Match Report – Falcons again fly over SwansSunday, June 20, 2021 - 9:40 AM - by Matt Paddick

WEST Perth made it four wins out of their last five games in an impressive 46-point victory away from home against Swan Districts at Steel Blue Oval on Saturday to consolidate their top five position.

Shane Nelson was prolific for the Falcons, with 32 disposals, while forwards Tyler Keitel and Rudy Riddoch were instrumental with three goals each.

For the Swans, Jesse Turner did everything he could to inspire his team with a game-high 33 disposals, while Frank Anderson continued his impressive season with 32 touches of his own.

The two teams last met in Round 6, where West Perth came back from five goals down to win in a thriller - a result the Swans would remember as one that got away.

Swan Districts and the Falcons sat fourth and fifth respectively before the bounce, setting up an exciting clash.

The contest was fierce early, as West Perth’s Conal Lynch took an uncontested mark in the goal square and kicked truly for the first goal inside two minutes.

The teams traded blows, before the Falcons locked the ball in their forward half towards the end of the quarter, taking a 15-point lead at the first break.

West Perth took the momentum into the second term, with both their front and back half both firing.

The competition’s leading goal scorer Tyler Keitel kicked two of the Falcons’ four goals for the term, while backman Zac Guadagnin had important moments in the back half.

The Swans worked hard to get back into the contest, kicking two goals of their own, but their efforts in the term did not translate to the scoreboard.

West Perth were able to increase their lead to 28 points at half-time, with forward Conal Lynch working up the ground to move the ball inside 50, while also hitting the scoreboard himself with two majors.

For the Swans, Jesse Turner worked hard to help out the defence and looked to surge the ball forward, claiming 18 disposals to half-time.

After half-time, the Swans burst out of the gate, with forward Warwick Wilson on the receiving end of a long bomb from Turner, resulting in a goal after just over a minute of play.

However, the rest of the quarter belonged to the Falcons, who put their foot down in the third quarter. 

Rudy Riddoch was up and about, scoring two impressive goals in the term, while Keitel put through his third to extend the lead to 41 points at three quarter-time.

It was more of the same in the final term, with West Perth refusing to give an inch.

They outscored the Swans in the last, with the exclamation point coming from Riddoch, who kicked his third of the day.

It was an impressive win away from home for the Falcons, who walked away the 14.9 (93) to 7.5 (47) victors.

GUADAGNIN v PALMER: PART II
It’s becoming a mouth-watering match up for fans of football. As was the case in Round 6, West Perth’s Zac Guadagnin spent time on the Swans most prolific forward for the season in Jesse Palmer. Once again, it was a battle for the ages. Multiple times the pair were under a high ball, with Guadagnin either spoiling or marking the ball in the contest. Meanwhile Palmer was important for Swan Districts up forward, kicking two goals. The pair battled for the majority of the day in an exciting matchup for onlookers.

RIDDOCH ADDS TO THE HIGHLIGHT REEL
West Perth forward Rudy Riddoch is known to have impressive moments with the ball in hand, and is one of those players who doesn’t need a lot of the football to have an influence. In the third quarter, while the Swans were looking to get back into the game, Riddoch was able to snap from the boundary through the big sticks for his first goal of the day. If that wasn’t enough to impress the Falcons’ fans, 10 minutes later he was able to get in front of the pack and opted for the checkside kick 35 metres out, where he had a second excellent goal in the quarter. Overall he had 14 disposals and five inside 50s to add to his three goals for the day, in an exciting display of forward craft.

KEITEL’S STRONG PRESENCE UP FORWARD
It was a big day that could’ve been even bigger for Tyler Keitel. His presence up forward was there the whole game, as he took seven marks - most of them against an elite marker of the football in Chris Jones. His day was only soured by his kicking, where he had two behinds from three shots in the first term. However, he worked his way into the game, finishing with 3.3 for the match.

OPTUS WAFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON – ROUND 11

SWAN DISTRICTS        2.2    4.2    5.4    7.5 (47)
WEST PERTH            4.5    8.6    11.9    14.9 (93)

SWAN DISTRICTS: Goals – Palmer, Wilson 2; Anderson, Fisher, Noble.
Best – Anderson, Gault, Turner, Fisher, Beck, Wilson.
WEST PERTH: Goals – Riddoch, Keitel 3; Antonio, Lynch, O'Donnell 2; Alexandre, Knott.
Best – Murray, Hobley, Nelson, Keitel, Lynch, Peirce, Riddoch, Pegoraro, Antonio.