ONE THAT GOT AWAY

ONE THAT GOT AWAY

By Darrell Kent

It was a clash worthy of the top two teams in the competition. For a great majority of the game the margin was single figures but it was East Fremantle who held a two-point advantage at the final siren; 13.12 (90) to 12.16 (88). West Perth missed a number of opportunities to hit the front in the last quarter but it was the home team who got the four points in a high quality game of footy.

The teams traded behinds to start the game but East Fremantle then went on a three goal run. One of the majors went to Cody Leggett who kicked five for the day and was a real headache for the West Perth defence. Rudy Riddoch hit the score board first for the Falcons at the sixteen-minute mark.  He bounced one through from the pocket, on his left. The margin was twelve. The Sharks kicked three behinds before Rudy, once again, showed his class by kicking his second. A late goal to East Fremantle saw them take a fourteen-point lead into the first change; 4.5 (29) to 2.3 (15).

West Perth had to lift in the second and they certainly did. At the twelve-minute mark they grabbed the lead for the first time after kicking four of the first five goals of the quarter. It was thanks to majors from Luke Meadows, Nathan Alexandre, Anton Hamp and Keegan Knott. The Nathan Alexandre goal was a ripper. He bounced one through, on his left, from forty. East Fremantle were not to be denied, however, and they finished the half strongly kicking three. As a result, they increased their margin, from quarter time, by one. They led 8.7 (55) to 6.4 (40). The precise Shark passing into their forward line made it a tough day at the office for the Falcon defence.

Courageous skipper, Aaron Black, got the ball rolling in the third, with a fine snap from deep in the pocket. West Perth took the ball straight out of the middle and Keegan Knott scored from forty out, on the boundary. He was dealt with as the ball went back to the centre and as a result he received a free before the ball was bounced. His accurate kick saw West Perth hit the lead after just five minutes of the third term. An East Fremantle reply saw them grab back the lead, momentarily, before a clever tap on by Tyler Keitel enabled Rudy Riddoch to pass to Keegan Knott who kicked his fourth from the square. The Falcons now led by six but the next five scoring shots were behinds, by both teams, before the Sharks kicked their second for the quarter to lead by one at the twenty-two-minute mark. The last three scoring shots of the quarter went to West Perth but, unfortunately, they were behinds. This gave the visitors a two-point lead going into the final term; 10.12 (72) to 10.10 (70). The missed opportunities during this quarter and the last were going to prove costly.

East Fremantle grabbed the lead back early in the last and it was one that they didn’t relinquish for the rest of the game despite the Falcons best efforts. After two quick goals they led by eleven at the six-minute mark. Four minutes later Anton Hamp intercepted a Shark kick out of defence and he scored his second. Another to East Fremantle saw them lead by nine midway through the term. But from here it was all West Perth as they attacked consistently but were only rewarded with one major at the twenty-eight-minute mark. This reduced the margin to just three but during the previous ten minutes the Falcons missed some very gettable goals. West Perth had another shot late but it missed and as a result they went under by two; 13.12 (90) to 12.16 (88). It was a high quality game of football but the result didn’t go the way that Falcon supporters hoped for.

The teams played for the inaugural Jayde Kinane Memorial Cup. The tight contest capped an emotional day for the family that includes former West Perth player and Assistant Premiership coach, Paul Sanzone. Keegan Knott kicked four, Rudy Riddoch and Anton Hamp two apiece. Best players included Aaron Black, Keegan Knott, Mark Hamilton, Blake Wilhelm, Shane Nelson and Zac Guadagnin.

The Reserves scored a strong thirty-three-point victory; 10.10 (70) to 5.7 (37). They continue to play consistently good football. Mitch Antonio scored three and Logan Foley two. Best included Nathan Murray, who is playing very good footy, Tom Boyes, Dylan Yem, Ryan Hudson, Joseph Hinder and Mitch Antonio. The Colts consolidated top spot on the ladder with a hard fought thirteen-point win; 11.8 (74) to 9.7 (61). Jack Demarte kicked four and Nate Dimanlig two. Best players were Jack Demarte, who is having a great year, Blake Garraway, Jesse Taylor, Byron Sherwood and Mitch Lonnie. We seem to say this every week but another big game this week against Swans at Pentanet Stadium on Saturday. Be there to get the teams over the line.