CARDINALS IMPRESS WITH FOUR QUARTER EFFORT

WEST Perth celebrated Heritage Round in style at HBF Arena on Saturday outplaying East Fremantle to win by 70 points.

The league team wore jumpers that had the same design as the 1941 premiership side to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the club’s eighth premiership. The Cardinals celebrated with a memorable performance that went a long way towards establishing a place in the five and a top three finish.

West Perth started the game in strong fashion and always looked to have the contest under control, but as was the case last week, inaccurate kicking made the contest closer for longer than necessary. The first three Cardinals scores were behinds before Old Easts' big man Matthew Watson kicked the first major at the 10-minute mark. More behinds followed before key forward Michael Lourey kicked the first of his five at the 18-minute mark. East Fremantle got one back to grab a four-point lead going into time on before the skipper, Jay van Berlo, marked on 50. He went back and slotted it to give the Cardinals a two-point lead. They finished the quarter with three more behinds and as a result took a five-point lead into the first break. West Perth led 2.7 (19) to 2.2 (14) but on the run of play should have been further in front.

The second quarter was very similar to the first with West Perth dominating but not putting it onto the scoreboard. Behinds were, once again, the order of the day but this wasn’t the case in the first minute when the Cardinals scored straight out of the centre. Rohan Kerr took the ball from the bounce and kicked long to Mark Hamilton who marked 20 out. He went back and kicked the first of his three for the day. At the 10-minute mark some clever hands by Shane Nelson enabled Lourey to snap his second from 30 and this took the Cardinals advantage to 18 points. This was to be their last major for the term. West Perth controlled the play for long periods but didn’t hit the score board. Old Easts kicked their only goal at the 25-minute mark to reduce the margin to just 14 at the main break. The lead should have been much more than the 4.13 (37) to 3.5 (23) score line.

Any concerns about West Perth not taking advantage of  its dominance was soon put to rest in the third quarter outscoring the visitors five goals to nil. A quick transition from defence got the ball rolling for the Cardinals. It enabled Max Duffy to run onto the ball and goal from 20. A terrific pass by Nelson set up Hamilton for his second At the 10-minute mark the lead was out to 31 after first gamer, Tyson Moulton, was involved in an assist to help Lourey kick his third. Ben King then used the ball very well and Hamilton was the recipient. He took possession, played on past a couple of opposition players and kicked his third. The final goal for the quarter went to Duffy after some good run and carry by Kris Shannon. West Perth appeared to have the game in the bag at the final change as they led 9.14 (68) to 3.9 (27) after a dominant quarter.

Play really opened up in the final term with 12 goals being scored. The Cardinals kicked eight in a display that had lots of fast and effective ball movement. Old Easts kicked the first before Duffy marked and passed to Lourey for his fourth. Brock O’Brien kicked a brace for the visitors before Nelson marked and scored from thirty. Aidan Lynch, who was once again in and under all day, passed to Laine Rasmussen who capped his stint up forward with a fine goal from 45 after a strong mark. He certainly adds another dimension to the forward line. The highlight of the quarter occurred at the 18-minute mark, however. This was when Moulton took a strong grab 30 out and kicked his first West Perth goal. He had hit the post with an attempt earlier in the quarter. There was a lot to like about his first game. A third and fourth to Duffy and a fifth to Lourey followed. These were punctuated by an Aaron Black goal on the run which capped off another strong performance. East Fremantle finished the game with a goal but at the final siren the Cardinals had recorded an important and percentage boosting 70-point victory; 17.20 (122) to 7.10 (52). The final score was a reflection of the West Perth dominance.

The win was also significant for senior coach, Bill Monaghan, as it was his 94th in charge of the Cardinals and it equals the record of club legend, Stan 'Pops' Heal. The reserves and colts both went down but James Batterham, Scott Nelson, Corey Chalmers and Martin Geraghty were recognised for their efforts in the reserves. League players to receive awards included Ben King, Michael Lourey, Shane Nelson and Mark Hamilton. Another tough game against top five rivals Peel in Mandurah next week so let’s hope that the Cardinals can take their form with them when they head south.

BY DARRELL KENT
PHOTOS BY BELINDA TAYLOR