seven tackles and five marks. 

HALF-FORWARD FLANK – PATRICK McGINNITY (East Perth)
The East Perth co-captain put in a tremendous performance to help his team to the 66-point win over Peel on Sunday both when playing on the ball and then in the forward-line. He finished the game with 27 possessions, eight marks, four tackles, three inside-50 entries and four goals to also earn recognition as the M & J Chickens Player of the Round.

CENTRE HALF-FORWARD – COREY GAULT (Swan Districts)
The reigning fairest and best winner at Swan Districts put in a best on ground showing against East Fremantle on Saturday at Steel Blue Oval. He kicked four goals in the first half to set the tone for the eventual 90-point victory with the versatile big man also finishing with 23 possessions, 11 marks and 14 hit outs.

HALF-FORWARD FLANK – BRANDON DONALDSON (South Fremantle)
Having spent the first two games in the reserves for 2018, he has now delivered two outstanding performances at league level for the Bulldogs playing as a small forward with stints in the midfield where he's shown his development too. The small left-footer had a big say in the Bulldogs' win over Claremont in Albany with 24 disposals, five marks, four tackles and two goals.

FORWARD POCKET – MATTHEW ALLEN (East Perth)
The left-footer is a classy, clever and dangerous forward with all the tools to be a standout performer at WAFL level and even in the AFL if his body allows. He just hasn’t got on the field enough to show what he can do on a regular basis but when fit and firing, he's a tremendous mark on the lead, can take a contested mark, is clever at ground and a good finisher. He was outstanding for East Perth in Sunday's win kicking five goals from 19 possessions and eight marks.

FULL-FORWARD – TYLER KEITEL (West Perth)
Following a slow start to the season where he didn’t kick a goal in the opening two rounds against Claremont and East Perth, he is back to his ominous form of last year as a strong marking key forward for West Perth. He had kicked seven goals against Perth at Lathlain Park last year and followed that up on Saturday with five goals from 15 kicks and 11 marks.

FORWARD POCKET – ANDREW STRIJK (West Perth)
He returned to the West Perth line-up after missing the win against Swan Districts and was moved forward in the absence of Kody Manning and dominated from the outset. He looked a cut above the rest of the players on the field and certainly any of his Perth defenders and did as he pleased. Only his four behinds stopped him an even bigger day out that saw him end with 24 disposals, 15 marks and three goals.

RUCK – MICHAEL LOUREY (West Perth)
With Chris Keunen demoted to the reserves and Tyler Keitel and Mark Hamilton settled in their roles in key posts at either end of the ground, he was West Perth's only ruck option on Saturday against Perth and he held up his end of the deal nicely. Having only ever pinch-hit in the ruck previously, the usual forward finished the day with 19 possessions, 27 hit outs, four tackles and a goal.

RUCK ROVER – SHANE HOCKEY (South Fremantle)
The 2016 South Fremantle fairest and best winner is perhaps in even better form now to start 2018 showing he could indeed be the best replacement on the ball for the Bulldogs this season for Tim Kelly. He has been ultra consistent over the opening four games and had another prolific performance in Saturday's win against Claremont with 31 possessions, seven tackles, seven inside 50s and four tackles.

ROVER – MARK HUTCHINGS (East Perth)
The prolific and hard-working midfielder was desperate to come back to East Perth against Peel on Sunday to impress and get his spot back in the West Coast team, and he could have hardly pressed his claims any better. He ended the game for the Royals with 33 disposals, 14 marks, six tackles and four inside 50s.

INTERCHANGE – JULIAN AMEDURI (East Perth)
He was one of three players to share East Perth's fairest and best award in 2017 and has started 2018 perhaps in even stronger fashion. He earns a spot in the Team of the Round for a second straight week having done an outstanding job locking down Peel's Ben Howlett. Before Howlett shifted to half-back during the second half, he couldn’t get any space or clean ball with Ameduri quick to pounce and many of his 11 tackles for the day were on him. He also finished with 22 possessions to do some damage the other way too.

INTERCHANGE – WARRICK WILSON (Swan Districts)
He might be a frustrating player at times given the huge amounts of natural ability he has and what he's able to show in patches of games but then goes missing or his fitness doesn’t allow him to maintain it. But he showed another glimpse against East Fremantle on Saturday of what he's capable of in his 20 possessions, nine marks and five inside-50 entries.

INTERCHANGE – KRIS SHANNON (West Perth)
The wide expanses of Lathlain Park suited his hard-running perfectly and Perth simply was unable to put the clamps on the West Perth speedster. He now has 72 WAFL games under his belt and is now a regular member of the side and put in one of his better performances on Saturday with 23 possessions and 12 marks.

INTERCHANGE – SHAYNE HILLE (East Perth)
He has turned himself into an important member of the East Perth team who splits his time between playing as a small forward, a high half-forward and even with the odd stint through the middle. He put in another strong showing in Sunday's victory against Peel with 19 disposals, seven marks and two goals.

UNLUCKY BUNCH
There were plenty of players who delivered tremendous performances across Round 5 but couldn’t quite fit into the Team of the Round, including:

East Perth's Brayden Ainsworth, Will Maginness and Fraser McInnes.

Peel Thunder's Tom Sheridan, Danyle Pearce, Traye Bennell and Michael Apeness.

Claremont's Jye Bolton, Ryan Murphy, Oliver Eastland and Ian Richardson.

South Fremantle's Dylan Main, Brock Higgins and Blayne Wilson.

Swan Districts' Matt Riggio, David Ellard, Jesse Turner, Steven Payne, Nathan Blakely, Albert Dean and Levi Ridley.

East Fremantle's George Hampson, Jayden Schofield and Jack Perham.

Perth's Cody Leggett, Corey Byrne and Richard Bourne.

West Perth's Shane Nelson and Luke Meadows.