IT SHOULD come as no surprise that Sharks fare better than Bulldogs in the wet, and that was the case on Friday as East Fremantle flipped the script on its heartbreaking Round 1 loss to South Fremantle. In their Round 9 clash, the Sharks stood tall in a hard-fought, grinding win, defeating the Bulldogs by nine points, 3.3 (21) to 1.6 (12) at The Good Grocer Park.

There were several torrential downpours throughout the night as East Fremantle kept its southern rivals goalless across the last 64 minutes. It was the defence that once again held strong with the likes of Madison Evans, Leanne Gubbins and Maya Louvel-Finn all providing respective brick walls and keeping their opponents to one majors from 38 inside 50s.

Instead it was the Sharks who through Eve Wilson-Sieber – two goals from limited opportunities – and Anjelique Raison got past their higher ranked opponents to keep their season alive while at the same time casting doubt on the Bulldogs’ finals aspirations. It was hardly pretty at times given the conditions, but that did not matter for the likes of Mylee Leitch and Noa McNaughton who provided some nice dash down the field.

Around the trenches, Amber Kinnane, Larissa Versaci and Ashleigh Gomes all joined McNaughton and Louvel-Finn as having seven-plus tackles and getting their hands dirty when required. On the other side of the coin, Renee Morgan looked unstoppable, particularly in the first term as she shone around the midfield for the Dogs, racking up 26 touches, four marks, nine tackles and five inside 50s, with AFLW-experienced trio of Tahleah Mulder, Bailey Hunt and Tara Stribley all having 20-plus disposals as well.

Without a doubt best on ground had to go to Evans who not only shut down league leading goalkicker Zoe Huggett, but provided incredible rebound and a great balance between offensive and defensive impact. The back five of the Sharks has held firm throughout the season, and though often under siege, has showed that when the team clicks with so many fresh faces down the field, then East Fremantle will be a threat.

East Fremantle will eye off back-to-back wins when it hosts Perth next Sunday, while South Fremantle have an enormous fourth-against-fifth clash with West Perth which could prove ladder-defining for both sides, and the competition.

EAST FREMANTLE 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 3.3 (21)
SOUTH FREMANTLE 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.6 (12)

GOALS:
East Fremantle: E. Wilson-Sieber 2, A. Raison
South Fremantle: S. Pomersbach

RMC BEST:
East Fremantle: M. Evans, M. Louvel-Finn, N. McNaughton, M. Leitch, A. Kinnane
South Fremantle: R. Morgan, T. Stribley, B. Hunt, T. Mulder, J. Bazeley

AROUND THE GROUNDS

In the Perth Derby, West Perth proved too good for East Perth in similar wet conditions, kicking away with three goals to nil in the third term to salute, 6.5 (41) to 2.2 (14). Lexi Strachan was best on ground with 24 disposals, six tackles and two goals in a huge performance for the Falcons, while Emily Bennett, Madison Dodd and Taylor Ferguson were all outstanding. Jess Verbrugge was best-on for the Royals, while young guns Charli Bassett and Lucy Greenwood were classy in the wet.

Subiaco got more than it bargained for against Perth in a strangely close top-against-bottom clash, but came away with the four points thanks to a 6.2 (38) to 3.3 (21) triumph. The Demons fought hard throughout the match and even hit the front early in the last quarter to suggest a potential upset before the Lions showed their class with the last three goals. Paige Sheppard and Krstel Petrevski were crucial through midfield for Subiaco, while Holly Britton had the ball on a string for the Demons with 31 touches.

In the last game of the round, Claremont proved too good for Swan Districts, kicking six goals to one in the second half to record a comfortable 33-point win. Despite the best efforts of Swans midfielders Carys D’Addario and Jaime Henry who combined for 52 disposals, it was the well-rounded Tigers who through Taylah Orzel and Megan Green (two goals apiece) and Matilda Sergeant (28 disposals, one goal) looked that step up.