DEJAVU FOR FALCONS WITH 35-POINT ROUND 1 LOSS TO BULLDOGS

WEST Perth kicked the first two goals at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Saturday but that was about as good as it got with South Fremantle handing the Falcons a second straight 35-point Round 1 WAFL defeat.

Things started positively for the Falcons but ultimately it was the same result as the corresponding fixture 12 months ago.

On that night down at the port to open 2015, South Fremantle beat West Perth by 35 points.

However, it's no time to panic for the Falcons considering they went on to make the grand final in 2015 and the Bulldogs won just seven more games for the season to end up in seventh position well out of finals contention.

The similarities continue for West Perth to 2015 when the Falcons host their first match at HBF Arena following that loss to South Fremantle.

Last year they beat Peel and then thrashed Perth a week later so the target will be to produce something similar the next fortnight at home to Perth and Subiaco.

Reigning Breckler Medal winner, 2014 Sandover Medallist and 2013 premiership player Aaron Black worked tirelessly all afternoon for West Perth with 26 possessions and two goals.

Sole captain for 2016 Jay van Berlo also battled away manfully in the well-beaten midfield with 26 possessions and five tackles while Andrew Strijk gave good drive off half-back with 24 disposals, seven marks and five inside-50 entries.

Aidan Lynch also had 19 possessions and laid eight tackles for the Falcons while Trent Manzone had 18 touches, Luke Tedesco 15 and Rohan Kerr 15.

Ashton Hams racked up 34 possessions for South Fremantle but 15 of those were in the first quarter and Drew Rohde worked hard to limit him to 19 touches the final three quarters.

Max Duffy kicked three goals in his debut for West Perth while Michael Lourey added two.

The Falcons did sorely miss injured premiership players Shane Nelson and Steven Browne with key players Laine Rasmussen and Steve Potente finding form and fitness in the reserves.

West Perth got off to the perfect start with the first two goals starting with one from a set shot after a free-kick to new sole captain van Berlo, and then recruit Duffy marked strongly and kicked truly as well to give the Falcons a tremendous first five minutes.

However, the Bulldogs soon steadied firstly courtesy of defender turned forward Zac Strom for their first goal of 2016. Mason Shaw then tied the scores up when he kicked truly from a tight angle on his return to South Fremantle and in his league debut.

When Adam Guglielmana booted his first goal since Round 3, 2014 the Bulldogs had all the momentum and it soon became five goals on the trot following two in two minutes to Ben Saunders.

West Perth did respond with two of the quarter's last three goals to big men Lourey and Nick Rodda, but another South Fremantle debutant Steven Edwards kicked truly shortly before quarter-time to see the home side maintain a 12-point advantage.

Haiden Schloithe missed an early set shot on goal in the second quarter for South Fremantle but Tim Kelly made up for that seconds later.

Duffy answered minutes later with his second for the Falcons after a 50m penalty and down the field free against Saunders on former Claremont teammate Keegan Knott.

But the Bulldogs dominated the rest of the half and kicked goals to Shaw, Schloithe and Dylan Main before half-time to lead by 31 points at the main break.

West Perth managed to kick the first and last goals of the third quarter courtesy of Black, the first a quick snap out of congestion and the second a good set shot from the pocket, but South Fremantle still led at the last change by 27 points with Saunders' third major of the day.

Strom, Blaine Johnson and Schloithe all helped South Fremantle to the first three goals of the last quarter to open up a game-high 46-point advantage before West Perth kicked the last two of the day through Duffy and Lourey to make the Bulldogs' winning margin 35 points.

The colts began the day at Fremantle Oval but West Perth s

uffered a heavy loss coming off making the finals in 2015, with South Fremantle winning 21.9 (135) to 4.7 (31).

Jordan Moore, Conal Lynch, Eamon Gilbert and Jayden Hooper were the goal kickers for West Perth.

Scott Nelson racked up 25 possessions, Josh Rotham 22, Liam Baker 21, Angus Allen 20, Lynch 19 and Joel Horgan 17.

The reserves then played on Saturday night down at Fremantle with West Perth leading at three quarter-time, but South Fremantle winning 8.9 (57) to 7.10 (52) on the back of kicking the only goal of the final term.

Jordan Mills kicked three goals for the Falcons while Steve Potente made a strong case to come in to the league side this Saturday with 28 possessions, four tackles and four inside-50 entries.

Mitch Peirce also gathered 21 disposals for West Perth, Broderick Walton 18 and Dean Munns 17. Seva Mozhaev also got through his return from a knee reconstruction unscathed and had 31 hit outs in the ruck.

WEST PERTH            4.1    5.3    7.5    9.9    (63)
SOUTH FREMANTLE        6.1    10.4    11.8    14.14    (98)

WEST PERTH – Goals: Duffy 3; Black, Lourey 2; van Berlo, Rodda.
Best: Black, Strijk, van Berlo, Lynch, Manning, Manzone.
SOUTH FREMANTLE – Goals: Saunders 3; Shaw, Strom, Schloithe 2; Guglielmana, Johnson, Kelly, Edwards, Main.
Best: Hams, Pullman, Kelly, Hockey, Cook, Wilson, B Verrier, Pickett.