A SECOND Super Round in the WAFL Colts saw plenty of prospects strut their stuff in a triple-header at Mineral Resources Park, along with a standalone game at the WACA. We noted a bunch of the top performers from all four games this past weekend.

>> Around the Grounds: WAFL League Round 4

By: Charlie McCormack

EAST PERTH:

#5 Will Cassidy

Cassidy produced another trademark in and under performance, providing plenty of grunt around the ball to help his side win the midfield battle. The Royals skipper led the team superbly, showing the way with his appetite for the contest, as he won a number of hard ball gets with sheer desperation at ground level. He finished with 29 disposals, seven inside 50s, nine tackles and a goal in a game that should see him pick up maximum votes.

#21 Bailey Harbour

The key defender has been one of the Royals’ better players this season and he continued his strong form, producing a sure display down back to win 21 disposals and eight marks. The 17-year-old was particularly influential early, as he often positioned himself proactively in defence and read the play quicker than his direct opponent to intercept the incoming ball.

#25 Xavier Walsh

Making his first appearance for the season after an injury layoff, Walsh made an immediate impact, providing a good aerial target up forward. The 17-year-old attacked the ball strongly in the air and managed to clunk a couple of impressive contested marks. He could have finished his work better, finishing with 2.3, but notwithstanding his accuracy it was a promising first-up performance from the former State 16s representative who played with a commanding presence.

PEEL THUNDER:

#13 Joel Rush

The Peel vice-captain provided a touch of class from the wing, holding his width nicely and using the ball well to be a valuable contributor for his side. The 17-year-old showed good composure with ball in hand and generally made something good happen with his disposals, through picking the right option or breaking a line with his run. He finished with 14 disposals and a goal. 

#31 Reece Torrent

The smooth moving 17-year-old showed glimpses of his quality throughout the contest, particularly when given time and space to use the ball. Playing predominantly in the midfield, Torrent looked at his best when he was able to drift out of traffic and wheel onto his left foot to send the ball forward. While it was not his most complete game as part of a midfield brigade that was soundly beaten, Torrent caught the eye with his elusive movements around the ball. He finished with 15 disposals, four marks and five inside 50s.

#37 Mitchell Edwards

The AFL Academy ruckman produced another solid performance, using his sheer size and athleticism to dominate the hitout battle and gather 19 disposals around the ground. As he usually does, Edwards did his best work following up from the ruck contests, using his mobility to play as another on-baller at ground level and finish as Peel’s second highest ball winner. Despite dominating the hitout count, the Thunder midfielders struggled to convert Edwards’ ascendancy into clearances, with the Royals comfortably winning the territory battle.

By: Michael Alvaro

WEST PERTH:

#5 Kyle Wilcox

West Perth’s leading ball winner for the day, Wilcox battled hard in his side’s besieged back line. The top-ager covered plenty of ground across the defensive half and was busy distributing the ball by foot, though it often came straight back into his area. Wilcox also showed good resilience as the game wore on, wearing some hard knocks on a tough day for West Perth.

#10 Ashton Waters

Another strongly built unit, Waters notched 17 kicks among his 19 disposals, second to only Wilcox in the Falcons’ disposal charts. The over-ager plied his trade on the wing and used his size to compete overhead, but also showed a decent step to break clear in open play. He was another Falcons in the wars, limping off in the third term but managing to run out the whole game.

SUBIACO:

#7 Lance Collard

Subiaco’s star of the show, Collard buried West Perth with six goals from nine scoring shots and over 10 attempts at the big sticks. Named in the state Under 18 squad, the electric top-ager posed plenty of threats deep inside 50 and dipped into his bag of tricks in a performance which included snaps, set shots, high marks, and pressure at ground level. It was a true forward’s game with just one handball from 17 disposals, but Collard and the Lions played good team footy in the front half.

#8 Riley Wills

It’s difficult to outshine a teammate who kicked six goals, but Wills went extremely close to doing so for Subiaco on Saturday. The midfielder-forward showcased his pace and agility in attacking phases, taking the game on with each possession. Racking up a game-high 32 disposals and 10 inside 50s, Wills slotted a nice running goal in the first quarter and went on a sparkling run in the third which included a one-two, running bounce, and nasty weave between two opponents.

#10 Malakai Champion

In potentially his best game for the season to date, Champion snared two goals from 14 disposals and six marks, playing both high and deep for the Lions. The bottom-ager got his hands on the ball early and that seemed to build his confidence, with both of his majors coming in the first half. Aside from his own conversions, Champion got involved in many Subiaco scoring chains and looked at his lively best.

#18 Ben Steinmann

Another of Subiaco’s attacking pieces, Steinmann added a bit of height alongside Koopa Walsh. The 191cm top-ager has a somewhat laconic style, but marked the ball well and made things happen close to goal with 19 disposals and six marks. He was perhaps too unselfish at times, although with three majors to his name Steinmann was prolific as one of nine Subiaco goalkickers.

By: Michael Alvaro

SOUTH FREMANTLE:

#3 Ashton Ferreira

Ferreira was one of South Fremantle’s top accumulators in midfield with 19 disposals, outdone only by over-ager Callum Copeland (26) on a tough day. Swan Districts gave him little room to move in what was a hard-fought midfield contest, where the state Under 18 squad member was often forced to go long by foot. Still, he made his stamp on the game and even found the goals in the first quarter.

#8 Jacob Whan

Whan plied his trade between defence and midfield as usual, living up to the hard edge that both sides brought. He looked best when able to straight-line the ball and bustle forward, but also used his strong frame to shrug off would-be tacklers in the clinches. The standout South Fremantle prospect was perhaps not at his best in the loss, as the Bulldogs struggled to respond with any meaningful scoreboard pressure.

SWAN DISTRICTS:

#3 Luke Kelly

Kelly had a day out on Saturday, racking up a game-high 27 disposals but also laying a whopping 19 tackles. Needless to say, he got his hands dirty at the contest and continues to post strong numbers, which have duly been rewarded by selection in the state Under 18 squad. A midfield mainstay, he helped set the tone for Swan Districts’ win.

#5 Harrison Creighton

Another tone-setter in midfield, Creighton produced another bull-like performance in the Swan Districts’ rigid engine room. The bottom-ager burrowed his way in and out of traffic, using his strong frame and aggression to notch 16 disposals and lay seven tackles. Once on the outside, Creighton could do with a little more composure and polish on his disposals.

#6 Evan Smith

The dominant bigman afield, Smith continued his strong start to the season with monster numbers of 18 disposals, six marks, 40 hitouts and two goals. He started brightly out of the ruck and made sure to hit the scoreboard once rotated forward, dominating the airways and getting involved in general play. At 198cm, he’s one to watch among the state squad members.

#40 Riley Hardeman

Running out for consecutive games at Colts level after his League debut in Round 1, Hardeman’s day ended early via an unfortunate bit of friendly fire. Before the head knock, he was his usual hard-running self through midfield and managed 14 disposals, six tackles, five inside 50s. He also booted a goal just before going off late in term three, with his hunger to apply himself defensively standing out. Hardeman’s long left boot surely made up some handy meterage, though was not always pinpoint. Still, he was a leader out there and positioned well behind the ball when Swan Districts attacked.

By: Hayden Narducci

EAST FREMANTLE:

#17 Jack Eastaugh

It was a tough day for the Sharks, and though there weren’t many who shone bright in this game, the Eastaugh was a spark of intensity and composure on the footy that his side needed desperately. Facing a barrage of pressure from the Demon’s athletic midfield, he rarely had the opportunity for an easy footy, but hit the contest hard and created opportunities for his team to move the ball forward with his accuracy by foot and decision making by hand not to put a team mate in a dangerous position.

#35 Jack Cocking

Playing as an undersized key forward/ruck, and regularly finding himself up against Perth’s Elijah Scoble, Cocking was outsized by his direct opponent through the majority of this game. He did not allow that to stop him, giving Scoble one of his toughest matchups of the year through his sheer desperation and smart positioning. It was his footy IQ that resulted in his two goals, reading the ball brilliantly through the air and creating opportunities for teammates whenever he couldn’t land the ball himself.

PERTH:

#3 Cooper Moore

The diminutive 16-year-old worked hard for his 30 disposals in this game, winning plenty of the footy at the coalface and getting the ball forward, with nearly a third of his disposals going inside 50. His work as a crafty forward too was impressive, plucking two goals from high pressure situations.

#26 Oscar Hine-Baston

Another amazing performance from Hine-Baston, whose run of form this season has seen him take on more midfield minutes to great success. The on-ball shift allowed him to use his blistering speed and acceleration to get from contest to contest, regularly dishing up a string of one-percenters with his tackling and last ditch smothers to prevent the Shark’s from getting it forward. His offensive work was brilliant too, utilising that same speed to create separation out of nothing when he gets the contested footy, allowing himself those extra seconds to dish off the ultra-damaging kicks he provided regularly in this affair.

#45 Coen Livingstone

Livingstone looked a vastly improved ruckman in this game comparative to his prior weeks this season. It was a common sight to see him cleanly tap straight down the throat of a midfielder running through, or even completely outmuscle his opponent, grab it out the ruck and get the ball forward himself. Additionally, this was probably his best game for the season as a forward, managing three goals, two of which were sensational snaps from either pocket in the span of just minutes. A rare breed of ruck that rarely ops to dish off the handball, Livingstone more than ticked all the boxes for what you’d want from your ruck around the ground in this game. A true complete performance.