WAFL Round 5 WrapMonday, May 8, 2023 - 9:38 AM - by Chris Pike

IT was statement time in Round 5 of the WAFL with West Perth, Subiaco and Peel Thunder producing emphatic performances while Claremont beat East Perth in a thriller and Perth narrowly missed a 100-point win over the West Coast Eagles.

Round 5 in the 2023 WAFL season always loomed as one that could provide an early indication of where teams sit, and that's what ended up happening with the Falcons, Lions and Thunder all supremely impressive.

The Tigers and Royals then played out what was likely the game of the season so far in an exciting and rollercoaster affair while the Demons opened their account under new coach Peter German in dominant fashion.

The Round 5 action began on Saturday afternoon and while East Perth started on fire at Revo Fitness Stadium, Claremont responded to end up winning 13.13 (91) to 12.12 (84) to return to the top of the WAFL ladder at 4-1.

West Perth bounced back from a loss to Subiaco by defeating East Fremantle 10.12 (72) to 7.15 (57) at the WACA Ground with the Falcons and Sharks now sitting on 3-2 records as a result.

The battle of winless teams took place at Lathlain's Mineral Resources Park with both sides on significant losing streaks, and it was Perth who proved far too good for the West Coast Eagles to win 18.16 (124) to 4.3 (27).

The last game of the round on Saturday afternoon took place at Leederville Oval and despite a surge from South Fremantle in the last quarter, Subiaco responded to win 7.10 (52) to 6.4 (40) to improve to 4-1 on the season.

The round wrapped up on Sunday afternoon in Mandurah with Peel Thunder flexing its muscles in a 17.16 (118) to 6.4 (40) victory against Swan Districts at Lane Group Stadium to move to second spot with a 4-1 record.

Meanwhile in Round 5 of the Reserves, Claremont beat East Perth 10.11 (71) to 9.9 (63) with Alex Manuel kicking two goals and two each to Steven Miller and Rory Charles. Mitch Barron gathered 18 disposals, Max Mumme 17 and Rohan MacNeill 16.

Shayne Hille kicked three goals for East Perth with Michael Randall making a terrific return from his suspension with 28 possessions and nine inside-50 entries.

West Perth also defeated East Fremantle 11.10 (76) to 6.7 (43) with Zarne Robis kicking three goals while Mark Hutchings made his return with 30 possessions and Michael Mallard had 44 hit outs.

Lennon Marlin had 28 touches for the Sharks, Jack Walsh 26 and Matt Williamson 18. 

Subiaco beat South Fremantle 8.14 (62) to 4.4 (28) with Jack Mayo kicking another three goals with Abraham Clinch amassing 35 disposals and 16 marks to bang down the door for a league opportunity.

Jermaine Pickett kicked two goals for the Bulldogs while Jake Florenca continued to build with another 22 possessions. George Wessels also had 27 disposals, Jarrad Doney 25 and Toby Dodds 25.

Then on Sunday, Peel Thunder beat Swan Districts 12.7 (79) to 9.7 (61) in Mandurah with Luen Colton kicking four goals with Michael Sellwood picking up 30 disposals and taking 14 marks. Haydn Matthews also had 28 touches, Guy Barnes 26 and Aidan Hare 24 to go with 14 tackles.

Max Chipper, Kristian Caporn and Luke Taylor all kicked two goals each for Swan Districts with Jiah Reidy having 19 possessions, Chipper 18, Lewis Tester 17 and Lawson Humphries 17.

And in the Colts, Claremont beat East Perth 9.11 (65) to 6.8 (44) with Ryan Lazar kicking two goals for the Tigers while Daniel Curtin had 26 possessions, Kai Dehavilland 25 and Max Rohr 22 to go with 30 hit outs.

Alexio Yiannakis kicked two goals for East Perth and Darcy Craven collected 24 touches, Mitch Miller 23 and William Cassidy 19.

East Fremantle beat West Perth 7.8 (50) to 6.3 (39) at the WACA Ground with Griffin Vladich kicking three goals and Jack Cocking two while James Spadanuda picked up 32 disposals, Koen Sanchez 29 and Zac Petersen 28.

Baylee Payne and Matt Galjaardt kicked two goals each for West Perth with Callum Smith finishing with 23 touches. 

Subiaco downed South Fremantle 11.13 (79) to 5.5 (35) with Koopa Walsh kicking three goals and two each to Lance Collard and Malakai Champion. Ethan Barbieri finished with 28 touches and Lachlan MacRae 24 along with 13 tackles.

Ed Graham kicked two goals for South Fremantle while Jacob Whan collected 30 possessions, Ashton Ferreira 19 and Graham 19.

Then on Sunday in Mandurah, Peel Thunder beat Swan Districts 8.15 (63) to 6.9 (45) with Reece Torrent kicking two goals to go with 26 possessions. Jackson Klepzig also had 24 touches and Clay Hall 23 along with 13 tackles.

Lewis Zolnier-Owens and Chayse Martinson kicked two goals each for Swans with Luke Kelly racking up another 34 disposals, Tom Cathcart 33 and Jack Saunders 27.

 

WAFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON – ROUND 5

CLAREMONT 13.13 (91) defeated EAST PERTH 12.12 (84)

Claremont was able to hit back from East Perth kicking the first six goals of the game to work its way on top and score the seven-point win at Revo Fitness Stadium to see them return to top spot in the WAFL.

The Royals shot out of the blocks in brilliant fashion with the first six goals of the game attempting to bounce back from their first loss of the season last week to Peel Thunder.

East Perth was still clinging to a 14-point lead at half-time and one-point at three quarter-time on the back of that hot start, but Claremont was able to get the job done with Ben Elliott kicking the sealing goal.

Claremont went on to win 13.13 (91) to 12.12 (84) to improve to a 4-1 record in top spot with East Perth slipping outside the top five with consecutive losses.

Bailey Rogers' class and finishing ability was again crucial in the eventual win for Claremont as he kicked three goals from 19 possessions with Talon Delacey and Zac Mainwaring adding two goals apiece for the Tigers.

Jye Bolton was outstanding again for the Tigers with 32 possessions while Callan England racked up 25 disposals, Ben Elliott 24, Lachlan Martinis 22, Teia Miles 21 and Anthony Treacy an exciting 18.

Oliver Eastland had the better of his ruck duel with Scott Jones too finishing with 16 touches, seven marks and 29 hit outs even though Jones had 33 hit outs for the Royals.

Angus Schumacher, Mitch Schofield and Angus Scott kicked two goals apiece for East Perth.

Tom North was prolific in setting up play off half-back for the Royals and amassed 35 possessions with Nick Robertson also having 27 disposals down back.

Hamish Brayshaw added 23 touches, Schumacher 22, Mitch Crowden 21, Corey Watts 19 and Scott 18.

It didn't take East Perth long to get off to another flying start with two goals inside the opening eight minutes through Angus Schumacher and Riley Saunders.

Then after a string three behinds for the Royals, they added the third, fourth and fifth goals of the game thanks to Mitch Schofield, another to Schumacher and Sam van Diemen to hold the Tigers to two behinds and lead by 31 points at quarter-time.

It took almost 13 minutes into the second quarter for the first goal and it was the Royals getting it again to have the first six of the match. When Schofield kicked his second, East Perth was leading by 38 points and it was getting desperate for Claremont.

The Tigers responded with four goals in the last eight minutes of the half starting with Sam Alvarez kicking truly at the 22-minute mark. Talon Delacey, Jye Bolton and Bailey Rogers then all added goals to cut the East Perth lead to 14 points at half-time.

Two goals to Nick Bonomelli to open the second half saw the Royals regain their control of the contest leading again by 24 points, but once more Claremont responded just when it appeared it might be slipping away.

Two quick goals to Zac Mainwaring before Claremont closed the third quarter with majors to Rogers, Anthony Treacy and Tyron Smallwood, and suddenly it was just a one-point ball game by three quarter-time.

The Tigers then continued on with the momentum start the last quarter and a brilliant bit of roving from Treacy and a breakaway inside-50 before he dished off for Rogers to kick his third put the home team in front.

Delacey then stretched that lead to 12 points, but just as Claremont had all the moment East Perth were able to respond with goals to Angus Scott and Liam Tedesco.

Scores were all square at the 22-minute mark but ultimately the sealer was kicked by Tigers midfielder Ben Eliott on his left boot at the 29-minute mark and the home team won by seven to return to top spot.

 

EAST FREMANTLE 7.15 (57) lost to WEST PERTH 10.12 (72)

West Perth started on fire with the opening four goals of the game and an inaccurate East Fremantle could never make up that gap with the Falcons prevailing by 15 points.

The Falcons were attempting to hit back from a loss to Subiaco and for a rare win at the WACA Ground, and with Mitch Dobson leading the charge, they shot out of the blocks with the only four goals of the first quarter.

Kicking just seven goals from 22 scoring attempts meant the Sharks denied themselves the chance of overtaking the Falcons despite getting back within five points early in the final term.

West Perth steadied to score the 10.12 (72) to 7.15 (57) victory to win at the WACA Ground for the first time since Round 11, 1992 against South Fremantle.

Mitch Dobson made a hot start to the game in attack for West Perth and ended up kicking four goals even though he had just the seven kicks for the afternoon.

Luke Meadows also kicked two crucial goals for the Falcons from 24 possessions while spearhead Tyler Keitel had just the one goal from 13 touches and four marks with Matthew Jupp and Jarrad Jansen both spending significant time on him throughout the day.

It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride in recent weeks for Nathan Murray with a best on ground performance against Swan Districts and then quiet game against Subiaco, but he hit back on Saturday with 27 possessions, three tackles and a goal.

Shane Nelson also had 27 disposals for the Falcons, Ben Johnson 22, Joe Hinder 17, Tristan Hobley 16 and Mitch Peirce 16 to go with 10 tackles while Noah Pegoraro was outstanding defensively and had 14 possessions and five marks.

Cody Leggett returned from suspension for East Fremantle to play his second game of the season and kick three goals from eight kicks, five marks and four tackles.

Luke English had a purple patch to start the last quarter for the Sharks while Jonathon Marsh, Hugh Dixon and Dillon O'Reilly were all goalless.

Cam Eardley finished with 22 possessions and six marks off half-back for East Fremantle while Jarrad Jansen finished with 20 touches and 17 hit outs while splitting his time as a key defender and pinch hit ruckman.

Jonathon Marsh might have been goalless but still had 19 touches and eight marks with Reuben McGuire contributing 18 disposals and 21 hit outs along with Kyle Baskerville 17 possessions and 10 tackles, and Milan Murdock 16 touches and 11 tackles.

West Perth came out on a mission to make a statement coming off last week's loss to Subiaco and the Falcons took less than four minutes to put the first goal on the board thanks to Mitch Dobson.

Aidan Lynch soon added another and Dobson's second at the 15-minute mark gave the Falcons the opening three goals and a 21-point lead.

Tyler Keitel added another for West Perth just before quarter-time and with East Fremantle goalless, it was the Falcons on top by 24 points at the first change.

Cody Leggett was back for his second game of the season and kicked East Fremantle's first of the game at the three-minute mark of the second term, and when he added another shortly after the Sharks were back within 13 points.

Both teams traded another goal each leading into half-time and going into the break it was the reigning premiers holding an 11-point advantage.

Dobson kicked his third goal for West Perth to open the second half and ultimately that would be the only goal for the third term for either team with the Falcons up by 18 points at the final change.

East Fremantle wasn’t done with, though, and two quick goals to Luke English inside four minutes and suddenly it was a five-point ball game.

Nathan Murray and Leggett traded goals with West Perth's lead back to three points, but the Falcons would kick the next two goals courtesy of Dobson and Luke Meadows to set up the eventual 15-point victory.

 

WEST COAST EAGLES 4.3 (27) lost to PERTH 18.16 (124)

There was good news for the West Coast Eagles as they avoided making history by not losing a fourth straight game by triple-figures, but that was about it as Perth dominated them once more to win by 97 points.

Both teams came into the game having not won yet in 2023 and with the Demons on a six-game losing streak dating back to their win over West Coast in Round 18 last year while the Eagles had lost their past 12 matches.

However, right from the outset it was a dominant showing from Perth at Lathlain's Mineral Resources Park with six goals to one in the first quarter, six to nil in the second and the only goal of the third term to go into three quarter-time leading by 80 points.

The Demons ended up winning 18.16 (124) to 4.3 (27) for their first win of the season but they are still yet to beat anyone but the Eagles since a win over Peel in Round 4 last year.

Jaiden Hunter and Harry Quartermaine hadn’t kicked a goal yet this season for Perth with the former coming in for his first game since 2021 and then the latter having struggled to find the ball in attack so far in 2023.

However, on Saturday they both showed exciting signs of what they could provide in the future for the Demons as a key forward duo by kicking four goals apiece. Hunter had eight kicks and six marks as well, and Quartermaine 14 kicks and five marks.

Regan Clarke also kicked two goals to go with racking up 33 possessions while Simon Hayward came into the line-up and kicked two goals to go with 23 touches.

Jack Avery was a standout again off half-back with 33 possessions and 12 marks while Jack Cooley racked up 32 disposals, Charlie Thompson 29, Corey Byrne 28, Matt Taylor 28, Jye Clark 25, Austin Davis 23 and Conor McPartland 22.

It was another tough outing for West Coast but the Eagles did have some good ball winners with Josh Browne collecting 36 possessions, Ethan Hansen 26, Jackson Nelson 25, Alec Waterman 25, Joey Deegan 24 and Andries Mercer 16.

Callum Jamieson was also the best ruckman in the game with 16 touches and 23 hit outs.

It only took a minute into the game for Harry Quartermaine to kick his first goal of the season and to give Perth the perfect start. Sam Stubbs added another and when Jaiden Hunter did the same, Perth's main forward targets were on the board.

Captain Michael Sinclair got forward to kick another soon after before the Eagles did get on the board in response thanks to Andries Mercer.

The Demons weren't going to let the momentum slip, though, and finished the quarter with two more goals to Hunter and they were on top by 32 points at quarter-time.

Perth continued to dominate from there with another six goals in the second quarter. The Demons also held the Eagles scoreless for the entire quarter to lead by 70 points at half-time.

A fourth successive 100-point loss loomed for West Coast and only scoring one behind in the third term didn’t help that. However, Perth also only added the one goal to lead by 80 points at three quarter-time.

The Demons kicked five goals to three from the Eagles in the final term and the only positive for West Coast was that the 97-point losses avoided what would have been the first time a team has lost by triple figures in four successive matches.

 

SUBIACO 7.10 (52) defeated SOUTH FREMANTLE 6.4 (40)

Subiaco's ability to close down their opposition again came to the fore on Saturday as they restricted South Fremantle to six goals for the day in an eventual 12-point victory at Leederville Oval.

Subiaco might not be putting big scores on the board itself and only kicked seven goals on Saturday, but the Lions are making life mighty difficult for their opponents to get any of their attacking game going against them.

That was once more on show on Saturday at Leederville Oval with Subiaco holding South Fremantle to one goal in the first half and to three goals for a lot of the afternoon outside of the Bulldogs kicking three quick goals to open the fourth term.

The pressure Subiaco applied to South Fremantle was significant with the Lions laying 75 tackles to 45 on the way to the eventual 7.10 (52) to 6.4 (40) victory.

Subiaco might have only kicked seven goals for the game but five of those came from their spearhead duo with Ryan Borchet kicking three goals and Ben Sokol two. 

They might have only had 10 kicks and seven marks between them, but kicking five goals meant they more than played their part in the win.

Liam Hickmott continued his tremendous form for Subiaco in the midfield with 30 possessions and 11 tackles with brother Wil Hickmott also finishing with 26 disposals, Taj Schofield 24, Stefan Giro 20, Angus Dewar 17 and Drew Rohde 17.

Ruckman Zac Clarke had a fascinating battle with South Fremantle youngster Solomon James but he had more impact around the ground with 14 touches, four tackles, three marks and a goal to go with 38 hit outs.

Victorian recruit Jordan Gallucci returned to the South Fremantle team and was the only multiple goalkicker and kicked three goals from his seven kicks to manage half the goals for the Bulldogs on the day.

South Fremantle's back-line did their best to again keep them in the contest. While Borchet did kick three goals, Noah Strom did well for the most part to limit his influence while Jordan Boullineau had a good battle with Sokol.

Chad Pearson also finished with 28 possessions, Toby McQuilkin 26 and Glenn Byron 25 while further up the field, Tom Blechynden had 24 disposals, Brandon Donaldson 20, Brendon Ah Chee 19 and debutant Caleb Stephens 19 to go with a goal.

It was a bit of a grind early on with stoppage after stoppage, particularly a whole slew of boundary throw-ins in the first 15 minutes until eventually Subiaco kicked a goal after a dubious free-kick to Zac Clarke out of a ruck contest with Solomon James.

That started off Subiaco grabbing the momentum, though, to capitalise on their monopolising the possession. 

While the Bulldogs got a goal from debutant Caleb Stephens with a clever snap, two Subiaco goals to Ryan Borchet after he returned after an early scare with a knee and that saw the Lions up by 14 at quarter-time.

It took another eight minutes for the first goal of the second quarter and it again went to Subiaco through Liam Hickmott. That would prove the only goal of the quarter with the Lions leading by 21 points at half-time.

South Fremantle did manage the first two goals of the second half thanks to Dylan Main and Jordan Gallucci to cut the Subiaco lead to 11 points, but a goal to Ben Sokol helped Subiaco hold sway by 17 points still at three quarter-time.

South Fremantle had only kicked three goals up to that point, but then suddenly opened the fourth term on fire. It started with a second goal to Gallucci, before Brendon Ah Chee added another and then Gallucci his third.

It gave the Bulldogs three goals inside 14 minutes and they were in front for the first time in the game, but it didn’t even last five minutes. 

Sokol added a second to put Subiaco back in front and then Borchet kicked his third to seal the 12-point win for the Lions.

 

PEEL THUNDER 17.16 (118) defeated SWAN DISTRICTS 9.2 (56)

Peel Thunder shook off a slow start against Swan Districts in Mandurah on Sunday to dominate the rest of the contest on the way to the eventual 62-point victory.

Swans made a flying start at Lane Group Stadium looking to make it consecutive wins after breaking through for a first win of the season last week against South Fremantle.

The black-and-whites kicked the first four goals of the game as well against the Thunder, but it was tough going from there as Peel took over the contest on their home deck.

The Thunder would end up outscoring the Swans 16 goals to five the rest of the game after that hot start from the visitors.

Peel kicked eight goals to two in the second half including six to one in the last quarter to end up winning 17.16 (118) to 9.2 (56).

The Thunder improves to a 4-1 record in second position as a result while Swans slip to a 1-4 record with their heaviest defeat of the season.

Brody Wemm, Tom Emmett and Jonathon Ietto all kicked two goals apiece for Peel in the victory as did 112-game veteran Blair Bell to go with 22 possessions.

There was plenty to like in the performance from the Thunder including captain Ben Hancock racking up 33 possessions to go with nine inside-50 entries, six marks, six tackles and a goal.

Liam Henry provided some terrific run in his 26 touches while Brady Grey had another 24 disposals, Will Brodie 24, Sam Sturt 24, Karl Worner 23 and ruckman Riley Smith 19 to go with 33 hit outs and a goal.

The flashes of poise and dash from Corey Wagner was encouraging too with 18 possessions, seven inside 50s, five marks and a goal.

Chris Jones started well with two goals in the first quarter for Swan Districts but was well held the rest of the afternoon while Ryan Kemp worked hard to also kick two goals. 

Jarrod Cameron might have only kicked one goal from seven kicks, but his pressure as a small forward continues to be impressive and he laid five tackles.

Jesse Turner worked tirelessly once again for Swan Districts with another 33 possessions while Jackson McLachlan continued the impressive start to his WAFL career with 28 touches.

Josh Cipro made a welcome return for his first game of the season in the absence of Sam Fisher, Frank Anderson and Aidan Clarke, and he had 22 touches and seven tackles.

Jarvis Pina finished with 21 disposals, Lachlan Riley 20, Mitch Bain 19 and Tobe Watson 18.

Swan Districts headed to Mandurah on Sunday buoyed by the first win of the season last week against South Fremantle and kept the momentum going with two goals inside four minutes against Peel.

Jesse Palmer added the first and then Mitch Bain another for the black-and-whites before Jackson McLachlan kicked his second in the WAFL. When Jones added his second, already Swans had four on the board at the 14-minute mark in a stunning opening.

The Thunder responded with two quick goals of their own from Ben Middleton and Corey Wagner, but Swans answered thanks to Jarrod Cameron to go back up 16.

The Swan Districts advantage was still 10 at quarter-time with Peel closing the opening term with a late goal to Jack Sears.

Ryan Kemp showed his speed and craftiness around goals again to kick Swans' sixth of the game to start the second term, but Peel was warming to the task and three goals in six minutes to Sam Sturt, Blair Bell and Jonathon Ietto saw the home team grab the lead.

Peel would keep on going from there with goals to Riley Smith, Tom Emmett and Brody Wemm to lead by 23 points and still 17 at half-time despite a late goal for Swan Districts to Tom Edwards.

The Thunder added another two goals to one from Swans in the third quarter to extend their advantage to 29 points at the last change.

Then in the final term, Peel ran away with it by kicking another six goals to just one from Swan Districts with the Thunder going on to score 62-point win to be just percentage off top spot at 4-1 while Swans slip to a 1-4 record.