FALCONS STORM HOME AGAINST DEMONS

By Darrell Kent

West Perth were never headed in their contest against Perth at Lathlain on Saturday. It was a relatively tight contest until the last quarter when the Falcons piled on the goals. Lochlan Paton played his first Senior game and more than held his own. Mark Hutchings returned to the Falcons line up to play his 100^th WAFL game to go with his one hundred plus AFL matches for the Eagles. He has played fifty-five for West Perth.

The Falcons kicked the first of the game and it went to Tyler Keitel. He finished from twenty after a great centring kick by Trent Manzone. Perth then attacked consistently but could only score behinds. They kicked nine behinds, only, for the first half and were their own worst enemy as a number of them were very gettable. The only other major for the quarter was a second to Tyler Keitel after he marked forty out. At the first change West Perth led by eight: 2.1 (13) to 0.5 (5).

It only took a minute for the Falcons to add to their lead. The ball came straight out of the middle and was marked by Anton Hamp just inside fifty. He then kicked his second shortly after following an Aaron Black pass. At the twelve-minute mark the lead was out to twenty-eight after Luke Meadows and Mitch Antonio combined to get the ball to Mitch Dobson who finished from close in. Inaccuracy continued to plague the Demons as they did their fair share of attacking. The only other goal for the quarter went to Mark Hutchings who marked fifty out. He worked hard to get there after being involved in clearing the ball from the West Perth defence. At the main break the Falcons led by thirty-one: 6.4 (40) to 0.9 (9).

Perth were always going to have a run and it came at the beginning of the third. They kicked the first two and they went to Harry Quartermaine. He kicked four for the game and is a player with heaps of promise. The lead was reduced to twenty within five minutes. It was a battle of the defences until midway through the term. That was when Mark Hutchings showed his class to kick his second. He took possession at a throw up to snap accurately. The twenty-eight-point lead was reduced to sixteen after the home team kicked the next two and it was game on. Mitch Dobson then kicked his second after an assist from Mitch Antonio but Harry Quartermaine replied with his third. Mitch Antonio then took possession over the back to hit the scoreboard himself before the first of four to Aaron Black saw the lead out to twenty-eight, again. The last goal of the quarter, one that saw ten goals scored, was a fourth to Harry Quartermaine. At the final change, the game was far from done and dusted as the Falcons led by twenty-two: 10.7 (67) to 6.9 (45).

It only took a minute for West Perth to extend their lead. Shane Nelson received a free at the centre bounce. His long kick forward resulted in a second to Mitch Antonio. Perth got an instant reply but from here it was all the visitors. They kicked six more goals, three of which went to Aaron Black who had been moved forward. He showed his class with some accurate finishing and some forward line time is certainly on the radar going forward. Aaron finished with four for the match. The other goals went to Luke Meadows, a third to Tyler Keitel and one to Nathan Alexandre. The Falcons finished full of running and as a result scored by sixty-one: 17.10 (112) to 7.9 (51).

The win topped a great day for the Club with all three grades recording a victory. Aaron Black finished with four and Tyler Keitel three. Mark Hutchings, Mitch Antonio, Mitch Dobson and Anton Hamp all kicked two. Best players were Aaron Black, Noah Pegoraro, Tyson Moulton, Mitch Dobson, Mark Hutchings, Conal Lynch and Shane Nelson. The West Perth midfield is a force to be reckoned with.

The Reserves had a strong victory and now sit a game clear in second spot on the ladder. They won by thirty-three: 12.11 (83) to 7.8 (50). As shown by the debut of Lochlan Paton, there is a number of players pushing for a place in the League team. Rudy Riddoch kicked three, Michael Mallard and Logan Foley two apiece. Best players were Joseph Hinder, Connor Klemke, Ben Delaporte, Luke Reilly and Aidan Lynch. The Colts held on to record a three-point win after being outscored four goals to none in the last quarter. The 8.5 (53) to 7.8 (50) courageous win sees them hold top spot. Jack Demarte continued his excellent form by kicking three, along with Aiden Nelson. These two were amongst the best along with Byron Sherwood, Camden Pires and Alex Campbell. A bye next week before a tough one at Pentanet Stadium against Peel. Be there to help get the teams over the line.