Match Report – Lions overpower Bulldogs to reach Grand FinalSunday, September 19, 2021 - 8:14 AM - by Matt Paddick

SUBIACO asserted its dominance in the first half and then held sway from there to take care of South Fremantle by 22 points in Saturday's second semi-final at Leederville Oval to move straight into the WAFL Grand Final.

It was a familiar scenario for both teams as they played in their fourth second semi-final at Leederville Oval in the last six years, and once again it was the Lions who proved too strong for the Bulldogs on home turf.

South Fremantle kicked the first goal of the game but would go more than two entire quarters without a second while Subiaco opened up a match-winning 40-point lead in the process on the back of a seven-goal to one first half.

It was a complete and impressive performance from Subiaco with their defence and pressure around the ground once again holding their opponents to just 51 points while their ball use was clean and efficient.

The end result was an 11.7 (73) to 8.3 (51) victory even if South Fremantle did threaten a fight back with five goals in the space of 15 minutes during the third term.

Subiaco now moves straight into the 2021 WAFL Grand Final at Optus Stadium on Saturday October 2 while South Fremantle will host the preliminary final next Sunday against either Claremont or West Perth.

Greg Clark was instrumental in the Lions’ engine room, with 25 disposals and 13 tackles to his name while Wil Hickmott finished with 20 disposals and ruckman Lachlan Delahunty showed his class around the ground with 18 disposals and 29 hit outs.

Hayden Kennedy superb down back helping to limit South Fremantle's small forwards while having 21 possessions with Aaron Heal, Angus Dewar and Jordan Lockyer rock solid as usual.

Ben Sokol was the best forward on the ground up against his former team with three goals from 11 kicks and eight marks. Jack Mayo and Brandon Matera kicked two goals as well.

Zac Strom was one of South Fremantle's precious few four-quarter contributors with 28 possessions with Matthew Parker adding 26 disposals (10 tackles), Jacob Dragovich 20 and Haiden Schloithe 17.

Brock Higgins battled hard in the ruck with 56 hit outs having regained his spot from the qualifying final while Mason Shaw kicked two goals. South Fremantle was down a man from the opening minutes, though, with Jake Florenca leaving the field with a hip injury.

With a chance to play in the 2021 WAFL Grand Final up for grabs, there were big hits, strong tackles, and a good contest where the first goal was paramount for either side. 

The moment came when the ball spilled out the back in South Fremantle’s forward line, where Manfred Kelly was able to gather before putting it through for a goal from a tight angle.

The Lions needed a settler, and it came in the form of Jack Mayo, who received a handball in space and converted to open their account. From there Subiaco looked to flex their muscles, using their good skills to move through the South Fremantle defence to kick four more majors for the term.

Their urgency to win the ball allowed them to take a 21-point lead into quarter-time.

The Lions looked to pile on the pain in the second term, with Mayo again in the action. He took a contested mark early outside 50, then found his teammate in Michael Braut, who converted. 

Subiaco used their skills to navigate through the Bulldogs, with Sokol taking an uncontested mark inside-50 to set up another goal. It marked the seventh goal in a row for the Lions, who took a 34-point lead into half-time.

Todd Curley’s men came out inspired in the second half, playing with more desperation and looking to get the ball forward at all costs. Despite conceding the first goal of the third term, the Bulldogs switched on to get themselves back in the contest.

It started with Matty Parker, who sidestepped two Lions before hitting forward Mason Shaw inside 50 with a precision kick. He kicked truly, then Dylan Main sensed the moment soon after and kicked his first.

Before spectators could blink, Jesse Motlop used his pace to clear away from the pack, then snapped on the run, giving the Bulldogs their third goal in four minutes, reducing the margin to 22 points.

Subiaco kept the pressure on with a goal from Brandon Matera, but the Bulldogs looked an inspired side. The Bulldogs put two more goals on the board, to get themselves within 17 points. 

But a moment of chaos on the goal line of Subiaco allowed the ball to spill to Ben Golding, who kicked his first of the day to give the Lions the 25-point lead with one quarter to go.

In the last, the Bulldogs started hot, with Brandon Donaldson kicked a quality goal to try and spark South Fremantle. 

But Lions’ backman Jacob Atkinson kicked truly shortly after, all but putting a line through a South Fremantle comeback. In the end, the Lions took a 22-point victory to seal their place in the 2021 WAFL Grand Final.

SUBIACO DOMINANTE IN FIRST HALF

Subiaco weathered an early storm of the fast-starting Bulldogs to get themselves back in, and then run away in the opening half. Jack Mayo kicked Subiaco’s first, the start of a seven goal run to see out the first half. It looked easy for the Lions, who outworked South Fremantle for the majority of the half. The Lions had 48 more disposals, which allowed them to have 18 more marks and almost double the amount of inside 50s (25-13) in the first half. However, despite having more of the football, the Lions also won the tackle count (+6), highlighting their superiority in the first half, which set up their semi-final win.

NO MAYO ON JACK’S PERFORMANCE

In a side full of stars, it was a young Lion who took the responsibility to get it done for his team. Jack Mayo kicked 10 goals in three weeks in the reserves to earn his spot back in Subiaco’s best 22. It was a decision that paid off for the Lions as Mayo kicked the first for the team to settle the nerves. In the first quarter frenzy for the Lions, Mayo was in the thick of it, nailing a snap to put his second goal on the board. His presence around the ground continued to be felt. The 22-year-old also spent time in the ruck, adding to his versatility. It’s a performance that will give him and the Lions confidence in the lead up to the Grand Final.

HICKMOTT TAG LIMITS SCHLOITHE 

At different times this season, Lions coach Beau Wardman has called upon young midfielder Liam Hickmott to play a run-with role against some of the WAFL’s most prolific players. He lined up on Sandover Medallist Hayden Schloithe to great effect. Schloithe, who averaged 25 disposals heading into the game, managed 17, which left much of the engine room work to Zac Strom and Matt Parker. Meanwhile, Hickmott laid nine tackles, to show his commitment to shutting down one of the competition’s best players.

COLTS

Claremont kept its momentum going from winning the qualifying final in the colts to beat Swan Districts in the second semi-final 11.14 (80) to 11.5 (71) at Revo Fitness Stadium on Sunday.

Swans had been the dominant team during the colts season winning their first 15 matches in-a-row to secure the minor premiership. 

But they lost to Claremont in the final round and now on Sunday to need to beat East Fremantle in this Sunday's preliminary final to book in a Grand Final appearance with Claremont at Optus Stadium.

Jacob Van Rooyen kicked four goals to be a dominant presence in attack for Claremont while Angus Sheldrick kicked three goals.

Kendyll Blurton gathered 21 possessions for the Tigers, Sheldrick 18 and Eric Benning 15 to go with 15 hit outs.

James Sullivan kicked four goals for Swan Districts and Brayden Jones two. Elijah Hewett picked up 26 possessions, Max Chipper 22, Bryce Watson 21 and Lawson Humphries 20.

RESERVES

Perth's reserves booked their spot in the Grand Final on the back of a stirring finish to beat Claremont 11.6 (72) to 10.8 (68) at Revo Fitness Stadium on Sunday.

Jack Steel kicked three goals for the Demons, Christian Eyres two and Jayden Quill two. Quill also had 22 disposals for Perth, Conor McPartland 21, Corey Yeo 19, Oscar Bird 18, Marshall Jones 18 and Brodie Gray 18.

Max Minear kicked three goals for Claremont and Tyron Smallwood two with Ben Elliott finishing with 23 possessions, Luke Knight 18 and Sam Alvarez 17.

Claremont will now take on Subiaco in the preliminary final to determine who faces Perth in the Grand Final at Optus Stadium.
 

OPTUS WAFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON – FINALS SERIES
SECOND SEMI-FINAL

SUBIACO            5.0    7.1    10.4    11.7 (73)
SOUTH FREMANTLE        1.3    1.3    6.3    8.3 (51)

SUBIACO: Goals – Sokol 3; Mayo, Brandon Matera 2; Marsh, Atkinson, Braut, Golding.
Best – Clark, Delahunty, Kennedy, Sokol, L Hickmott, Dewar, Heal, W Hickmott.
SOUTH FREMANTLE: Goals – Shaw 2; Z Strom, Donaldson, Main, Miller, Kelly, Motlop.
Best – Z Strom, Parker, Higgins, Hall, Motlop, Shaw.