WAFL Team of the Week – Round 2Tuesday, April 18, 2023 - 9:54 PM - by Chris Pike

THE WAFL season saw all five matches on Saturday afternoon in Round 2 and with two West Perth players combining to kick 18 goals, the East Fremantle captain starring in defence and East Perth's gun midfielders running rampant, there was hot competition for Team of the Week spots.

With a record setting win for West Perth, record first half for East Perth against its Leederville Oval co-tenants, statement wins from Peel Thunder and Claremont, and then a tight win for East Fremantle, what a fascinating Round 2 of the WAFL it was on Saturday.

It was quite the demolition job from the reigning premiers on last year's wooden spooners at Joondalup's Pentanet Stadium with West Perth bouncing back from a Round 1 loss to beat the West Coast Eagles 34.13 (217) to 7.6 (48).

It was a much closer affair at Steel Blue Oval with two losers from the opening round locking horns with East Fremantle holding on to defeat Swan Districts 7.15 (57) to 7.11 (53).

Claremont continued its impressive start to the new season with a dominant first half to set up the eventual 10.16 (76) to 4.4 (28) victory against South Fremantle at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

Peel Thunder was then able to hold Perth to one goal the entire afternoon at Mandurah's Lane Group Stadium to score consecutive wins to start the season, winning 10.17 (77) to 1.6 (12).

East Perth then piled on 12 goals in a blistering first half at Leederville Oval to set up their eventual 17.10 (112) to 14.5 (89) win against co-tenants Subiaco to make a perfect start under new coach Ross McQueen in 2023.

That all led into the selection of the Team of the Week for Round 2 from those who performed well in those five matches, so let's get to how it came together.

PLAYER OF THE ROUND – TYLER KEITEL (WEST PERTH)

You can say what you like about the opposition he came up against, but 10 goals is still 10 goals and you can't overlook Tyler Keitel's performance in West Perth's record setting 169-point hammering of the West Coast Eagles on Saturday.

Coming into Saturday's game at Joondalup's Pentanet Stadium, Keitel had already kicked 263 goals in the 144 games he had played in the WAFL with West Perth after his somewhat controversial transfer from East Perth back in 2015 before he had even played a league game.

Keitel had kicked eight goals against the Royals back in 2021 and had three hauls of seven throughout his career against West Coast in 2021, Peel Thunder in 2021 as well and then Perth back in 2017 at Lathlain.

But never before had he kicked double-figures and in fact, nobody had reached the double-figure mark in the WAFL since Ashley Hansen kicked 11 when he was on a tear for Swan Districts back in 2012.

The 10 goals kicked by Keitel obviously is a career-high for the 27-year-old in his 145th game, but it also equals the most any player has kicked at Joondalup since West Perth moved there back in 1994. It equals the 10 kicked also by fellow Falcons Paul Mifka in 1995 and Troy Wilson in 1998.

The fact that West Perth kicked 34 goals for the day and won by 169 points to deliver the biggest WAFL score since Round 10, 2010 and score the biggest margin since that same day where Claremont hammered Peel shouldn’t take away from Keitel's performance.

Keitel finished the afternoon with not only the 10 goals, but also 22 possessions and 11 marks as he sets up a crack at winning what would be a third Bernie Naylor Medal victory to go with his leading goalkicker awards from 2018 and 2021.

Ironically it was back in 2016 when Keitel cemented himself as a regular league player with West Perth that it was as a high possession winning key defender, which saw him named to the WAFL Team of the Year.

However, then coach Bill Monaghan threw him forward to start the 2017 season and he's remained there ever since proving himself an outstanding target in attack for the Falcons with his marking ability making him a nightmare for opposition defenders.

He has now put together a career that's seen him kick 273 goals from 145 while along the way becoming a premiership player, two-time Bernie Naylor Medallist, two-time State representative and has been named to the WAFL Team of the Year six times as he approaches earning life membership with West Perth.

Players of the Round
Round 1 – Max Walters (Subiaco)
Round 2 – Tyler Keitel (West Perth)

WAFL TEAM OF THE WEEK – ROUND 2

BACK: Anthony Davis (C), Matthew Jupp (EF), Nick Robertson (EP)
HALF-BACK: Matthew Taylor (P), Brandon Erceg (SD), Lachlan Martinis (C)
CENTRE: Sam Fisher (SD), Milan Murdock (EF), Stefan Giro (S)
HALF-FORWARD: Joel Western (C), Jack Buller (C), Hamish Brayshaw (EP)
FORWARD: Mitch Dobson (WP), Tyler Keitel (WP), Nick Bonomelli (EP)
RUCK: Zac Clarke (S), Angus Schumacher (EP), Bailey Rogers (C)
INTERCHANGE: Shane Nelson (WP), Mitch Crowden (EP), Karl Worner (PT), Sebit Kuek (PT)

BACK POCKET – ANTHONY DAVIS (Claremont)
It wouldn’t have been out of place for the entire Claremont back-line to make up the Team of the Week given how impressive the entire unit for the Tigers were in Saturday's win against South Fremantle, but he gets the nod because of both his defensive work and the attacking drive he also provided defying his size. Finished the game with an impressive 21 possessions and nine marks.

FULL-BACK – MATTHEW JUPP (East Fremantle)
The East Fremantle co-captain is already a life member at the Sharks with 164 games under his belt and on the back of being named in the 2022 WAFL Team of the Year, has started off 2023 strongly and was a dominant and impenetrable presence at full-back on Saturday against Swan Districts. Was terrific in holding Chris Jones scoreless for Swans while also having 16 disposals and eight marks himself in the four-point win.

BACK POCKET – NICK ROBERTSON (East Perth)
The former Brisbane Lions hard man has spent most of his time back with East Perth in the WAFL making his presence felt in the forward-line, but new Royals coach Ross McQueen has thrown him down back to start the new season and isn’t afraid throw him some big challenges. On Saturday it was a match up with Subiaco spearhead Ben Sokol and the two would go on to have a fascinating match up, and are remarkably evenly matched. While Sokol still kicked three goals, he only had five kicks and he himself finished with 12 possessions and three marks.

HALF-BACK FLANK – MATTHEW TAYLOR (Perth)
For the second straight week to start the season, he racked up a mountain of the ball for Perth coming out of the back-line. He is doing all he can to lift the Demons but unfortunately that also means the ball is in the Perth back 50 a lot and Peel had 51 inside-50 entries against them in Saturday's win where the Demons managed just one goal. He still did what he could and finished with 34 possessions and nine marks.

CENTRE HALF-BACK – BRANDON ERCEG (Swan Districts)
East Fremantle's tall forward targets loomed large coming into Saturday's clash for Swan Districts at Steel Blue Oval, but Swans did relatively well to keep them in check and he was a significant reason for that. The co-captain spent the majority of the afternoon opposed to Hugh Dixon and helped hold him to just seven kicks, two marks and one goal which came from a free-kick. He also had 23 disposals, five tackles and four marks himself.

HALF-BACK FLANK – LACHLAN MARTINIS (Claremont)
The attacking flair Claremont has out of its back-line has now become perhaps the Tigers' great strength and it was a flip of the coin between him, Jye Bolton and Teia Miles as to which of this creative defenders earned a spot in the Team of the Week after the win against South Fremantle. He just got the nod on the back of producing 31 possessions, nine marks and four inside-50 entries as he continues to thrive on the back of making the Team of the Year each of the past two seasons.

WING – SAM FISHER (Swan Districts)
The 2020 Sandover Medal winner had a terrific season again in 2022 where he was named to the WAFL Team of the Year and he put together another strong showing for the Swans in Saturday's four-point home loss to East Fremantle. Was brilliant through the midfield once again to end up with 32 disposals, seven marks, three inside-50 entries and two marks.

CENTRE – MILAN MURDOCK (East Fremantle)
The reigning fairest and best winner at East Fremantle looks to have taken his game up even another level so far in 2023 as he cements himself as perhaps the best in-and-under midfielder across the competition. His hunger and will to fight for the hard ball was again huge in Saturday's narrow win against Swan Districts and he finished with another 34 possessions, 11 tackles, five marks and three inside-50 entries.

WING – STEFAN GIRO (Subiaco)
After having a superb first season with Subiaco winning the Outridge Medal despite the Lions missing out on finals, he has started the 2023 season perhaps in even better form even if it was in a loss against East Perth on Saturday. He put together a performance made up of 30 possessions, six inside 50s, four tackles, three marks and two goals.

HALF-FORWARD FLANK – JOEL WESTERN (Claremont)
Deserves to feel a little unlucky to find himself out of the AFL system after just the four matches with Fremantle back in 2021, but he's doing his chances of getting another opportunity at the top level with the way he is performing on return to Claremont this season. Is running hard and using his skills expertly highlighted by a brilliant snap from the boundary in Saturday's win against South Fremantle. Finished the game with two goals from 23 possessions, eight marks and five inside 50s.

CENTRE HALF-FORWARD – JACK BULLER (Claremont)
Only the fact that he kicked 1.4 in Round 1 against West Perth stopped him from being a dominant force in that win for Claremont but already by halfway through the second quarter on Saturday and he had four goals on the board against South Fremantle. While he didn’t add to that, his presence in attack was huge for the Tigers and he ended up with a mighty impressive 22 disposals and 14 marks.

HALF-FORWARD FLANK – HAMISH BRAYSHAW (East Perth)
Is now part of a midfield contingent at East Perth that could very well be the best in the competition when they are all up and firing, and he's added an extra string to his bow as a goalkicker to start the 2023 season. He had three goals to his name already by quarter-time in Saturday's win against Subiaco and finished off with 23 possessions, seven marks, six tackles and six inside-50 entries.

FORWARD POCKET – MITCH DOBSON (West Perth)
He continues to thrive at West Perth since joining the Falcons from arch-rivals East Perth for the start of the 2022 season. He was instrumental in West Perth winning the premiership last year and now has started 2023 in terrific fashion. Was solid in Round 1 and then had a career-best afternoon on Saturday kicking eight goals from 17 possessions and nine marks in the massive win against West Coast.

FORWARD POCKET – NICK BONOMELLI (East Perth)
He made a spectacular debut last year for East Perth kicking four goals after making the move from East Fremantle. He wasn’t ever quite able to replicate that performance, that was until Saturday anyway when he kicked another four goals for the Royals in the win against Subiaco to go with 13 possessions and six marks. If he can find some consistency as a goalkicker, this East Perth team could be hard to stop in 2023 with their weapons through the middle and solid defence.

RUCK – ZAC CLARKE (Subiaco)
What a fascinating battle it always loomed as being between he and fellow former Fremantle ruckman Scott Jones, and it didn’t disappoint. While Jones' East Perth did win on the scoreboard against his Subiaco, he was terrific again for his second game back with the Lions this season and ended the afternoon with 21 possessions, 42 hit outs, four marks and three tackles.

RUCK ROVER – ANGUS SCHUMACHER (East Perth)
Is now in his fourth season with East Perth and the former Carlton big-bodied AFL midfielder continues to thrive at the Royals through the middle. On the back of being named to the WAFL Team of the Year in 2022, has started the 2023 season strongly too and was instrumental in Saturday's win against Subiaco with 33 disposals, seven marks, seven inside 50s, four marks and two goals.

ROVER – BAILEY ROGERS (Claremont)
The 2021 Sandover Medallist still had a good season in 2022 for Claremont and was named to the Team of the Year for a fourth consecutive time, but at the same time he never appeared quite fully healthy or at the top of his game. That has changed to start 2023 and he looks fully healthy and explosive once more, and he showed that in the 48-point win over South Fremantle with 28 touches, seven marks and five inside-50 entries.

INTERCHANGE – SHANE NELSON (West Perth)
What a remarkable and consistently brilliant midfielder he continues to be for West Perth. Is showing no signs of slowing down despite now being 209 games into his career and having won two premierships and five fairest and best awards for the Falcons. Has already been named to the Team of the Year eight times and could be there again after his 38 possessions, 10 inside 50s, eight marks and a goal against the Eagles.

INTERCHANGE – MITCH CROWDEN (East Perth)
Was a prized recruit for East Perth coming into 2023 once delisted by Fremantle after playing 42 AFL games, and showed exactly why in the win against Subiaco not only doing plenty of strong work in congestion, but being dangerous going forward as well. Ended up delivering 29 touches, 11 tackles, eight inside-50 entries, and five marks in the win for the Royals.

INTERCHANGE – KARL WORNER (Peel Thunder)
For the second straight week to start the season he was terrific for Peel with his drive and attack coming off half-back to put his hand up for an AFL call up to make his debut with the Dockers. Had a big say in thumping win for the Thunder against the Demons in Mandurah ending up with 30 touches and eight marks to be named to the Team of the Week once more.

INTERCHANGE – SEBIT KUEK (Peel Thunder)
He didn’t quite settle as he would have hoped with Peel in the second half of last season after a blistering start with East Perth that saw him taken in the mid-season draft. However, after a pre-season with the Dockers he looks a different and more complete package to start 2023 and is quite the threat in attack for the Thunder. He kicked four goals from 14 touches and seven marks against Perth.
 

UNLUCKY BUNCH

There were plenty of players who delivered tremendous performances across Round 2 but couldn’t quite fit into the Team of the Round, including:

Claremont's Jye Bolton, Jack Maibaum, Callan England, Teia Miles and Oliver Eastland.

South Fremantle's Tom Blechynden, Chad Pearson, Toby McQuilkin and Caleb Datson.

West Perth's Aaron Black, Luke Meadows, Mitch Peirce, Ben Johnson, Noah Pegoraro and Sasha Kernutt.

West Coast captain Jackson Nelson.

Swan Districts' Jesse Turner and Ryan Kemp.

East Fremantle's Harry Marsh, Fraser Turner, Tom Joyce, Cam Eardley and Dillon O'Reilly.

Peel Thunder's Ben Hancock, Traye Bennell, Nathan Wilson and Anthony Treacy.

Perth's Trent Manzone, Charlie Thompson, Corey Byrne, Jacob Coniglio and Michael Sinclair.

Subiaco's Liam Hickmott, Taj Schofield and Galen Savigni.

East Perth's Stan Wright, Tom North and Kye Willcocks.