WITH Swan Districts having the bye this week, it gave the opportunity for those below the ladder leaders to make the most of their absence in Round 7 of the West Australian Football League (WAFL) Colts.

WAFL Colts – Round 7:

Peel Thunder 8.12 (60) defeated West Perth 9.4 (58)

Peel Thunder have given themselves some valuable breathing space in second place on the Colts ladder after defeating West Perth in a thrilling contest at HBF Arena on Saturday afternoon.

This clash was between the two closest rivals to Swan Districts with Peel starting the season (4-1) and West Perth half a game behind (4-2). This was the second time the two teams had met in 2019 with Peel running out 17 point winners at David Grays Arena in Round 1. Peel had in fact long been the masters of this matchup with a 14-5 win-loss record since 2011.

The Falcons took a seven-point lead into quarter time despite having three less scoring shots. Peel were having no issue with bringing the ball into their forward 50, but conversion was a major issue. Despite clearly being in the ascendancy in a number of key categories including 40 more disposals (200-160), marks (58-33) and inside 50s (29-16) it was a ugly looking scoreboard with Peel kicking 2.8 to trail West Perth by five points at the long break.

Peel were superbly served in the first half by Isiah Winder and Bradley Oldfield who had 22 and 20 disposals respectively. While for the Falcons who had four individual goalkickers, it was the ever present Tyron Hindmarsh who led the way with 16 disposals and he was well supported by Heath Chapman with 12 disposals and five tackles.

The great footy adage that the third term is deemed ‘the premiership quarter’ was certainly apt in this contest as the Thunder got their game into gear by kicking 4.3 to 1.0 to break the game open with Clifton Stack being a catalyst, kicking two goals.

The Thunder took a 16-point lead into the last break and extended into a game high lead of 22 when bottom ager Jaxon Pitts kicked his second of the game. It would have been easy for West Perth to become disheartened for the lack of reward for their hard toil. However the Falcons are made of strong stuff in 2019 and when Ewan Brazier kicked his third for the game, the Falcons were back within eight points. The lively forward struck again with three minutes remaining to cut the margin to a solitary point. Try as they might, the Falcons could not find a winning goal and Peel survived an almighty scare to register their fifth win from six to give them some breathing space in second place.

This was a true roller coaster affair. Both teams played some terrific football, but also went through some real barren periods where the opposition were able to stamp their claim on the contest. Peel would be breathing a sigh of relief as they ran the risk of being overrun for the second week in a row. But they held strong and could view these four points as vital come the end of the season. Despite developing some fine young talent in their ranks in the last few years, in terms of results it has been a tough time for the Falcons missing the finals for three consecutive seasons. But they would have lost few friends with this competitive display and will be delighted if they could maintain their current position throughout the home and away season.

Peel had 53 more disposals (338-285), 38 more marks (95-57) eleven more inside 50s (49-38) and eight more scoring shots (20-12). Bottom age talent Isiah Winder had his best game at this level collecting 34 disposals and four tackles. Teammate Bradley Oldfield was once again prolific with 32 disposals, seven marks, six inside 50s and three tackles while Zachary Rankin continued his good form with 22 disposals, seven marks, six inside 50s and four tackles. Tyron Hindmarsh extended his lead on top of the total possession count for the Colts with another 33 to go with eight inside 50s and seven tackles. The midfielder averages 29 disposals a game from his seven games this season. While Ewan Brazier made every one of his eight disposals count kicking 4.2, taking the ball inside 50 three times and making three tackles.

East Perth 11.9 (75) defeated South Fremantle 8.9 (57)

East Perth won their third game from six games after a deserved 18 point win against South Fremantle at Fremantle Oval on Saturday afternoon.

This was a contest between two teams who were looking to get their 2019 season into full swing having only registered three wins between them to start the campaign. Nathan Spooner got the home team off to the best start with two quick goals and they led by eight points at quarter time.

The Bulldogs continued to hold sway during the majority of the second term, however two late goals to Cooper Sparks and Kyle Robinson changed the outlook of the game somewhat and the Bulldogs only took a four point lead into the long break. East Perth had close to 50 more disposals over the first two quarters.

The weight of possession began to show on the scoreboard when Aliyud Luko gave the Royals their first lead of the contest in the early stages of the third term. From that moment, the Royals never trailed again kicking a further seven goals to four by the Bulldogs and secure a 18 point win.

The Royals shared the load beautifully with nine individual goal kickers for the game. Luke Furlong was a key figure in the second half display by East Perth kicking two goals in the third and fourth quarters. Harley Sparks was a real key figure throughout the contest and finished with 27 disposals, 13 marks and four inside 50s while bottom ager Adam Boules was tenacious with 22 disposals, seven marks and six tackles. The lack of possessions from their key movers hurt the Bulldogs with Manfred Kelly the only player to reach 20 disposals.

Claremont 12.7 (79) defeated Subiaco 7.9 (51)

Claremont claimed consecutive wins for the first time in 2019 after defeating reigning premiers Subiaco by 28 points at Claremont Oval on Sunday afternoon.

Subiaco got off to a great start leading by 13 points at quarter time. However the Tigers , who would have been on a high after their terrific last quarter comeback against Peel last week kicked four unanswered goals to take the lead. The Lions had been held scoreless for the proceeding 24 minutes, but a goal to Levi Duyckers on the siren cut the lead of the Tigers to five points at the long break.

There were some big individual numbers for both teams with Jye Clark having 17 disposals and Thomas Baldwin with 14. Meanwhile for the Lions, Abraham Clinch continued his outstanding form from last week collecting 17 disposals while Tristan Hobley led all players with 18 disposals and five inside 50s.

The Tigers continued their momentum in the third term with Charlie Malone who kicked two goals in the second quarter followed that with two more in the third as they extended their lead beyond four goals. Subiaco responded in kind with goals to Zac Caulfield and Jack Borchet to cut the margin to 13 points but Leno Thomas gave the Tigers a three goal buffer with a quarter to play. The home side then finished off the job without any major dramas kicking three goals to one and clinching a very accomplished 28 point victory which moves them into the top five.

It was a deserved win for the Tigers who held an advantage in most of the key categories. In terms of individual performances, the back to back premiers in 2015 and 16 were best served by Fremantle next generation academy member Joel Western who collected 27 disposals, seven inside 50s and four tackles. Jye Clark was also highly influential with 30 disposals, eight marks and seven inside 50s while four goals by Charlie Malone were critical to the outcome of the contest. For the Lions who remain rooted to the bottom of the ladder, their fifth loss of the season was certainly not due to the efforts of Tristan Hobley who picked up a game high 42 disposals, seven inside 50s, five marks and five tackles. Abraham Clinch and Ben Golding were terrific in support with 56 disposals and 22 tackles split between the pair.

Perth 9.8 (62) defeated East Fremantle 8.11 (59)

At the GBSC Sports Park in Geraldton on Saturday evening, Perth picked up a thrilling three-point win over East Fremantle which sees the Demons alongside Claremont and East Perth on a 3-3 split and certainly keeping touch with those above them.