Match Report – Brave Sharks breathe life into seasonSunday, August 1, 2021 - 10:07 AM - by Charlie McCormack

EAST Fremantle has breathed some life back into the WAFL finals race with a brave seven-point win over the fifth placed Swan Districts at New Choice Homes Park on Saturday.

The top five appeared just about set coming into Round 17 of the 2021 Optus WAFL Premiership Season, but on the back of a fast finish and late Jonathan Marsh goals, the Sharks pulled off the upset win over Swans to stay just in the hunt.

The result means that with both teams having four games left to play over the last five rounds of the season, Swan Districts remains fifth at 8-6 while East Fremantle is now sixth at 5-9 and with the Sharks now within striking distance, it sets up a fascinating final five weeks.

Not only had East Fremantle come into the game on a four-game losing streak, but they also lost two more key players, Nick Kommer and Blaine Boekhorst, coming into it so the Sharks did appear up against it opposed to a Swans team trying to secure their first finals appearance under coach Adam Pickering.

However, nobody told the Sharks players out on the field that and they dominated the first half with five goals to one, and then with scores tied at the 27 minute mark of the final term, Marsh managed to snap from a scrimmage.

That put the Sharks in front to break the score deadlock just before the siren and then Michael Tassone added a behind to seal the 7.4 (46) to 5.9 (39) victory.

East Fremantle skipper Matthew Jupp was sensational in defence, holding dangerous forward Jesse Palmer quiet whilst taking plenty of intercept marks himself. He finished with 14 possessions and five marks.

He was well supported by former Richmond-listed midfielder Luke English, who worked tirelessly for his 25 disposals, while Marsh was the game’s only multiple goal kicker with two goals.

For Swans, midfielders Sam Fisher (27 disposals) and Jesse Turner (26 disposals) found plenty of the football with Frank Anderson working hard for 25 possessions and eight tackles while Aiden Clarke provided good run from a wing. 

It was a scrappy start to the clash, with the Sharks exerting some strong pressure and stifling Swan Districts’ ball movement.

Michael Tassone snapped the first major before Tim Bockman profited from some lackadaisical Swans defence to give the hosts a 13-point lead at the first change. 

East Fremantle put the foot down to open the second quarter, booting three goals in succession to stretch out to a 31-point lead eight minutes into the term and threatened to blow Swans out of the game before half-time. 

But Swans would respond, getting on the board though Fisher before dominating the backend of the term and being left to rue some missed opportunities that could have seen them closer to Sharks at the main break.

Swan Districts would continue to get on top after half-time, having the better of the third term after holding the Sharks scoreless, as their key defenders began to get on top of their opponents and rebound any Shark entries. 

But they failed to capitalise on the scoreboard themselves, kicking just one goal through Jesse Palmer to ensure East Fremantle would go to the final change with a seven-point lead.

The Sharks would kick the crucial first goal of the final stanza when ruckman Luke Strnadica floated through a helicopter from long range to give his side some breathing space.

Brayden Noble would answer for the visitors with a superbly executed set shot from deep in the pocket before wingman Jesse Turner roved a pack and snapped a goal to put Swans within a point at the 20-minute mark of the final term.

They were able to draw level, but would never hit the front as Marsh snapped truly to secure the hard-fought victory for East Fremantle. 

SHARKS BACK SIX GET THE JOB DONE
Whilst it was a solid team performance from East Fremantle, their defence can feel particularly proud of their efforts in helping secure the upset win, holding Swans to just the five goals. The Sharks lost the inside-50 count by 17, but their back-line were able to do just enough to withstand Swan Districts pressure, often halving contests and forcing a stoppage when required. Captain Matthew Jupp marshalled his defensive group excellently in a captain’s performance, while young defenders Max Murphy and Finn Gorringe also stood up late, with Gorringe laying a crucial tackle late in the final term to prevent another Swans entry.

SWANS RUE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
After having more inside 50s, more scoring shots and controlling the game for the best part of two and-a-half quarters, Swan Districts would be leaving East Fremantle thinking it was a missed opportunity to lock away a finals birth. They were made to pay for a slow start to the game but still had plenty of opportunities to win the match after dominating most of the final term but squandered their chances and were the victim of a dubious deliberate out of bounds decision that led to Marsh’s match-winning goal. Despite the upset result, Swans still sit three games inside the top five.

OPTUS WAFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON – ROUND 17

EAST FREMANTLE        2.2    5.2    5.2    7.4 (46)
SWAN DISTRICTS        0.1    1.6    3.7    5.9 (39)

EAST FREMANTLE: Goals – Marsh 2; Strnadica, Bockman, O'Reilly, English, Tassone.
Best – English, Strnadica, Jupp, Tassone, Eardley, Baskerville, Bennett, Burton.
SWAN DISTRICTS: Goals – Palmer, Fisher, Noble, Turner, Wilson.
Best – Anderson, Turner, Fisher, Cipro, Clarke, Watson.