FALCONS DOMINANT IN MANDURAH

FALCONS DOMINANT IN MANDURAH

The League and Colts teams recorded comprehensive victories against Peel on Saturday. Both teams dominated all day to score twenty and nineteen goals respectively. The League team was on from the first bounce with their use of the ball and tackling pressure being of the highest order. They overwhelmed an inexperienced Peel team to extend their lead at each change to run out ninety-two point winners.

West Perth scored more in the first quarter than they did in the opening round victory against Swan Districts. They scored eight goals five to have the game safely in their keeping by quarter time. Within two minutes, Shane Nelson got the ball rolling with a goal on the run from forty. He was, once again, dominant for the Falcons. Majors to Trent Manzone, Luke Meadows and Tyler Keitel saw the lead out to twenty-six at the sixteen-minute mark. The foot passing was a delight to watch. Luke Meadows had a lot of it early and played well all day. Shortly after Trent Manzone scored his second and Tyler Keitel the second of his five for the day. Peel battled hard but weren’t any match for West Perth. The Falcons finished the quarter strongly with a third to Tyler Keitel and a first of four to Mike Lourey who scored from outside fifty after the siren. At the first change West Perth had the game under control leading 8.5 (53) to 0.1 (1).

The second quarter was more of the same with Tom Medhat finishing from forty after five minutes. Unfortunately, he went off shortly after with what appeared to be a dislocated shoulder. Let’s hope that the injury isn’t too severe as he shows a lot of promise. Accurate foot passes by Dylan Yem and Mitch Peirce enabled Mike Lourey and Luke Meadows to kick their second late in the term. Peel had four shots on goal but weren’t able to register their first major. At the main break West Perth had built on their quarter time lead to have a sixty-nine-point advantage; 11.8 (74) to 0.5 (5).

Little changed in the third term with the Falcons kicking five goals to two. The Peel majors came at the twelve and twenty-four-minute mark but overall West Perth held sway. Mitch Peirce and Keegan Knott hit the scoreboard early. The Keegan Knott goal came after some precise ball use from deep in defence. Tyler Keitel marked forty out to kick his fourth and Mike Lourey his third at the nineteen-minute mark. Laine Rasmussen hit Mike Lourey on the chest with a long penetrating kick. Laine Rasmussen’s attack on the footy is relentless and he is a fearless backman. One of the highlights of the day came at the twenty-three-minute mark when first gamer, Matty Lloyd, mark forty-five out. He went back and slotted his first for the Falcons. He had scored two behinds previously and it was great to see his team mates get around him. He will continue to improve with each match and will be a more than handy player for West Perth. At the final change the lead was out to eight six; 16.9 (105) to 2.7 (19).

The final quarter was more even with the visitors scoring four goals to three. Peel’s Tyrone Thorne got the ball rolling early before a fifth to Tyler Keitel and a fourth to Mike Lourey came in response. When Conal Lynch scored from forty after receiving fifty metres the lead was out to ninety-seven. Peel stalwart, Blair Bell, got one back for the home team. Dylan Yem flew for what would have been a terrific mark but just failed to hold it. Keegan Knott grabbed the crumbs to score his second from close in. At the final siren West Perth had recorded a comprehensive 20.11 (131) to 5.9 (39) victory.

The win was an important lead-in to the game against East Perth next week. Little needs to be said about the rivalry between the two teams. The Colts also were in control all day and recorded a strong 19.10 (124) to 7.4 (46) victory. They are undefeated for the year and loom as a real threat. The skills that were on display bode well for the rest of the season and the future. Corey Rundle was dominant up forward and kicked seven. He was ably supported by Darcy Dixon who finished with four. Callum Johnson, Heath Chapman and Rohan Scurria provided plenty of drive around the ground in what was a very even team performance. Best for the League were Laine Rasmussen, Ben Delaporte who is improving as a ruckman every week, Connor West, Luke Meadows, Tyler Keitel, Shane Nelson and Aaron Black. Another must win game against the old enemy next week so be at Provident Financial Oval next week to get the Falcons home.