Optus WAFL Round 19 WrapMonday, August 19, 2019 - 6:57 AM - by Chris Pike

THE penultimate round of the 2019 WAFL season sure did its job of setting up a fascinating final round with six teams still in the running to reach finals and only one position in the top five locked away.

The 2019 Optus WAFL Premiership Season now couldn’t be set up for a more thrilling finish following the happenings across Round 19 and that's all going to leave one team devastated come Saturday night by the end of the home and away campaign.

The action in Round 19 all got underway on Friday night at a cold and wet Leederville Oval but for the West Coast Eagles they got the result they needed to keep their season alive beating East Perth 4.11 (35) to 1.5 (11).

It was back to Leederville Oval on Saturday afternoon as well with a Grand Final rematch between Subiaco and West Perth, and the Lions again proved too strong beating the Falcons 19.8 (122) to 7.10 (52) to leave them fighting for their finals lives.

Swan Districts then also kept its hopes of avoiding the wooden spoon for 2019 alive with an upset win over Peel at Steel Blue Oval with Swans' 7.6 (48) to 6.8 (44) victory ending any hope the Thunder had of still taking part in finals action this season.

Perth was able to move one step closer to ending its 22-year finals drought by beating East Fremantle 13.15 (93) to 11.14 (80) at Lathlain's Mineral Resources Park but it's still going to be quite the nervous week for the Demons faithful.

The final game of the round took place at Fremantle Community Bank Oval with South Fremantle beating Claremont 14.7 (91) to 8.10 (58) to move a game and percentage clear in second position now with one round remaining.

What that all does is set the stage for a fascinating Round 20 of action to determine the finalists for 2019.

Subiaco (16-1) has nothing to worry about with the Lions guaranteed of a fifth successive minor premiership as they chase a sixth consecutive Grand Final appearance.

South Fremantle (12-5) then appears just about guaranteed of finishing in second position for a fourth straight year unless they suffer a hefty loss to West Perth with Claremont (11-6) now a game and percentage back in third ahead of their final round clash with Swan Districts.

That's where things really get interesting with West Perth (9-8) still in fourth but a loss to South Fremantle at HBF Arena on Saturday puts them in real jeopardy of missing the finals.

Perth (9-8) can guarantee its finals spot for the first time since 1997 with a win against Peel Thunder in Mandurah on Saturday but a loss for the Demons and they have to hope that the West Coast Eagles (8-9) lose against East Fremantle.

East Fremantle (5-12), East Perth (5-12) and Swan Districts (4-13) all remain in a battle over the wooden spoon too. A win for Swans over Claremont on Saturday would see them potentially leapfrog both the Sharks and Royals should they lose to West Coast and Subiaco respectively.
 

ROUND 19 OPTUS WAFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON

EAST PERTH 1.5 (11) lost to WEST COAST EAGLES 4.11 (35)

It was cold, it was wet and it was unkind conditions for football at Leederville Oval on Friday night, and five goals for evening illustrates that, but in the end the West Coast Eagles got the win they needed against East Perth.

Leederville Oval hosted a double-header this weekend so Friday night football returned to the WAFL and while the weather was unkind, the Eagles had to win to stay in the race for a finals appearance in their inaugural season and that's what they got.

While West Coast only kicked four goals themselves, East Perth had a decidedly tough time scoring going scoreless for the entire first half. The Royals then managed one behind in the third quarter and then finally kicked a goal in the last quarter.

But up the other end, West Coast kicked 1.5 in the first quarter to match East Perth's score for the entire night. The Eagles added two more goals in the second quarter and then their fourth goal in the last to end up winning 4.11 (35) to 1.5 (11).

The scoreline was the eighth lowest ever for East Perth and lowest since they went goalless with nine behinds since 2003. It was one of only nine times ever that the Royals have managed one goal or less in a game.

In the big picture and after the results the rest of the round on Saturday, West Coast still sits in sixth position heading into the final round with an 8-9 record. 

The Eagles now must beat East Fremantle this Sunday provided one of West Perth loses to South Fremantle or Perth goes down to Peel Thunder, and they will be playing finals in 2019.

East Perth will now finish the season against Subiaco at Leederville Oval and a loss, and win for Swan Districts against Claremont, would see them slip to bottom spot to close the season.

Despite the weather conditions, West Coast's big men had solid nights with Nathan Vardy finishing with 15 touches, 20 hit outs and a goal, Bailey Williams 13 disposals, 13 hit outs and a goal, Nick Reid 13 possessions, nine tackles and a goal, and Keegan Brooksby 13 touches, five tackles, four marks and 26 hit outs.

Chris Masten gathered 25 possessions for the Eagles while Hamish Brayshaw also finished the evening with 24 disposals, Brendon Ah Chee 20, Andrew Fisher 20, Liam Duggan 19, Kurt Mutimer 18, Matthew Allen 18, Brady Grey 18 and Brayden Ainsworth 16.

East Perth's lone goal came courtesy of Angus Scott with tough VFL recruit also racking up 25 possessions and four tackles for the evening.

Jackson Ramsay continued his brilliant form for the Royals with another 29 possessions and nine tackles while Stan Wright picked up 26 disposals, Nathan Blee 24, Mitch Dobson 22, Rohan Kerr 21, Kye Willcocks 19, Tom Gorter 17 and Christian Ameduri 17.
 

SUBIACO 19.8 (122) defeated WEST PERTH 7.10 (52)

West Perth had a chance to cement its finals position back at its old home ground on Saturday but ultimately the might of Subiaco proved too much with the Lions roaring to the 70-point victory.

Subiaco might have already secured a fifth consecutive minor premiership, but there was no let up on Saturday from the Lions at Leederville Oval as they delivered an emphatic performance against West Perth who had everything to play for and who had won their previous three matches.

As the rest of the results for the round went, a win would have guaranteed West Perth's appearance in the finals for 2019 but it wasn’t to be with Subiaco once again showing why it is the dominant WAFL club.

The Lions stamped their authority early on too with five goals to two in the opening quarter to already be leading by 19 points at quarter-time.

Subiaco then put the game beyond reach of West Perth by half-time as the Lions piled on five more goals in the second term to one from the Falcons and that saw them on top to the tune of 44 points at the major break.

It was then three goals apiece in the third quarter before Subiaco again put its foot down in the final term with six more goals to one to run out 19.8 (122) to 7.10 (52) victors.

The result is an 11th consecutive victory for Subiaco this season as they improve to a 16-1 record while they have now also won 10 games in-a-row against West Perth by an average of 43.1 points.

The loss for West Perth snaps a three-game winning run and while they stay in fourth position with a 9-8 record, they face the prospect of having to beat South Fremantle on Saturday at HBF Arena or risk falling from the top five and a finals spot should Perth and West Coast both win their matches.

Ben Sokol continued his remarkable run of form up forward for Subiaco kicking another six goals from 16 possessions and 11 marks. That's only the back of six goals last week against Swan Districts and seven the week prior against Perth. 

He has kicked 28 goals over the past six matches to now have 45 goals in 2019 to be leading old South Fremantle teammate Mason Shaw by two in the Bernie Naylor Medal race.

Ryan Borchet also booted four goals from 19 disposals and 10 marks for Subiaco, and Max Walters three goals form 22 disposals and seven marks.

Subiaco's midfield also had big days out once again led by Lachlan Delahunty in the ruck who amassed 33 possessions, nine marks and 25 hit outs.

Leigh Kitchin then picked up 28 possessions, Kyal Horsley 22, Travis Cleggett 19 and Daniel Leach 17 while a lot of the attack came from the back-line with Greg Clark amassing 32 disposals, Drew Rohde 24, Harry Marsh 18, Angus Litherland 14 and Aaron Heal 14.

Corey Chalmers kicked three goals for West Perth and Tyler Keitel had a strong all-round game with 23 possessions, eight marks, 18 hit outs and two goals.

Shane Nelson racked up another 30 possessions for the Falcons with Aaron Black finishing with 26 disposals, Trent Manzone 21, Aidan Lynch 20 and Connor West 20.
 

SWAN DISTRICTS 7.6 (48) defeated PEEL THUNDER 6.8 (44)

Swan Districts continued its encouraging finish to a tough 2019 season by beating Peel Thunder at Steel Blue Oval on Saturday and ending the finals hopes of the Mandurah-based club in the process.

Both teams had some motivation coming into the contest with Swan Districts still a chance to avoid the wooden spoon in 2019 should they win their last two matches while Peel had to win to keep any hopes of playing finals alive as well.

Swan Districts kicked the game's opening goal courtesy of Matt Riggio before Peel responded through big man Hugh Dixon. The teams then continued to trade goals through Jiah Reidy and Thunder debutant Tyrone Thorne with scores all tied up by quarter-time.

The trend continued to start the second quarter too with Peel captain Ben Howlett and Swans' key position player Jesse Glass-McCasker trading goals. But Howlett's second goal for the Thunder helped his team led by that goal at half-time.

Peel then opened up the biggest lead of the match during the third quarter with a goal to Bailey Banfield. Riggio responded for Swans with his second but then Lachlan Cullen kicked another for the Thunder to put them back up by that 11-point margin.

However, the black-and-whites were back within five points by three quarter-time thanks to a goal to Dylan Smith. Peel had the only three scoring shots in the opening 19 minutes of the last term but all were behinds. 

Swans then got a goal through Nathan Ireland to close to within two points and then Tony Notte, in his 236th game, then kicked the winner for Swan Districts as they ended Peel's season with the 7.6 (48) to 6.8 (44) victory.

The win means Swan Districts has won two of its past three matches to now hold a 4-13 record and be a chance of avoiding the wooden spoon should they beat Claremont this Saturday at Claremont Oval.

Peel has now lost its past three matches to fall from finals contention with a 6-11 record but the Thunder can play spoilers to Perth this Saturday at David Grays Arena.

There was plenty to like from a Swan Districts team especially considering the youth in the group to beat a team with nine AFL-listed players along two former Essendon stalwarts, and a couple of Thunder stars destined for the AFL.

Jak Watson, Jackson Beck, Callum Garcia, Denzel More, Jake Pasini, Tristen Raynor, Nathan Ireland, Jiah Reidy, Dylan Smith, Josh Cipro and Aidan Clarke are all at the starts of their WAFL careers pointing to an exciting future for Swans.

Any young group needs good leadership, though, and Matt Riggio ended up kicking two goals for Swans from 23 possessions while George Hampson gathered another 23 disposals, ruckman Nathan Blakely 20 and 23 hit outs, Steven Payne 19 and Tony Notte kicked the winning goal.

It was Jesse Turner who produced the most impressive performance of all, though, ending the afternoon with a career-best 38 possessions for Swan Districts.

Warrick Wilson continued his career-best season with 22 disposals while Josh Cipro had 19 touches and Jackson Beck 18.

Ben Howlett was outstanding for Peel with 27 possessions, 16 tackles and two goals while Bailey Banfield continued to put his hand up for Fremantle with 38 disposals, 13 tackles and a goal.

Travis Colyer also gathered 27 possessions for the Thunder, Tom North 21, Brett Bewley 21, Jackson Merrett 20 and Keegan Power 17. Scott Jones had 48 hit outs.
 

PERTH 13.15 (93) defeated EAST FREMANTLE 11.14 (80)

Perth moved one step closer to a first finals appearance since 1997 with a 13-point victory against East Fremantle at Mineral Resources Park on Saturday.

Since such a blistering start to the 2019 season that saw the Demons win their opening five matches it has been tough going and that made Saturday's clash at Lathlain a virtual must-win affair against the Sharks.

Perth had won just three of 11 matches since that terrific start while East Fremantle was coming into the game off a win as well so the Sharks were going to be no pushovers for the Demons.

That quickly became evident when after Perth led by three points at quarter-time, East Fremantle kicked away in the second term with five goals to three in the second term to head into the half-time interval with a nine-point advantage.

The Demons did respond well in the third quarter with three goals to one and then dominated the last quarter with four more goals to two to secure the important 13.15 (93) to 11.14 (80) victory.

The victory is the first in a month for Perth and it does keep the Demons in fifth position on the ladder with a 9-8 record. The equation is now simple and a win over Peel in Mandurah on Saturday will see Perth play finals for the first time since 1997. 

With a loss, the only way the Demons could still reach finals is if the West Coast Eagles lose to East Fremantle.

East Fremantle, meanwhile, could still end up with the wooden spoon despite an improved season under new coach Bill Monaghan. 

The Sharks have won five games in 2019 but a loss to West Coast could see them slip to the bottom should East Perth upset Subiaco and Swan Districts beat Claremont.

Cody Ninyette kicked three goals for Perth as did Josh Burke while Matthew Rogers and Blake Johnson added two goals apiece.

Clint Jones showed just how desperate he is to be part of a finals push with Perth and he racked up 38 possessions, seven marks, seven inside 50s and a goal.

Corey Yeo finished with 28 disposals for the Demons, Brant Colledge 25, Michael Sinclair 20, Matthew Taylor 20, Lachlan Dennis 19 and Cody Leggett 19.

Tom Monaghan kicked two goals for East Fremantle from five kicks.

Cameron Eardley gathered another 28 possessions for the Sharks, Jarrad Jansen 24, Tom Bennett 22, Jeremy Sharp 22, Matthew Jupp 21, Kyle Baskerville 18, Kody Manning 16, Tim Bockman 16 and ruckman Jonathon Griffin 14 to go with 38 hit outs, four tackles and a goal.
 

SOUTH FREMANTLE 14.7 (91) defeated CLAREMONT 8.10 (58)

Second spot was on the line when South Fremantle hosted Claremont on Saturday at Fremantle Community Bank Oval, and it was a game the Bulldogs controlled most of the way and as a result just about locked away that second position.

South Fremantle came into the game on a three-game winning run while Claremont had lost last week to West Perth by 44 points, and that form line continued on Saturday with the Bulldogs earning a measure of revenge for losing the Tigers at Claremont Oval back in NAIDOC Week.

South Fremantle captain Dylan Main ensured the Bulldogs kicked the first goal of the contest and they never would give up the lead the rest of the afternoon.

The Bulldogs added a second goal in the first quarter thanks to Steve Verrier and by holding the Tigers to just four behinds, they led by 10 points at quarter-time.

Claremont's first goal came to start the second quarter thanks to Tom Lee but Jake Florenca soon responded for South Fremantle. Shaun Bewick kicked another to stretch South Fremantle's advantage to 14 points.

However, the Tigers did kick three of the next four goals to close to within two points when Jack Beeck ran into the open goal at the northern end of the ground. But South Fremantle did go into half-time still leading by eight points thanks to a late goal from Verrier.

Haiden Schloithe kicked two goals in the space of three minutes to open the second half to stretch South Fremantle's advantage to 19 points and that became 32 after Josh Collard and Kade Stewart also kicked truly.

Andrew Haydon and a second to Stewart then saw the Bulldogs finish the third quarter having kicked six goals to nil to hold a match-winning 43-point edge at the last change.

The Tigers did show some fight in the last quarter kicking four goals to two from the Bulldogs, but South Fremantle still cruised to the 14.7 (91) to 8.10 (58) victory.

What the result means is that South Fremantle is now on a four-game winning streak and a game and significant percentage ahead in second position of the third placed Claremont now.

The Bulldogs can guarantee a second-place finish for a fourth consecutive year by beating West Perth at HBF Arena on Saturday but the reality is they should hold that position no matter the result given the percentage edge.

Claremont does look locked into the third spot still despite the loss. The Tigers can't drop below third no matter what happens against Swan Districts at Claremont Oval on Saturday while they are an outside chance of second with a thumping win and if the Bulldogs lose big to the Falcons.

Haiden Schloithe continued his phenomenal form for South Fremantle with another best on ground display made up of 31 possessions, four tackles and three goals while Kade Stewart, Steve Verrier and Dylan Main all kicked two goals as well.

Main also picked up 23 disposals for the Bulldogs while Stewart had 22 touches, Jake Florenca 21 (11 tackles), Matthew Ward 19, Chad Pearson 18, Zac Dent 17 and Andrew Haydon 17.

In the absence of Brock Higgins in the ruck, Blair Della Franca battled hard for 29 hit outs with support from Zac Strom (14 touches, 10 hit outs).

Anthony Treacy was Claremont's only multiple goal scorer kicking two.

Kane Mitchell picked up another 32 possessions for the Tigers while Jared Hardisty gathered 29 disposals, Jye Bolton 28, Alec Waterman 23, Bailey Rogers 21, Ryan Lim 17 and Oliver Eastland 15 to go with 15 hit outs.