WHILE the West Australian state Under 16 and 18 sides were in action over the weekend, three fixtures made up Round 12 of the WAFL Colts on Saturday. There was some shuffling of the ladder too, with West Perth and Swan Districts making their way up the order with respective wins.

>> SCROLL for the Round 12 results & ladder

The Swans notched the biggest win of the round, downing East Perth by 37 points at Bassendean Oval. After an inaccurate first half tally of 2.11 saw them trail, the home side straightened up with eight goals to the Royals’ one thereafter to jump into fourth spot with the 10.14 (74) to 5.7 (37) result.

Carlos Partington (five goals) and state Under 18 squad member Colby McDonald (three) did the scoreboard damage, while Chayse Martinson (23 disposals) was again instrumental in midfield. Big man Evan Smith also had a day out, posting 22 disposals and 28 hitouts in the win.

East Perth’s lone state Under 18 representative, Andre Gulluni, led all comers alongside Luke Hallett with 27 touches apiece. Five individual goalkickers made up the Royals’ score sheet. Handed somewhat of a reality check, they now sit seventh at 3-6 after beating Claremont last time out.

Speaking of Claremont, the Tigers bounced back from their Round 10 loss with an eight-point victory over Perth. Freshened by the bye, the ladder leaders were challenged in a low-scoring affair at Claremont Oval, but led firm to lead at every break and salute 8.2 (50) to 6.6 (42).

Lucas Ravenhill booted four goals to make up nearly half of the victors’ score, while Cooper Clark (three goals) did the same for Perth. Redleg Cooper Moore racked up a game-high 28 touches to be the standout ball winner alongside Tigers Jett Sibosado (27 disposals) and Sullivan Moody (26).

Claremont remains six points clear atop the table with an 8-1 record, as its premiership defence continues to be resolute – despite losing a bunch of stars to the state side. Perth (3-5-1) is locked into sixth with only a two-point gap to the top five after East Fremantle’s (4-5) bye.

West Perth also recorded an eight-point win on Saturday, defeating Peel Thunder in Joondalup to leapfrog Subiaco into second. The Falcons maintained a steady lead throughout the match and despite having the scores levelled early in term four, ran out 10.8 (68) to 9.6 (60) winners.

Despite the loss, Peel’s Jaden Funazzi stuffed the stats sheet with 35 disposals and seven marks, while ruckman Tye Kemp (20 disposals, 31 hitouts, one goal) and Deian Roberts (17 disposals, two goals) were also prominent. The Thunder remain in eighth spot at 2-7 after a third-straight loss.

State Under 18 representative Jayden Rigoll posted 21 touches to press his claims for a recall. Fellow Falcons Austin Chapman (26 disposals, six marks, one goal) and Jack Wooden (24 disposals) were also prolific, while Patrick Atkins ruled the airways with 10 marks from his 19 touches.

Round 13 of the WAFL Colts home-and-away season commences on Saturday June 29, as the competition returns to regular programming. Swan Districts has the bye. The West Australian Under 18 side will host Vic Country at Claremont Oval on the same day in its fourth and final fixture.

STATE U18 SQUAD MEMBERS

East Perth:
Andre Gulluni – 27 disposals, 5 marks, 3 tackles

Peel Thunder:
Matthew Becker – 9 disposals, 2 marks
Deian Roberts – 17 disposals, 3 inside 50s, 2 goals

Swan Districts:
Anthony Hansen – 5 disposals, 2 marks, 2 tackles
Colby McDonald – 12 disposals, 7 marks, 3 goals

West Perth:
Jayden Rigoll – 21 disposals, 2 marks, 3 tackles

>> FULL SQUAD: 2024 Western Australia Under 18s

ROUND 12 RESULTS

Swan Districts 10.14 (74) def. East Perth 5.7 (37)
Claremont 8.2 (50) def. Perth 6.6 (42)
West Perth 10.8 (68) def. Peel Thunder 9.6 (60)

WAFL COLTS LADDER

1. Claremont (8-1, 139.8%)
2. West Perth (6-2-1, 131.8%)
3. Subiaco (6-3, 105.0%)
4. Swan Districts (5-4, 103.7%)
5. East Fremantle (4-5, 110.7%)
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6. Perth (3-5-1, 86.8%)
7. East Perth (3-6, 80.7%)
8. Peel Thunder (2-7, 87.7%)
9. South Fremantle (2-6, 70.2%)