WAFL Team of the Week – Round 14Wednesday, July 19, 2023 - 8:28 PM - by Chris Pike

ROUND 14 in the WAFL saw East Perth and East Fremantle continue their winning ways to improve to top and third position while West Perth, Swan Districts and South Fremantle all breathed some life into their seasons.

Round 14 in the WAFL got underway on Saturday night at Mineral Resources Park with West Perth kicking the first eight goals but then being outscored the rest of the way in the 10.16 (76) to 7.6 (48) win over the West Coast Eagles.

From that victory for the Falcons, Zac Guadagnin, Luke Meadows and Tyler Keitel earned spots in the Team of the Week as did Xavier O'Neill from the Eagles.

South Fremantle snapped a four-game losing streak on Sunday at Mineral Resources Park while keeping Perth winless since Round 7 with the Bulldogs prevailing 10.9 (69) to 9.8 (62).

South Fremantle's Noah Strom and captain Dylan Main were selected in the Team of the Week as a result of the win with Perth's Kane Johnston and Charlie Thompson also making it.

East Fremantle went to Geraldton and came back with the 13.6 (84) to 10.5 (65) victory against Peel Thunder to see the Sharks move to third position with the four straight victories.

Swan Districts pulled off a stunning two-point win against Subiaco at Steel Blue Oval with Tom Edwards kicking four last quarter goals in the 11.5 (71) to 10.9 (69) victory.

Edwards made the Team of the Week from Swans along with teammates Aidan Clarke and Jarvis Pina. Subiaco ruckman Zac Clarke also earned selection.

The top-of-the-table clash for Round 14 took place on Sunday at Leederville Oval and it was East Perth kicking four goals to one in the last quarter to beat Claremont 12.10 (82) to 8.10 (58) to make it seven straight wins and jump into top spot.

From that victory for the Royals, Harrison Macreadie, Mitch Crowden, Hamish Brayshaw, Sam van Diemen and Angus Schumacher were all named to the Team of the Week. Claremont's Jye Bolton and Alex Manuel also earned selection.

PLAYER OF THE ROUND – HARRY MARSH (EAST FREMANTLE)

The East Fremantle midfield group on paper is as good as any this WAFL season but they just haven’t had a good run at getting them all on the field at the same time so far.

However, what they have been doing is having their turns in delivering best on ground performances and along the way Milan Murdock, Tom Joyce and Kyle Baskerville have had their turns, and right now it's Harry Marsh in the rich vein of form in his first season with the Sharks.

He left Subiaco to join his brother Jonathon with East Fremantle this season and has fitted in wonderfully to the midfield on the back of his 50 games including two premierships with Subiaco following 25 AFL matches at the Sydney Swans.

The two Marsh brothers are now playing at the club where their grandfather Ray Sorrell is such a revered figure and are going to continue to have a big say in how far they go in 2023.

While Jonathon continues to be a powerful presence up forward, Harry is doing much of his work through the midfield but he's also getting forward at times and the understanding and connection between the brothers has seen them link up on numerous occasions.

Harry was outstanding for the Sharks in Geraldton in Saturday's eventual win against Peel Thunder where he ended up finishing with 32 possessions, 10 marks, four tackles, three inside-50 entries and a goal.

That earns him selection in the WAFL Team of the Week for a second time this season and he is going to continue to be a pivotal part in East Fremantle's quest for that elusive first premiership this century.

Players of the Round
Round 1 – Max Walters (Subiaco)
Round 2 – Tyler Keitel (West Perth)
Round 3 – Ryan Borchet (Subiaco)
Round 4 – Brady Grey (Peel Thunder)
Round 5 – Jaiden Hunter (Perth)
Round 6 – Cody Leggett (East Fremantle)
Round 7 – Zac Clarke (Subiaco)
Round 8 – Nick Robertson (East Perth)
Round 9 – Talon Delacey (Claremont)
Round 10 – Dillon O'Reilly (East Fremantle)
Round 11 – Nathan Blakely (Swan Districts)
Round 12 – Jack Maibaum (Claremont)
Round 13 – Hamish Brayshaw (East Perth)
Round 14 – Harry Marsh (East Fremantle)

WAFL TEAM OF THE WEEK – ROUND 14

BACK: Zac Guadagnin (WP), Noah Strom (SF), Kane Johnston (P) 
HALF-BACK: Jye Bolton (C), Harrison Macreadie (EP), Cam Eardley (EF)
CENTRE: Aidan Clarke (SD), Charlie Thompson (P), Mitch Crowden (EP) 
HALF-FORWARD: Hamish Brayshaw (EP), Tom Edwards (SD), Sam van Diemen (EP)
FORWARD: Alex Manuel (C), Tyler Keitel (WP), Dylan Main (SF)
FOLLOWERS: Zac Clarke (S), Harry Marsh (EF), Luke Meadows (WP)
INTERCHANGE: Xavier O'Neill (WCE), Blair Bell (PT), Jarvis Pina (SD), Angus Schumacher (EP)

BACK POCKET – ZAC GUADAGNIN (West Perth)
The West Perth premiership defender and WAFL State Team backman had another standout showing in the back-line for West Perth on Saturday night as they kept themselves in the finals race with a win against West Coast. The 89-game 25-year-old ended the evening with 23 possessions, nine marks and three tackles and that saw him lock in a spot in the Team of the week for a third time so far in 2023.

FULL-BACK – NOAH STROM (South Fremantle)
A week after celebrating his 100-game milestone for South Fremantle, the ever reliable premiership defender stood tall once more in the win on Sunday against Perth. Had to stand up further once he lost his back-line stalwart teammates Toby McQuilkin and Chad Pearson, but he was impressive holding Perth's Harry Quartermaine scoreless and to just two kicks while having nine disposals, five tackles and three marks himself.

BACK POCKET – KANE JOHNSTON (Perth)
Having lost his key defensive partner in crime Connor Sing to injury for the rest of the season, he's had to step up further for Perth to take on the opposition's best tall forward option. He took on South Fremantle's Zac Strom on Sunday and did a superb job to hold him to just seven kicks, three marks and no score while he did end up with 14 possessions, six marks and three tackles himself.

HALF-BACK FLANK – JYE BOLTON (Claremont)
He is now just five games shy of reaching 150 with Claremont to earn life membership and it's been the most consistently high standard 145 games you could imagine since he joined the Tigers. It's been more than 12 months now where he's largely settled into a role off half-back and while he'd still be a dominant midfielder, he's slotted into that role so remarkably well. Was terrific again despite the loss to East Perth with 30 touches, four marks, four inside 50s and three tackles to make the Team of the Week an eighth time already in 2023. 

CENTRE HALF-BACK – HARRISON MACREADIE (East Perth)
He has really found his feet now in the WAFL competition and week after week is doing the best key defensive jobs for East Perth and is a big reason why they have won seven straight matches to sit on top of the ladder after 14 rounds. The former Carlton AFL defender took on the role against Claremont's Max Minear on Sunday and held him to four kicks and one behind while having 14 possessions, six marks and two tackles himself.

HALF-BACK FLANK – CAM EARDLEY (East Fremantle)
The East Fremantle veteran now of 160 games continues to be among the most consistently strong performers in the WAFL having found his home in the defensive unit in this back section of his career. He is just the general off half-back for the Sharks with his poise and creativity with ball in hand, but also the way he can play that intercepting role. Finished with another 26 possessions and six marks in Sunday's win in Geraldton against the Thunder.

WING – AIDAN CLARKE (Swan Districts)
Continued his spectacular run of form in the midfield for Swan Districts during Sunday's nail-biting two-point victory at home to Subiaco. Has been in remarkable touch since returning in Round 7 from a hamstring injury and that continued against the Lions where he ended up with 28 possessions, six marks and three tackles to make the Team of the Week for a sixth time this season, and fifth in the seven games since returning.

CENTRE – CHARLIE THOMPSON (Perth)
Continues to prove himself one of the recruits of the season with what he's providing Perth in the midfield having joined from Coburg in the VFL. The 24-year-old has become one of the more prolific and damaging on-ballers in the competition and that was all on show on Sunday against South Fremantle at Mineral Resources Park. Ended the game with 30 touches, five marks, three inside 50s and two goals to make the Team of the Week for a fourth time so far in 2023.

WING – MITCH CROWDEN (East Perth)
The East Perth powerful midfielder bounced back from a slightly quieter game the week before when he was limited to 16 touches by Swan Districts tagger Jehb O'Donohue, but he was right back to his prolific and damaging best against Claremont on Sunday for the Royals to shoot to top spot. He ended up with 32 possessions, seven marks, six inside-50 entries and five tackles on his way to being named to the Team of the Week for a fifth time.

HALF-FORWARD FLANK – HAMISH BRAYSHAW (East Perth)
What a remarkable patch of form he is now in for East Perth and he continues to be equally as impactful whether he is playing in his customary role in the midfield or going forward to keep showing what a dangerous goalkicker he is. Put in another brilliant showing in Sunday's win against Claremont to end up with 32 touches, seven marks, five inside-50 entries and two goals to make the Team of the Week for a seventh time from 13 games.

CENTRE HALF-FORWARD – TOM EDWARDS (Swan Districts)
He had a fascinating afternoon on Sunday for Swan Districts against Subiaco. Spent a lot of the first three quarters further up the field and even spent some time behind the ball, but went into his customary role inside the forward 50 to great effect in the last quarter. Against the same team he couldn’t quite kick the winning goal against earlier in the season, he turned match winner against Subiaco by kicking all four of his goals in the last quarter while also ending the afternoon with 24 touches and seven marks.

HALF-FORWARD FLANK – SAM VAN DIEMEN (East Perth)
The 22-year-old has become an important part of the East Perth forward-line and while only relatively small, he can play above his official 179cm height to be a good target, but then at ground level he's lively. Also applies good pressure and can take on some defensive forward roles. Finished up kicking three goals from 20 disposals and five tackles in Sunday's win against Claremont to make the Team of the Week for a second time.

FORWARD POCKET – ALEX MANUEL (Claremont)
The 94-game veteran forward is working into the season nicely now after an injury-interrupted start. It was just his sixth game of the year on Sunday against East Perth and he stepped up to kick three of the eight goals for the game for Claremont from his 10 kicks, four marks and to go with four entries inside the forward 50. It's the second time he's made the Team of the Week in his six appearances and has now kicked 140 goals from his 94 games.

FULL-FORWARD – TYLER KEITEL (West Perth)
The premier key forward in the competition had a big start to the game on Saturday night on West Coast putting him on track to potentially match what he did last time they played when he kicked a career-best 10 goals. However, on this occasion his team only kicked 10 goals for the game and he finished with three goals and five behinds from 13 possessions and 10 marks to earn a place in the Team of the Week for a fifth time.

FORWARD POCKET – DYLAN MAIN (South Fremantle)
The South Fremantle captain came back to lead the Bulldogs after missing the previous round's loss to Claremont and he proved the most effective forward in the game. South Fremantle snapped a four-game losing streak by beating Perth by seven points at Lathlain and he was at the forefront of that. Kicked the first two goals of the game and ended up kicking three of his team's 10 for the afternoon to finish with 16 touches, six tackles and five marks as well.

RUCK – ZAC CLARKE (Subiaco)
The star Subiaco ruckman had a fascinating battle with Swan Districts veteran Nathan Blakely on Sunday at Steel Blue Oval. They just about cancelled each other out around the ground, but he was just too big in the end in the ruck contests. Finished with a stunning 65 hit outs for the afternoon for the Lions to go with 16 touches, five marks and three tackles to earn himself a spot in the Team of the Week for a ninth time in just 13 games already in 2023.

ROVER – LUKE MEADOWS (West Perth)
The reigning Simpson Medallist from last year's Grand Final put together another strong showing on Saturday night as West Perth started strongly to set up the eventual 28-point victory against West Coast. He finished the evening with 29 possessions, three tackles and two inside-50 entries to book himself in for a fourth selection in the Team of the Week for the season as he continues his glittering 131-game WAFL career with the Falcons.

INTERCHANGE – XAVIER O'NEILL (West Coast)
After starting the season in the WAFL back in Round 1, he had become a regular in the West Coast AFL team playing 11 matches this season but found himself back in the WAFL on Saturday night with the Eagles getting some troops back at long last from injury. He responded well to the demotion with a terrific midfield display against West Perth and finished with 32 possessions, 10 inside-50 entries, seven tackles and six marks to put himself right back in the reckoning for an immediate recall.

INTERCHANGE – BLAIR BELL (Peel Thunder)
He was battling a little against the tide as the afternoon went on for Peel Thunder in Geraldton against East Fremantle, but the dual premiership winning hard man showed what a quality player he remains to be 117 games into his career. The 29-year-old from South Mandurah battled manfully against the Sharks to end up with 24 touches, eight tackles, four marks and two inside 50s to make the Team of the Week for a third time this season.

INTERCHANGE – JARVIS PINA (Swan Districts)
He has turned himself into one of the best running players in the competition now in his second season at Swan Districts and produced another tremendous performance in the narrow win against Subiaco on Sunday. Finished the game with 24 touches, seven marks and five tackles while also being solid defensively to limit the impact of Subiaco's Ben Golding as he made the Team of the Week for a third time this season.

INTERCHANGE – ANGUS SCHUMACHER (East Perth)
Yet another member of the standout East Perth midfield who has been instrumental in the Royals now winning seven matches in-a-row to sit on top of the WAFL ladder following Round 14. Continued his tremendous form in a season where he also won the State Game Simpson Medal and had another 27 touches, eight marks, inside 50s and five tackles in the win against Claremont to make the Team of the Week for a fifth occasion.
 

UNLUCKY BUNCH

There were plenty of players who delivered tremendous performances across Round 14 but couldn’t quite fit into the Team of the Round, including:

West Perth's Shane Nelson and Ben Johnson.

West Coast's Zane Trew, Isiah Winder, Jackson Nelson, Luke Foley, Greg Clark and Luke Edwards.

East Perth's Liam Tedesco, Angus Scott, Jacob Msando, Stan Wright and Corey Watts.

Claremont's Tyron Smallwood, Joel Western, Oliver Eastland, Teia Miles, Jack Maibaum, Ben Edwards and Declan Mountford.

East Fremantle's Jonathon Marsh, Kyle Baskerville, Fraser Turner, Tom Bennett, Jackson McDonald, Matthew Jupp and Jack Cleaver.

Peel Thunder's Brody Wemm, Clay Hall, Liam Reidy and Ben Hancock.

South Fremantle's Riley Colborne, Glenn Byron, Tom Blechynden, Roan O'Hehir, Jake Florenca and Caleb Stephens.

Perth's Corey Byrne, Jack Cooley, Austin Davis and Jacob Coniglio.

Swan Districts' Chris Jones, Jackson McLachlan, Tobe Watson, Jesse Glass-McCasker, Jehb O'Donohue and Cian Ehlers.

Subiaco's Taj Schofield, Liam Hickmott, Galen Savigni, Henry Berenger and Drew Rohde.