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Swan Districts looms as pivotal match for Falcons

Wednesday, June 21, 2023 - 3:10 PM
Swan Districts looms as pivotal match for Falcons
 
John Townsend
West Perth’s encounter with Swan Districts on Sunday is looming as the team’s most critical match of the season after the limp effort against Subiaco on Saturday.
The Falcons dropped out of the top five after losing to Subiaco by 55 points in a mirror image of the previous visit to Leederville Oval this month when archrival East Perth proved too good.
The premiership defence is not over but the 17.11 (113) to 8.10 (58) result suggested that cracks are emerging.
And given that 11 victories might be required to qualify for finals – meaning another six wins from the eight remaining rounds – it is imperative that West Perth rebound against Swans before the bye the following week gives them a chance to regroup.
Most concerning for West Perth coach Darren Harris, who has only suffered a handful of 50-point losses during his 114 games in charge during two premiership-winning stints at the club – is his team’s inability to stop opponents starting well.
West Perth have not won a first or second quarter in the past three games – giving up leads of 35, 36 and 46 points before half-time in those matches – with the only win in the past month requiring a herculean last quarter effort against South Fremantle.
Spearhead Tyler Keitel was the team’s only clear winner on Saturday with his five splendid goals – all from marks near or outside the 50m line – keeping him in touch with Subiaco counterpart Ben Sokol in the battle for the Bernie Naylor Medal.
Sokol also kicked five goals – and went past 300 for his club – to have 34 for the season; Keitel has 31.
Keitel kicked the first and last goals of the first half, each from excellent marks on fast leads, and waxed with Sokol during a brilliant burst early in the last term when they each kicked another two majors.
A strong finish to the season could see the big full-forward move into third place on West Perth’s goal-kicking list.
He passed Phil Smith (291) with his first strike in the final quarter, is one short of his fellow Bernie Naylor medallist Andrew Strijk (294), and could conceivably pick off Alan Watling (325), Stephen Smeath (326), Les Fong (331) and Anthony Tsalikis (336) by season’s end.  
Australian football Hall of Famers Ted Tyson (1197) and Ray Scott (910) are beyond reach and imagination.
Adding to West Perth’s woes were the injuries sustained by senior players Zac Langdon and the returning Mark Hutchings.
Langdon, who was one of the best players in the comeback win over South Fremantle a week earlier, tweaked an ankle before he touched the football and was gone from the game in the opening minutes.
 Hutchings has been biding his time in the reserves after overcoming soft tissue issues but he felt a calf go early in the contest, tried to play on a couple of times, but was eventually forced to retire.
The classy midfielder has forged a great career with premierships at West Perth and West Coast and his absence left the Falcons short of options against an opposition midfield that received silver service from dominant ruckman Zac Clarke.
Mitch Peirce battled hard for 27 disposals and is returning to the form that won him the Breckler Medal in last year’s premiership season.
Nathan Murray was busy for 31 touches while defenders Zac Guadagnin and Tyson Moulton, who were often outnumbered, plugged gaps wherever they could.
Ben Johnson’s right foot remains one of his team’s prime weapons and he used many of his 13 kicks to penetrate deeply and quickly into Subiaco’s defensive zone.
It was not enough, though, and leaves the Falcons with a desperate challenge against Swan Districts this weekend.
WEST PERTH 1.2 3.6 5.8 8.10 58
SUBIACO 6.5 9.9 15.9 17.11 113
GOALS - WEST PERTH: Keitel 5; Meadows, Nelson, Peirce.
SUBIACO: Sokol 5; Borchet, J Faraone 2; Kitchin, Schofield, Giro, Walters, Clarke, Morgan, Alone, Golding.
BEST - WEST PERTH: Keitel, Peirce, Moulton, Murray, Johnson.  
SUBIACO: Clarke, Sokol, L Hickmott, Mayo, Giro, Kitchin.

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