WAFL Team of Round 19Wednesday, August 18, 2021 - 6:17 PM - by Chris Pike

THE four games in Round 19 of the 2021 Optus WAFL Premiership Season created some fascinating results and also was full of plenty of standout individual performances.

A shock loss for Subiaco kept the race for top spot alive with three rounds of the season remaining with Claremont, West Perth and Swan Districts all winning on the weekend while South Fremantle had the bye in Round 19.

East Fremantle got back to winning too to show they aren’t throwing in the towel despite being out of finals contention while East Perth and Perth continue to show they are going to fight the season out strongly too.

Three of the four Round 19 match ups took place on Saturday afternoon starting with East Fremantle snapping an eight-game losing run against Subiaco with the 16.12 (108) to 9.10 (64) victory at Leederville Oval.

Jonathon Marsh kicked three goals to go with 27 possessions for the Sharks while Hugh Dixon kicked three goals as well and Kyle Baskerville had 27 disposals, Michael Tassone 25 and Tom Bennett 22 to go with two goals. Lachlan Delahunty had 32 disposals for Subiaco and Hayden Kennedy 26.

Swan Districts kept their hopes of still finishing up higher than fifth position going into the finals with a strong 14.11 (95) to 8.6 (54) victory against East Perth at Steel Blue Oval.

Aidan Clarke kicked four goals for Swans and Brayden Noble three while key defenders Brandon Erceg, Alex Howard, Tony Notte and Chris Jones combined to take 33 marks. Ben McGuire kicked three goals for the Royals with Rohan Kerr and Angus Scott gathering 33 disposals each.

Perth then threw the challenge down to Claremont at Lathlain's Mineral Resources Park but the Tigers did enough for an important 11.10 (76) to 10.8 (68) win.

Jye Bolton and Timm House kicked three goals each for Claremont with Bailey Rogers racking up 31 possessions and Ben Edwards 30. Jack Richardson, Kristian Cary and Brent Edmonds kicked two goals each for the Demons while Austin Davis collected 26 possessions.

Then on Sunday at Joondalup's Provident Financial Oval, West Perth were far too good for the West Coast Eagles winning 16.10 (106) to 5.5 (35).

Tyler Keitel kicked seven goals for the Falcons with Shane Nelson finishing with 41 possessions and Aaron Black 39. Brayden Ainsworth picked up 30 disposals for the Eagles, Hamish Brayshaw 28 and Jarrod Brander 27.

PLAYER OF THE ROUND – SHANE NELSON (West Perth)
If Shane Nelson, Aaron Black and Tyler Keitel fire, West Perth are mighty hard to beat and that's been the case for a long time and right now the superstar trio are firing as well as ever as the Falcons prepare to host South Fremantle.

All three of them are among the West Perth players named in the Team of the Week once again with Nelson taking out the Player of the Round honours on the back of another 41 possessions, three marks, three tackles and three inside-50 entries in the win over the Eagles on Sunday.

The Falcons deserve to lay claim to being the form team in the competition right now. They overcame a rough start of losing four of the first seven games to have now won seven of the last eight fresh off a 71-point thumping of West Coast.

While there are numerous reasons for that including Zac Guadagnin and Noah Pegoraro down back, Keegan Knott and Rudy Riddoch up forward, and the emergence of Tristan Hobley, Nathan Murray, Mitch Peirce, Conal Lynch and Matthew Lloyd.

But it's the trio of Nelson, Black and Keitel that set the tone and each of them are in remarkable form right now.

Captain Black now has 217 games to his credit and is averaging another 30.5 disposals a game in 2021 as part of a career already including a premiership, a Sandover Medal and two fairest and best awards.

Keitel just about wrapped up a second Bernie Naylor Medal with seven goals last week to go to 56 for the season and he continues to cement himself as the best key position player in the league with 119 games under his belt.

Then there is four-time Breckler Medallist Nelson who is averaging another 31.8 possessions in 2021 as part of a remarkable 183-game career.

The 28-year-old is happy to be playing well, but more importantly is the form of the team and for them to have Keitel up front to kick to.

"It has been nice to get my hands on the footy a bit and we're also performing pretty well as a team as well. There's only a few games left now and we're looking forward to trying to push for a top three finish," Nelson told SEN.

"No one wants to play on Tyler at the moment, he's such a commanding figure in the forward-line. He demands a lot of attention and demands a lot of the footy to come to him, and he's an incredible player one-on-one.

"There's not too many players in the competition who can go with him one-on-one and it has been great for us mids to know we just have to get it long and deep inside forward 50, and he's just marking everything at the moment and kicking pretty well too."

Take out the shock win in the 2018 preliminary final for West Perth and things have been disastrous against South Fremantle in recent years.

Not only have they lost the other 14 games against the Bulldogs, but South Fremantle has also won on their last six trips up to Joondalup which Nelson hopes starts to turn around this Sunday.

"It has been a while since we played them and a few things have changed since then, but they have had the wood on us over the last few years," Nelson said.

"I can't really remember the last time we beat them, it might have been that prelim final a few years back. 

"We'll be trying to redeem ourselves and get a win over them and get a bit of confidence to know that we can beat a big side like them. The reigning premiers would be a good way for us to start to make a claim to finish in the top three."

Players of the Round
Round 1 – Josh Schoenfeld (East Fremantle)
Round 2 – Sam Fisher (Swan Districts)
Round 3 – Greg Clark (Subiaco)
Round 5 – Haiden Schloithe (South Fremantle)
Round 6 – Tyrone Thorne (Peel Thunder)
Round 7 – Keegan Knott (West Perth)
Round 8 – Jye Bolton (Claremont)
Round 9 – Tyler Keitel (West Perth)
Round 10/11 – Jonathon Marsh (East Fremantle)
Round 12 – Jackson Ramsay (East Perth)
Round 14 – Warrick Wilson (Swan Districts)
Round 15 – Angus Schumacher (East Perth)
Round 16 – Oliver Eastland (Claremont)
Round 17 – Brandon Matera (Subiaco)
Round 18 – Aidan Lynch (East Perth)
Round 19 – Shane Nelson (West Perth)

BACK POCKET – BRANDON ERCEG (Swan Districts)
The Swan Districts' back-line has quickly turned into one of the best in the WAFL throughout this season and he is a key part of it. Has always shown he could be a good WAFL player which is why Sawn Districts have kept him around for so long on top of him being such a good club man, but his body is now finally letting him realise his potential. On top of his defensive work, finished with 20 touches and seven marks in win over East Perth.
Times named in 2021: 4

FULL-BACK – NOAH PEGORARO (West Perth)
Is only 30 games into his league career at West Perth, but what astute pick up a couple of years back from down south he has proven to be. Has now cemented himself as one of the premier key defenders in the competition and was rock solid once again in the big win for the Falcons against the Eagles on Sunday with 20 possessions, 12 marks and even getting forward for a goal – just his second in the WAFL.
Times named in 2021: 5

BACK POCKET – ALEX HOWARD (Swan Districts)
Might not have quite got the recognition this season as defensive teammates Erceg, Notte and Jones, but has put together yet another tremendously consistent performance down back as Swans prepare to return to finals action. The 172-game veteran was rock solid once more in Saturday's win against the Royals and finished with 16 touches and eight marks to top it off.
Times named in 2021: 1

HALF-BACK FLANK – JAMIE MEADE (East Fremantle)
It has been a tough ride for East Fremantle's back-line at times in 2021 but they bounced back impressively on Saturday in the win against a Subiaco forward-line that they did a superb job of keeping in check. He had the big job on Ben Sokol fresh off six goals and a match-winning performance against Claremont but was tremendous to hold him to just the one goal and five kicks for the day.
Times named in 2021: 1

CENTRE HALF-BACK – TONY NOTTE (Swan Districts)
He has played 261 games now for Swan Districts and the end appears nowhere in sight for the 31-year-old co-captain. Is playing as well now as at any point in his remarkable career in black-and-white with the dual Swan Medallist proving tough to get past for East Perth again on Saturday at centre half-back taking eight marks to go with his 19 disposals.
Times named in 2021: 4

HALF-BACK FLANK – ZAC GUADAGNIN (West Perth)
Continues to be one of the genuine standout defenders in the competition and had another terrific performance in a rock solid West Perth back-line in Sunday's 71-point win over the West Coast Eagles. Not only was strong defensively, but did well setting up play going the other way with 24 touches and 11 marks.
Times named in 2021: 6

WING – JESSE TURNER (Swan Districts)
Now has 98 WAFL games under his belt and is right at the peak of his powers and is a key component of the Swans midfield whether playing on the ball or out on the wing. With a couple of other key players a little quieter than usual on Saturday, he stepped up in the win against East Perth to finish the afternoon with 28 touches, 12 marks and six inside-50 entries.
Times named in 2021: 4

CENTRE – AARON BLACK (West Perth)
The West Perth captain is 217 games into his glittering career and is right at the peak of his powers still, and showed that in Sunday's big win for the Falcons against the Eagles. He just knows how to find the football and that's because he runs all day, and never stops trying no matter the situation. Ended the game with 39 possessions, six marks and four tackles.
Times named in 2021: 6

WING – ROHAN KERR (East Perth)
The East Perth wingman continues to be among the hardest running and biggest ball winning players in the competition. With 123 WAFL games under his belt despite starting his career at Carlton and then taking two years off after leaving West Perth and joining East Perth, he remains a true star of the league. Despite the loss to Swan Districts, he had 32 touches, 10 marks, four tackles and three inside 50s for the Royals.
Times named in 2021: 3

HALF-FORWARD FLANK – JONATHON MARSH (East Fremantle)
It was quite the dominant display from the versatile powerhouse and not for the first time this season, he put East Fremantle on his back and led them to a stunning win. This was their best victory of the year against Subiaco and he was brilliant both in the middle and up forward for 27 disposals, seven marks, six inside 50s and three goals.
Times named in 2021: 3

CENTRE HALF-FORWARD – HUGH DIXON (East Fremantle)
It's no coincidence that East Fremantle looks a much more potent outfit with him as a tall target in attack. Has shown his quality when fit and available so far in 2021, unfortunately he just can't stay out on the park often enough. But he was a terrific tall option for the Sharks again against Subiaco as he took nine marks, had 18 touches and kicked three goals.
Times named in 2021: 2

HALF-FORWARD FLANK – AIDAN CLARKE (Swan Districts)
He is among a group of players to have turned promise and potential into actual consistent output I 2021 at Swan Districts to now be a huge reason why they are guaranteed of playing finals in 2017. He produced another outstanding performance in win over East Perth with his hardness at the contest and finishing skills, ending the game with four goals to go with 19 possessions, eight marks and five entries inside the forward 50.
Times named in 2021: 3

FORWARD POCKET – LUKE STRNADICA (East Fremantle)
The East Fremantle big man had a fascinating ruck battle with Subiaco's Lachlan Delahunty on Saturday and he did have his hands full, but he dominated at the ruck contests and then provided a strong option in attack when he went forward. Was instrumental in the stunning win with 17 touches, four tackles, 50 hit outs and two goals.
Times named in 2021: 5

FULL-FORWARD – TYLER KEITEL (West Perth)
All but wrapped up the second Bernie Naylor Medal of his career with a seven-goal haul against the West Coast Eagles on Sunday. The West Perth spearhead was unstoppable and showed what a terrific one-on-one player he is either by getting out on the lead, or battling body on body. Has now kicked 56 goals for the season, already a career-best, and is a pleasure to watch in full flight.
Times named in 2021: 7

FORWARD POCKET – KRISTIAN CARY (Perth)
His performance in Perth's forward-line this season has been one of the true bright spots for the Demons and despite suffering a ninth straight loss against Claremont on Saturday, he battled hard once again against the odds. He kicked another two goals to have 24 for the season now to go with 14 possessions, 12 tackles and four marks.
Times named in 2021: 4

RUCK – LACHLAN DELAHUNTY (Subiaco)
The Sandover Medallist and triple premiership winning big man did all he could to try and keep Subiaco in the contest against East Fremantle on Saturday. It wasn’t to be in the end and he was undersized in the ruck contests themselves, but was terrific around the ground finishing with 32 possessions, 12 marks, 11 hit outs, five inside 50s and four tackles.
Times named in 2021: 5

ROVER – BEN EDWARDS (Claremont)
He has had a strong and consistent season in the Claremont midfield and it hasn’t always been easy to grab the headlines alongside the likes of Jye Bolton and Bailey Rogers, but he stood tall once again against Perth and was crucially important to the hard earned win. Ended the afternoon at Lathlain with 30 touches, eight inside 50s and five tackles.
Times named in 2021: 2

INTERCHANGE – KYLE BASKERVILLE (East Fremantle)
He continues to be one player who is emerging into a quality and consistent league footballer now with East Fremantle at 23 years of age and with 36 games under his belt. Built some form off half-back and now is developing into a fine on-baller for the Sharks and produced another 27 disposals, seven tackles, four marks and three inside 50s in the win against Subiaco.
Times named in 2021: 3

INTERCHANGE – ANGUS SCOTT (East Perth)
Might not have been East Perth's day against Swan Districts but they sure couldn’t blame their wingmen. He continued his fine season with another hard working display based on his hard running that never stops from start to finish. Ended the afternoon for the Royals with 32 disposals, three marks and three inside-50 entries.
Times named in 2021: 5

INTERCHANGE – TRISTAN HOBLEY (West Perth)
While the big names at West Perth continue to lead the way, their improvement is coming from the next tier and he is proving to be one of the leaders of that bunch. He has some fine players in the midfield to follow the lead of and he's showing that the Falcons are in good hands beyond them with another performance made up of 30 touches, eight marks and five entries inside-50.
Times named in 2021: 2

INTERCHANGE – BRODIE GRAY (Perth)
Was given the job to run with Claremont superstar Jye Bolton for the day on Saturday afternoon and did an outstanding job. It's impossible to keep a player of that quality to no impact on a game at all and he did go forward to kick three goals, but he kept him in check through the middle impressively holding him to just eight kicks and two handpasses in total for the game.
Times named in 2021: 1
 

UNLUCKY BUNCH
There were plenty of players who delivered tremendous performances across Round 19 but couldn’t quite fit into the Team of the Week, including:

Perth's Austin Davis, Andrew Fisher, Matthew Taylor, Conor McPartland and Corey Byrne.

Claremont's Timm House, Isaac Barton, Ryan Lim, Bailey Rogers and Max Spyvee.

Swan Districts' Brayden Noble and Chris Jones.

East Perth's Angus Schumacher, Nathan Blee, Aidan Lynch and Kye Willcocks.

Subiaco's Hayden Kennedy, Angus Dewar, Liam Hickmott, Max Walters and Chad Harris.

East Fremantle's Tom Bennett and Michael Tassone.

West Perth's Nathan Murray, Rudy Riddoch, Scott Nelson, Mitch Peirce and Mark Hamilton.

West Coast's Brayden Ainsworth, Hamish Brayshaw, Jarrod Brander, Josh Rotham and Isiah Winder.