WAFL Team of the Week – Round 20Wednesday, August 30, 2023 - 10:10 AM - by Chris Pike

NOT only did finals places for their teams go on the line in the last round of the home and away season on Saturday, but the last chance to make claims for the WAFL Team of the Year took place in Round 20.

It proved to be a fascinating final round of the 2023 WAFL season with East Fremantle securing the minor premiership, Peel Thunder winning to go third, Claremont winning to secure a finals spot and then West Perth winning to knock East Perth down to fourth despite missing finals themselves.

The final round of the home and away season got underway at Lathlain's Mineral Resources Park on Saturday with South Fremantle scoring its biggest win and recording its highest score of 2023 to defeat the winless West Coast Eagles 24.5 (149) to 9.6 (60).

From that victory, Toby McQuilkin, Tom Blechynden and Zac Strom all made the Team of the Week from South Fremantle.

Next up and Peel Thunder secured its place in the finals and the double chance with a third place finish by beating Swan Districts 12.11 (83) to 10.13 (73) at Steel Blue Oval.

In that win, Josh Corbett, Brady Grey and Jacob Blight were named to the Team of the Week from Peel along with Jesse Turner, Aidan Clarke and Josh Cipro from Swan Districts.

Claremont secured its place in the finals as well by beating Perth 13.12 (90) to 6.5 (41) at Revo Fitness Stadium on the back of winning its past two matches.

Jye Bolton made the Team of the Week in his 150th game for Claremont along with teammates Anthony Davis and Bailey Rogers with Austin Davis also making it from Perth.

Top spot in the WAFL then went on the line at Leederville Oval and while scores were level at three quarter-time, East Fremantle dominated from there to end up beating Subiaco 15.19 (109) to 9.5 (59) to wrap up the minor premiership.

Matthew Jupp, Brayden Lawler and Josh Schoenfeld ended up making the Team of the Week from the win for the Sharks along with Liam Hickmott from the loss for the Lions.

Last up was a Perth derby and in the end while West Perth beat East Perth 15.10 (100) to 13.7 (85), it wasn’t good news for either team with the Falcons missing out on finals despite a sixth consecutive win while the Royals slid to fourth position with the defeat.

From the win for West Perth, Shane Nelson, Luke Meadows and Sasha Kernutt made the Team of the Week along with Stan Wright and Hamish Brayshaw from East Perth.

PLAYER OF THE ROUND – MATTHEW JUPP (East Fremantle)

The East Fremantle captain continues to show the way for his team from full-back and is as instrumental as anybody in the season the Sharks have now put together to claim a first minor premiership since 1998.

When Jupp started his WAFL career with East Fremantle back in 2013, he had every reason to think some success wasn’t too far away. While the Sharks hadn’t won a premiership since 1998, they were fresh off playing in the 2012 Grand Final and the start of a new era might have been on the horizon.

However, it wasn’t to be. East Fremantle did make finals again in 2014 and were left to rue kicking 7.26 in a five-point preliminary final loss against a Subiaco team who would go on to win another premiership a week later.

Redemption would be a long time coming and while over the ensuing years Jupp cemented himself as one of the best and most consistent and reliable key defenders in the competition, wins were hard to come by for the Sharks.

Between 2015 and 2021, Jupp only played in 26 wins over the course of 113 games with East Fremantle not playing finals in that time and not even scoring a single victory over arch-rivals South Fremantle.

Jupp never wavered in his belief that East Fremantle could get back to the successful club they had been the previous century, and not only is he being rewarded now over the past two years, but he has been as instrumental as anybody to make it happen.

Jupp has not only continued to be the standout key defender in the competition, but could now very well be the best captain in the WAFL too highlighted by the fact he captained the State Team in Adelaide earlier this season.

He led East Fremantle back to the finals last year before a frustrating preliminary final loss to Claremont once more, but this year the Sharks have gone up another level and he has been a cornerstone in that success.

East Fremantle ended the home and away season by winning nine straight matches to finish two games and percentage clear on top of the ladder with a 14-4 record to claim a first minor premiership in 25 years.

Jupp has been brilliant right along the way to be named to the WAFL Team of the Week eight times including after Saturday's 50-point win against Subiaco at Leederville Oval where he was outstanding in nullifying the influence of Subiaco spearhead Ben Sokol.

Jupp held Sokol to one behind and five kicks for the afternoon while having 10 touches and three marks himself, but now all he will be worried about his helping to lead East Fremantle to a first Grand Final since 2012, and to a first premiership since 1998.

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)
Round 15 – Liam Tedesco (East Perth)
Round 16 – Cam Eardley (East Fremantle)
Round 17 – Jesse Turner (Swan Districts)
Round 18 – Taj Schofield (Subiaco)
Round 19 – Jye Bolton (Claremont)
Round 20 – Matthew Jupp (East Fremantle)

WAFL TEAM OF THE WEEK – ROUND 20

BACK: Anthony Davis (C), Matthew Jupp (EF), Toby McQuilkin (SF)
HALF-BACK: Stan Wright (EP), Jacob Blight (PT), Austin Davis (P)
CENTRE: Hamish Brayshaw (EP), Liam Hickmott (S), Jesse Turner (SD)
HALF-FORWARD: Aidan Clarke (SD), Bailey Rogers (C), Josh Schoenfeld (EF)
FORWARD: Brayden Lawler (EF), Josh Corbett (PT), Sasha Kernutt (WP)
FOLLOWERS: Zac Strom (SF), Shane Nelson (WP), Jye Bolton (C)
INTERCHANGE: Josh Cipro (SD), Brady Grey (PT), Tom Blechynden (SF), Luke Meadows (WP)

BACK POCKET – ANTHONY DAVIS (Claremont)
The Claremont back-line had a good day against Perth on Saturday and Jack Lewsey, Louis Passera and Teia Miles all made strong cases for a spot in the Team of the Week too, but he was the one he claimed the spot for Round 20 on the back of one of the best performances of his 54-game career. The combination of his defensive abilities and then ability to run and distribute with ball in hand and on his left boot is making him an elite defender in the competition. Finished the game with 24 possessions, four marks, three tackles and three inside-50 entries.

BACK POCKET – TOBY MCQUILKIN (South Fremantle)
The South Fremantle defender finished his tremendous season with another first-rate performance in the win against West Coast on Saturday at Lathlain. He spent much of the game opposed to former AFL small forward and South Fremantle product Jarrod Garlett, and held him to two kicks and one goal. He also had 22 possessions and five marks himself to book in a place in the Team of the Week for a sixth time this season.

HALF-BACK FLANK – STAN WRIGHT (East Perth)
East Perth might not have got the win it was after that could have locked away a finals double chance and even second position with the loss to West Perth, but he had another tremendous performance as an attacking defender for the Royals. Finished the afternoon with 34 possessions and seven marks to be just one disposal shy of the best in his 90-game career with East Perth as he now prepares for the first final series that he's been part of.

CENTRE HALF-BACK – JACOB BLIGHT (Peel Thunder)
The former Claremont defender has had an outstanding first season with Peel Thunder and had to take on extra responsibility again on Saturday against Swan Districts in the absence of Joel Hamling. Took on the job against Swans' captain Chris Jones for a lot of the afternoon and held him to four kicks and one goal while having 13 disposals and six marks himself to secure a place in the Team of the Week for a sixth occasion this season.

HALF-BACK FLANK – AUSTIN DAVIS (Perth)
The dynamic running half-back finished the season on a high note with his performance for Perth against Claremont on Saturday even if his team couldn’t quite get a third win on the board for 2023. His ability to run and carry the ball with his dash, and then attacking left foot has become one of the strengths of the Demons this season and he finished off with 32 possessions, three marks, three tackles and three inside-50 entries in the 65th game of his career. 

WING – HAMISH BRAYSHAW (East Perth)
One of the Sandover Medal fancies did his chances no harm with another terrific performance despite East Perth losing to West Perth at Joondalup on Saturday. He put together another standout showing made up of 37 touches, 12 marks, 10 inside 50s and a goal to book in a place in the Team of the Week for a ninth time in 18 games this season as he now looks to lead East Perth from the front in its first finals appearance since 2018.

CENTRE – LIAM HICKMOTT (Subiaco)
It might have ended up being a tough afternoon for Subiaco in the top-of-the-table clash with East Fremantle with the eventual 50-point loss where the Lions had 81 fewer possessions, but it didn’t stop him putting together another strong performance in the midfield to finish the home and away season on a high. In the 57th game of his career, he delivered another 28 touches, eight tackles, eight inside-50 entries and a goal to lock away a place in the Team of the Week for an eighth time in 2023.

WING – JESSE TURNER (Swan Districts)
The reigning Swan Districts fairest and best winner and vice-captain has had another tremendous season for the black-and-whites, and he finished off in style once more on Saturday against Peel despite his team not quite getting over the line. He ended the afternoon with 34 touches, eight marks and five entries inside the forward 50 to lock in a place in the Team of the Week for a 10th time in his 18 games this season.

HALF-FORWARD FLANK – AIDAN CLARKE (Swan Districts)
The hard-at-it Swan Districts midfielder has had a brilliant season both playing on the ball for the black-and-whites and then to go forward and make himself dangerous in attack. While he didn’t hit the scoreboard on Saturday against Peel, he has kicked 12 goals for the season in his 14 games showing his danger forward of centre. He was superb around the ball on Saturday finishing with 31 disposals, seven marks, six inside 50s and three tackles to lock away a Team of the Week spot for the ninth time in the 14 games he's played in 2023.

CENTRE HALF-FORWARD – BAILEY ROGERS (Claremont)
The 2021 Sandover Medallist is right back at the peak of his powers heading into the finals for Claremont and produced a second straight dominant performance in the win against Perth. Splitting his time between playing as his team's most dangerous forward and then an influential midfielder, he was brilliant in the win against the Demons with 29 touches, 11 inside 50s, four marks and four goals to earn a place in the Team of the Week for a fifth time in 2023 to loom as a finals match-winner for Claremont.

HALF-FORWARD FLANK – JOSH SCHOENFELD (East Fremantle)
The former Gold Coast Suns midfielder took it on the chin well when he was asked to go back to the reserves for five weeks to earn his place back in the East Fremantle league side, which he did last week against Perth. He again played a high half-forward role on Saturday against Subiaco as well and was outstanding to ensure he'll keep his place now for the finals after kicking four goals to go with collecting 24 possessions and taking seven marks.

FORWARD POCKET – BRAYDEN LAWLER (East Fremantle)
He continues to prove what a great thing it is that he's returned to the WAFL in 2023. He had played 121 games previously at Peel Thunder including the 2016 and 2017 premierships, but stepped away from the WAFL in 2022 before returning at East Fremantle in 2023. He has become a crucial part of the forward-line too not only with his defensive pressure and tackling, but as an important goalkicker. He kicked five goals for the first time in his 137-game career against Subiaco to go with eight kicks and three marks.

FULL-FORWARD – JOSH CORBETT (Peel Thunder)
He had played the past four games at AFL level with the Fremantle Dockers but took that on the chin well that he had to come back to WAFL level to play with Peel for the last game of the 2023 season. Rather than be dispirited, he wanted to make a statement and to gear up to be part of the Thunder's finals campaign by kicking five goals to go with 14 kicks and 12 marks in the win against Swan Districts to earn a place in the Team of the Week for the first time.

FORWARD POCKET – SASHA KERNUTT (West Perth)
The premiership winning West Perth small forward produced the best performance of his 27-game league career on Saturday in the win against East Perth even if it wasn’t quite enough in the finish for the Falcons to make the finals. While he had kicked five goals previously, that was in the 169-point demolition of West Coast earlier this season. This was a much more well earned five-goal haul including four up until early in the second quarter while he also finished with 11 kicks, five inside 50s and four marks.

RUCK – ZAC STROM (South Fremantle)
Having spent much of the season for South Fremantle as the main forward target and kicking 17 goals before Saturday, he was used by coach Todd Curley as the No. 1 ruckman against West Coast on Saturday in the absence of Solomon James and Brock Higgins, and did a tremendous job. Finished the afternoon with 23 possessions, 28 hit outs, seven marks, seven inside-50 entries and a goal to book in a spot in the Team of the Week for a third time this season as part of his 174-game career.

RUCK ROVER – SHANE NELSON (West Perth)
He might have nothing left to prove given he already has put together a 226-game career that has included winning two premierships with West Perth and five fairest and best awards with the Falcons, but his 2023 season has been as good as any other he's put together over the past decade. He finished off with another 35 touches, six inside 50s, four marks and a goal in the derby victory to make it to the Team of the Week for a 10th time this season.

ROVER – JYE BOLTON (Claremont)
He was celebrating the 150th game of his WAFL career with Claremont on Saturday to earn life membership and he produced yet another superb performance. In the absence of leaders Declan Mountford and Ronin O'Connor from the midfield, he spent more time in the middle than off half-back and was influential in the win for Claremont over Perth to secure a finals spot. Ended the game with 38 disposals, nine inside 50s and six marks to make the Team of the Week for an 11th time in 2023.

INTERCHANGE – JOSH CIPRO (Swan Districts)
He is now an important and consistent member of the Swan Districts midfield 74 games into his WAFL career, and he finished the season off in style with his performance despite the eventual loss at home to Peel Thunder. He might have missed the opening month of the season, but has slotted right back into the on-ball brigade for the rest of the season and delivered 26 touches, six marks, four inside 50s, three tackles and two goals on Saturday to book in a spot in the Team of the Week.

INTERCHANGE – BRADY GREY (Peel Thunder)
He's now 104 games into his WAFL career on top of what he's done in the AFL and VFL, and he moved into a role off half-back in Saturday's game against Swan Districts. He ended up having a significant impact on the final result too finishing with 25 disposals, nine marks and three inside-50 entries. That saw him earn a place in the Team of the Week for a third time this season and he will now be a key part of Peel's finals push whether in the midfield or at half-back.

INTERCHANGE – TOM BLECHYNDEN (South Fremantle)
The premiership winning South Fremantle midfielder completed the best season of his 67-game career with another strong performance on the ball in the Bulldogs' season-ending win against West Coast at Lathlain on Saturday. He's become the mainstay of the South Fremantle midfield and finished the season with a performance consisting of 30 possessions, four marks, four inside-50 entries and three tackles which earned him a place in the Team of the Week for a fifth time in 2023.

INTERCHANGE – LUKE MEADOWS (West Perth)
On the back of winning the Simpson Medal in West Perth's premiership triumph last year, he couldn’t have done much more himself to try and will the Falcons back into the finals in 2023. While they just fell short of that despite the six straight wins after beating East Perth on Saturday, he finished off with another superb showing made up of 34 disposals, six marks, five inside 50s, four tackles and a goal to make the Team of the Week for an eighth time in 2023.
 

UNLUCKY BUNCH

There were plenty of players who delivered tremendous performances across Round 20 but couldn’t quite fit into the Team of the Round, including:

West Coast's Andries Mercer, Callum Jamieson, Greg Clark, Zane Trew, Isiah Winder and Xavier O'Neill.

South Fremantle's Jimmy Miller, Jacob Dragovich, Glenn Byron, Riley Colborne, Aaron Drage and Ashton Ferreira.

Claremont's Kieran Gowdie, Jack Lewsey, Louis Passera, Teia Miles, Oliver Eastland, Ben Edwards and Callan England.

Perth's Sam Stubbs, Zach Moody, Jacob Coniglio, Corey Byrne, Jack Cooley, Liam Dellamarta and Charlie Thompson.

Swan Districts' Lachlan Riley, Lawson Humphries, Jackson McLachlan and Jarvis Pina.

Peel Thunder's Ben Middleton, Hugh Davies, Jack Sears, Will Brodie, Nathan O'Driscoll and Ben Hancock.

West Perth's Sam Rotham, Zac Guadagnin, Blake Wilhelm and Aidan Lynch.

East Perth's Mitch Schofield, Corey Watts, Kade Dittmar, Angus Schumacher and Angus Scott.

Subiaco's Zac Clarke, Stefan Giro, Leigh Kitchin and Rylie Morgan.

East Fremantle's Hugh Dixon, Jarrad Jansen, Fraser Turner, Tom Joyce and Jackson McDonald.