FOUR teams became three on the weekend with Swan Districts eliminated from the finals race. West Perth kept its hopes of a fairytale flag alive and will take on Claremont this weekend for the right to face a waiting East Fremantle in the decider.

West Perth:

#1 Megan Norbury (Wing/Defender)
Stats: 13 disposals, 2 marks, 1 inside 50

Has built together a few nice games, and while not a huge disposal tally in the end, was generally next with her ball use. Norbury had 10 disposals to half-time, so became less prominent after the main break, but her delivery to Russo inside 50 midway through the second term was elite. Clean hands and worked hard to propel from half-back even if she was quiet after half-time.

#7 Mia Russo (Midfielder/Forward)
Stats: 17 disposals, 1 mark, 6 tackles, 4 inside 50s, 1 goal, 1 behind

Returning to the side, Russo added a spark the Falcons needed and spent a lot more time in the midfield, even starting there. She can turn the ball over at times, but is a high-risk, high-reward type whose highlights are as good as anyones. Her best came midway through the final term when she put the final nail in Swan Districts’ coffin. Winning the ball at a half-forward stoppage, Russo burst away and slotted a goal on the run from 45m. Her run-down tackle a quarter earlier followed by a pinpoint kick to Imahra Cameron inside 50 was another huge moment.

Swan Districts:

#11 Sienna Gerardi (Forward)
Stats: 8 disposals, 1 mark, 1 tackle, 1 inside 50

Looked lively in the first half picking up six of her eight disposals and looming as a dangerous threat pushing out to the forward side of the centre. She cracks in for a lighter body and once she gets goalside it is goodnight for any opposition, with nice skills and elite evasion techniques. Faded out of it in the second half as the Falcons took full control, but is one to remember for next year.

#14 Lily Paterson (Midfielder)
Stats: 15 disposals, 1 mark, 5 tackles, 2 inside 50s

After having a big day out against the Falcons in the past, Paterson was relatively restricted and could not get her hands on the ball often with the West Perth midfield firmly in control. The opposition did well to push her off it or ensure she had limited space, though she did have some clever moments when finding some rare space. Often rushed, but largely credit to the opposition. Still, a huge season from the top-ager.

East Fremantle:

#6 Siena Jezierski-Brown (Wing/Forward)
Stats: 9 disposals, 2 marks, 3 tackles, 1 inside 50, 1 goal

The addition to the State Academy squad caught the eye in patches, spending time on the experienced Kate Orme along the wing and also pushing forward and having the smarts to sneak out the back. She managed to do it undetected and marked a great kick from Fish, kicking a crucial goal late in the third term. She is a raw talent but uses the ball well and sticks to the task defensively.

#12 Taya Chambers (Defender)
Stats: 6 disposals, 2 marks, 4 tackles

Set up a goal to Sharon Wong early in the game thanks to a brilliant kick that opened up the ground to Mylee Leitch at half-forward. She is not afraid to take those 45-degree kicks and open up space, but she also gets her hands dirty and can apply great defensive pressure both in the air and at ground level. Opposed to Eva O’Donnell at one stage she was beaten for pace on that occasion, but as a mobile tall with great strength, she can still compete against a variety of opponents.

#21 Tiani Teakle (Defender)
Stats: 17 disposals, 5 marks, 4 tackles

As impressive as she can be at times playing in a key forward role, Teakle’s traits lend themselves to being a key defender. She has strong hands, can clunk contested marks and reads the ball well in flight. Add in the fact she has a long, penetrating kick and is hard to move in one-on-ones and she was able to cause a few headaches for the Claremont tall forwards.

#29 Natasha Entwistle (Defender)
Stats: 9 disposals, 2 marks, 1 tackle

Another solid performance from the reliable defender who intercepted consistently on a number of occasions and sent the ball back from whence it came. She was quick by hand, clean and competitive, playing a key role in the back half of the ground.

#31 Alicia Blizard (Forward)
Stats: 8 disposals, 3 marks, 2 tackles, 2 inside 50s

Worked up the ground a fair bit and seemed to find it more outside the 50 than inside it, with one mark inside 50 late in the third term resulting in a long-range set shot just just fell short. She used her height on Wright at one stage to take a strong mark, and has a booming kick that she can clear long down the ground. A high-upside player with plenty of tools.

#38 Zippy Fish (Midfielder)
Stats: 17 disposals, 2 marks, 6 tackles, 4 inside 50s

Not a massive game by her standards, but as usual her 17 disposals are more like 30 for most other people. She produced some seriously elite passes, setting up the crucial goal to Jezierski-Brown to hit over the top of Claire Ortlepp and find her target. She also set up a couple of other shots throughout the course of the game, used her pace and was great defensively. A last-ditch tackle in the dying seconds ensured East Fremantle moved through to the grand final. A terrific performance once again.

Claremont:

#29 Claudia Wright (Defender)
Stats: 10 disposals, 2 marks, 4 tackles, 1 inside 50

Wright had a few big moments in the match, flying for some big grabs, but just missing out on clunking them. She still finished with a couple of marks, but did her best work defensively, putting pressure on the opposition, and then with ball-in-hand was able to use it well in transition. Overall she was solid having played off half-back all game.

#33 Juliet Kelly (Defender/Midfielder)
Stats: 20 disposals, 3 marks, 5 tackles, 3 inside 50s

After a huge game the week before, the bottom-ager held her own once again, starting in defence and then rolling into the middle and going head-to-head with Fish as a way of matching her opponent’s running capacity. Boasting an elite tank as shown by her yo-yo score in the preseason, Kelly won the ball on the inside and outside and was clean in extracting it, as well as consistent with her defensive pressure.