Football
Royals roll on to end drought
EAST PERTH won their fifth game in a row but not without a scare at Leederville Oval in round nine of the WAFL. The Royals led at each change and established a 40 point lead in the second quarter before South Fremantle worked back into the game and led by 12 points late in the game. East Perth kicked the last four goals.
Josh Smith, who finished with three goals, was sensational in the first half but the combination of a hard knock and the move of Andrew McCarrey to defence slowed him down in the second half. Michael Swan was the best player on the ground. He continually won the ball at stoppages and kicked four goals in a devastating performance. Garry Moss and Freddie Clutterbuck were effective midfielders, Nick Kommer's desperation was infectious and he kicked the goal that put the Royals back in front. Paul Johnson and Sean Tighe had a great battle in the ruck but Johnson's mobility was crucial. Ben Saunders kicked four goals for the Bulldogs and displayed impressive aerial ability. Jarrad Winter booted two brilliant running goals and finished with three, Alex Grima displayed great pace, Kris Miler used the ball cleverly while Jayden Woods and Toby Bairstow played important parts in their team's recovery.
South Fremantle had defeated East Perth in their previous 16 encounters.
East Perth 17.8 (110) South Fremantle 15.8 (98).
East Fremantle overran West Perth at Joondalup to win a thriller by two points. Brock O'Brien kicked five goals for the Sharks, Mark McGough thrived in the tough stuff, Robbie Young battled hard in the ruck and Max Duffy kicked three goals. Aaron Black and Shane Nelson worked hard for the Falcons and Anthony Tsailkis kicked three goals
East Fremantle 12.15 (87) West Perth 13. 7 (85).
Swan Districts kicked eight goals to one to climb over Subiaco for a 30-point win over Subiaco at Bassendean. Michael Walters kicked three of his four goals in this period while Shaun Hilderbrandt was superb against his old team. Matt Riggio had his best game for the year and ruckman, Tim Notte was a good target, Wes Lammie fought back to be an important player for Swans. Callum Sinclair again played strongly for the Lions, Chris DeLuca kicked four goals and midfielders Jason Bristow and Brett Mahoney were good ball winners.
Swan Districts 19.16 (130) Subiaco 15.10 (100).
Top team Claremont continue to cruise along. This time they took a trip to Mandurah and thrashed Peel by 76 points. Tom Lee kicked six goals, Kane Mitchell dominated the midfield, Byron Schammer won plenty of the ball, Alroy Gillespie was outstanding as stand-in ruckman, Alroy Gilligan kicked four goals and Paul Medhurst three. Tom Sheridan and Brendon Jones were good players for the Thunder.
Claremont 22.21 (153) Peel 12.5 (77).
The ladder: Claremont 24; East Fremantle 20; East Perth 20; Swan Districts 20; Subiaco 16; South Fremantle 16; West Perth 12; Perth 8; Peel 4.
• Paul Johnson (EP) and Sean Tighe (SF) contest a boundary throw-in. Photo by Les Everett.
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