Match Report – Lions snap Falcons streak to stay topSunday, August 1, 2021 - 10:34 AM - by Matt Paddick

SUBIACO made a flying start to set up an eventual 20-point against West Perth at Leederville Oval that doubly keeps the Lions on top of the ladder while snapping the winning run of the Falcons.

It shaped as a fascinating contest with Subiaco looking for a fourth consecutive win to maintain their hold on first place by the end of Round 17 in the Optus WAFL Premiership Season while West Perth was trying to break into the top with a seventh straight win too.

However, on the back of having beaten the Falcons in 11 of their previous 12 meetings, Subiaco put their stamp on the contest with the only 12 scoring shots of the first quarter, including four goals which set up the eventual win.

West Perth did its best to fight its way back into the contest after the scoreless opening quarter, but it proved a bridge too far against the Lions who took out the eventual 10.12 (72) to 8.4 (52) victory to retain top spot while the Falcons slip back to fourth place behind South Fremantle.

Brandon Matera continues to build some impressive form the longer the season goes on with the former Gold Coast and Fremantle AFL small forward outstanding with three goals in the first term on the way to five for the game to go with 15 possessions and eight marks.

Nick Martin also kicked two goals and the usual suspects for Subiaco were also around, as Greg Clark (29 disposals) and Harry Marsh (28) were both influential with captain Leigh Kitchin having another 20 touches.

For the Falcons, Shane Nelson was prolific in the contest with a game high 34 disposals in a losing side with captain Aaron Black picking up 26 possessions while Noah Pegoraro and Zac Guadagnin were again the standouts in defence.

Keegan Knott, Rudy Riddoch and Tyler Keitel kicked two goals apiece for West Perth.

The clash was set to be the match of the round, with Subiaco and West Perth entering the game as first and third on the ladder. However, it was dominance from Subiaco from the first bounce, as the Lions were able to have repeat entries into their forward 50.

The Lions weren’t able to capitalise early, kicking five behinds before forward Brandon Matera put through the first goal of the day.

The pressure was immense from Subiaco, as the Falcons struggled to move the ball down the ground, turning it over on multiple occasions.

Matera was good enough to reap the rewards, kicking three for the quarter and looked more dangerous with every entry, taking six marks inside the forward 50.

Along with a goal from emerging forward Nick Martin, the Lions finished with four goals and eight behinds, but more importantly kept the Falcons goalless on their way to a 32-point lead at quarter-time.

West Perth came out with more urgency in the second term, sensing the game was slipping from their grasp. 

After some back and forth from the two sides, the Falcons got their first goal of the day off the boot of Nathan Murray.

West Perth were able to play the majority of the second quarter on their terms, but couldn’t maximise their impact on the scoreboard, kicking three behinds.

This allowed Subiaco to work their way into the quarter with minimal damage done.

From there, the contest was heated, with players from both teams fired up, knowing how important the game was in the context of the season.

The teams traded goals for the remainder of the quarter, including Brandon Matera kicking his fourth of the game, as Subiaco went into half-time with a 30-point lead.

The first 10 minutes of the third term was more of the same from a Subiaco perspective, who looked to put the foot down early.

Ben Sokol got into the game kicking his first of the day, while at the other end Tyler Keitel put through his first.

After Martin put through his second shortly after, West Perth came back an inspired side.

They were able to play possession football and find loose men to surge the ball forward.

The Falcons broke the goal-for-goal pattern to get three on the run, reducing the deficit to 19 points at three quarter-time.

The belief was well and truly there for the Falcons to win the game, but they would’ve had to do it the hard way after Matera got hold of his fifth for the day.

Keitel’s presence was felt shortly after, kicking truly to get momentum back with West Perth.

The umpires appeared to sense the occasion, letting the contest play out despite the tackling efforts throughout the quarter.

When the game was in the balance, Harry Marsh stood up and unleashed a kick from outside 50, to all but seal the victory for the Lions.

In the end they walked away with the four points in the 10.12 (72) to 8.4 (52) win.

The win puts an end to West Perth’s six-game streak, while the Lions now have four wins in a row.

MIGHTY MATERA FIRES IN FIRST TERM
Brandon Matera was a huge part of the reason the Lions were on top from the get go. In the first quarter alone, he had eight possessions and a remarkable six marks inside 50 to give the Lions repeat shots on goal. Every time the ball entered the forward 50, Matera loomed as a dangerous option. He kicked three out of the four goals for the term, to give Subiaco the early advantage. He finished the game with 15 disposals and five goals in an impressive day out.

BACK LINES BIG IN CONTEST
Both Subiaco and West Perth’s back lines had strong performances in the tight contest. Each team had periods of the game where they were under siege and needed to be composed in the back half. For West Perth, Zac Guadagnin was equally good on the attack as he was on defence, with 20 disposals while having a tough matchup against Brandon Matera after quarter-time. Noah Pegoraro also had an impact, with 21 touches and six marks as he looked to intercept regularly. For Subiaco, Jordan Lockyer played on Tyler Keitel for the majority of the game and held his own with 16 disposals, while Aaron Heal was a wall in defence, taking seven marks on his way to 14 possessions.

MARSH SEALS THE VICTORY
With 20 minutes gone, and the game still in the balance, a goal for either team would have gone a long way to help their team in the end. Enter Harry Marsh. He lined up beyond the 50m arc and kicked truly. An impressive kick, given the windy conditions, which sealed the victory for the Lions.

OPTUS WAFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON – ROUND 17

SUBIACO            4.8    6.9    8.10    10.12 (72)
WEST PERTH            0.0    2.3    6.3    8.4 (52)

SUBIACO: Goals – Brandon Matera 5; Martin 2; Marsh, Sokol, Braut.
Best – Brandon Matera, Marsh, Lockyer, Martin, Clark, Walters, Dewar, Heal.
WEST PERTH: Goals – Knott, Riddoch, Keitel 2; Peirce, Murray.
Best – Nelson, Black, Pegoraro, Guadagnin, Peirce, Lynch, Hobley.