CLAREMONT kept touch with the top five on Saturday, notching its third win of the WAFL Colts season with a 43-point triumph over Perth. The Tigers led at every break, but kicked away with eight goals to two after half time to complete the 13.6 (84) to 6.5 (41) scoreline. Meanwhile, Peel Thunder picked up a dramatic one-point win over Subiaco just a week after losing by the same margin.

We took note of the top performers from those clashes, before taking a look around the grounds and up the grades in Round 7.

By: Charlie McCormack

CLAREMONT:

#1 Max Mumme:

The 18 year-old came into the match as one of the form players in the competition and he showed exactly why against the Demons. Mumme was best afield for Claremont, notching up 27 disposals and seven tackles a dynamic midfield display. He has elite agility and creativity in traffic, and as such, is the sort of player who can create something out of nothing. He also showed his sublime finishing skills, kicking three majors – two from set shots and one a polished finish on the run – to cap off a fine display from the youngster.

#5 Mitch Barron:

The big-bodied midfielder continued the strong form that has put him in the picture to play state football, putting together another good game to finish with 27 disposals and four tackles. The 18-year old used his strong frame to be a powerful player around the clearances but also spread well from contest to become influential player in open play.

#17 Joshua Sukuroski

The 196cm defender had an excellent game down back for the Tigers, taking a number of important defensive marks and attacking the ball strongly both aerially and at ground level. The no-nonsense defender laid a crunching tackle in the third term and was rewarded with a 100m penalty to kick his first goal of the campaign. He also used the ball well to finish with 12 disposals and eight marks.

PERTH:

#1 Ben Weymouth:

The Caversam product one of the better contributors for the visitors, working tirelessly to apply enormous pressure in the midfield to finish with 11 disposals and a massive 13 tackles. The diminutive on-baller got some reward for all his grunt work in the first quarter, when he weaved through traffic to snap a superb goal on his non-preferred foot.

#6 Tyrese Warrell

The 18 year-old was the Demons’ most dangerous player forward of centre, as he looked extremely dangerous whenever he was near the football. The small forward troubled the Tigers with his electric pace and also showed good ball use on multiple occasions, as he often lowered his eyes to hit a leading forward inside 50. Warrell finished with 17 disposals and three tackles.

#36 Daniel Hill:

The 18 year-old produced a number of outstanding efforts in defence in the first half, as he was often able to single-handedly keep his side from conceding a goal. He showed a terrific ability to not just half a one-on-one contest, but win it too as he often kept his feet in contested situations while his direct opponent went to ground. Hill finished with 23 disposals to be the Demons’ best player.

By: Hayden Narducci

SUBIACO:

#2 Tyrell Dewar

One of only two state selected players for Subiaco this season, Dewar bounced back after a quiet first half to finish with 16 disposals and two goals. After only three disposals in the first half, Dewar played himself back into the game as a result of tireless forward pressure. His speed and agility made him near impossible to tackle inside 50, which he used to dominate the third quarter and slot two goals to extend Subiaco’s lead going into the last quarter.

#23 Koltyn Tholstrup

Bottom-age forward, Tholstrup continued his sensational form this season, finishing with 15 disposals and three goals. The leading Colts goalkicker for 2022, Tholstrup showed he had so much more to his game than just scoring, also being a focal point of creativity higher up the ground. His confidence in his body and strength were features of his game on the day, looking calm and composed under every high ball in one-on-one marking contests. The best of his three goals came in the third quarter with a set shot near the boundary, 50 metres out.

#42 Richard Farmer

Over-ager, Farmer put his skills on show, playing out on a wing and evading tackle after tackle. He was one of the primary creators for Subiaco, finishing with the equal most inside 50s on the day and having impact with every disposal. One of his shining moments from the game came in the third quarter, with a centre clearance finding him on the wing. He took on his man successfully,  using his speed to create space before dishing off a perfectly weighted stab kick to Dewar to extend his side’s lead. Finishing with 16 disposals, Farmer added to that with a goal on the run in the second quarter after putting his direct opponent on skates.

PEEL:

#21 Clay Hall

One of seven state squad members at the Thunder in 2022, Hall was one of the standout midfielders on the day. When it came to impact per disposal, Hall shone with 17 disposals as one of the leading clearance getters. His kicking was some of the best you could see in this year’s Colts competition, highlighted by a beautifully driven low stab kick from the centre of the ground, for teammate Byron Finch to run onto essentially uncontested. It’s going to be tough to crack into WA’s midfield this year, but as a bottom ager, Hall is one of the most exciting young players in the state right now.

#39 Jackson Broadbent

The leading pure ruck prospect in this draft, Broadbent proved exactly why in this game, finishing with 17 more hitouts than the next best ruck on the day and pairing that with 17 disposals. With an increased desire for rucks that can double up as fourth midfielders, Broadbent will be hot property in this draft. His kicking was a feature of his game, drilling penetrating kicks across the ground, with a beautiful goal assist in the first quarter from a 40-metre kick out the centre. His clearance game was some of the best you could see from a ruckman and he’s looking primed to dominate the upcoming state champs.

#40 Corey Tregenza-Cashell

The over-age key forward was vital in Peel’s one-point victory, slotting three goals. He started the game on fire, getting three marks and two goals to go into quarter time with a lead. Subiaco placed more attention on him to quieten his impact, though he still finished the game with a strong 10 disposals, three goals and six marks. As a big man, his forward pressure was really impressive, with four tackles and plenty of remarkable chase downs.

AROUND THE GROUNDS:

By: Michael Alvaro

The first of two derbies on Monday saw East Fremantle down South Fremantle by 29 points at Fremantle Community Bank Oval. Leading at every break, the Sharks held a handy buffer throughout the contest and notched their fourth win for the year, 11.10 (76) to 7.5 (47).

Luke Yeo and Luca Gangemi both racked up a game-high 28 disposals for the victors, while AFL Academy gun Jed Hagan had it 21 times and laid 10 tackles. On the scoreboard, Xavier Bradshaw-Pini‘s four goals counted for plenty, and Cameron Gillies snared two of his own from 19 touches.

For South, Harry Elphick (three goals) was the only multiple goalkicker, while Christian Wilson was the sole Bulldog to notch over 20 touches. Exciting bottom-ager Chase Bourne was also amongst it with 15 disposals and seven tackles in the loss.

East Perth ended West Perth’s undefeated run to round out proceedings, claiming a 19-point win at Pentanet Stadium. The Falcons still sit a game clear in top spot, but were outdone by the Royals’ three-goal final term. In the end, it was a 9.7 (61) to 6.6 (42) victory for the visitors.

Unsurprisingly, Falcons gun Kane Bevan lead all comers with 30 disposals, 11 more than his next-best teammate – Griff Julian. Trailing closely, Daniel Moore had the most ball for East Perth, while Mitch Williams dealt damage on the scoreboard with three goals.

UP THE GRADES:

By: Michael Alvaro

A couple of West Australian Under 18 squad members got a taste of WAFL derbies on Monday, and held their own at senior level. Top 10 prospect Jedd Busslinger slotted into East Perth’s side again as the Royals went down by 14 points to West Perth. The rangy defender notched nine disposals and three marks.

In the day’s other derby, small midfielder Steely Green snared a goal from 13 touches as his South Fremantle Bulldogs took out a two-point thriller against East Fremantle. The 18-year-old also laid three tackles, and has looked relatively comfortable at the level this year.

Rounding out the promising young draft prospects at League level was AFL Academy member Elijah Hewett, who managed three handballs as Swan Districts registered a 20-point win over West Coast’s reserves.