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Pegoraro shift the catalyst for West Perth surge

Wednesday, August 16, 2023 - 4:20 PM
Pegoraro shift the catalyst for West Perth surge
 
John Townsend
The best positional move in West Perth’s history was the shift of full-forward Ray Schofield to full-back to accommodate the arrival of an even better goal-kicker in Ray Scott.
Coach Stan Heal’s tactical acumen was rewarded so fully that Schofield became one of WA’s greatest full-backs, a regular State player and five-time Breckler medallist.
And Scott won the goal-kicking eight years in a row, finished with 910 goals and was inducted as an Australian football hall of famer.
Oh, and West Perth won two flags, reached five other grand finals and played in 10 consecutive second semifinals.
Darren Harris’s recent decision to shift State centre half-back Noah Pegoraro into the forward line might not be quite as fruitful as the Schofield move but it has proved a winner during West Perth’s surge back into finals contention.
The Falcons are just one game behind fifth-placed Claremont, with a superior percentage, after their solid 36-point win over South Fremantle on Sunday breathed life into a premiership defence that is glowing with potential after being underwhelming for much of the season.
Pegoraro kicked three goals in the 14.7 (91) to 8.7 (55) win at Fremantle Oval but it is his relationship with spearhead Tyler Keitel that has proved the most satisfying part of the change.
Keitel reached 50 goals for the season with his own three strikes to maintain a three-goal lead over Subiaco’s Ben Sokol in the chase for the Bernie Naylor Medal.
The pair have won the medal twice each and are the only candidates to secure this year’s honour.
Mirroring the 2022 premiership set-up, in which Anton Hamp complemented Keitel as a second tall target in attack, Pegoraro has proved a superb foil during West Perth’s four wins in the past month.
He has kicked bags of three, two, four and three in the wins over West Coast, Claremont, Perth and South while Keitel has landed three, five, six and three.
Their potency and versatility proved too challenging for the undermanned South Fremantle defence during a match in which West Perth started brightly and gradually exerted control.
Keitel struck twice in the opening stages, grabbing a ground ball at close range and then taking a strong mark in the goal-square, before Pegoraro snapped truly from a Luke Meadows entry to ensure the Falcons led at the first change.
After a strong message from Harris at the break, who identified a series of missed tackles as an area needing urgent attention, Pegoraro revealed a sharp football brain to drift into space close to goal and provide an effective target for the creative Meadows.
The WA midfielder accepted greater responsibility when tireless captain Aaron Black sustained a hamstring injury early in the game and responded so well that he collected a game-high 32 possessions and become the most damaging player on the ground.
Keitel and Pegoraro added a goal apiece in the second half as West Perth dominated the contest but it was a group of lesser lights who most relished the opportunity to shine.
Darcy Dixon landed two set shots and weaved through heavy traffic to get a third; Sasha Kernutt bobbed up often enough to underline what West Perth had been missing in his absence for much of the season and the pacy Joey Hinder repeatedly scythed through traffic with a team-high 16 kicks to provide a substantial point of difference for his team.
Meadows was the star, though veteran Shane Nelson (29 disposals) was also highly effective and Aidan Lynch, who took Harris’s message to heart by laying 10 tackles to go with his 23 touches, continues to build a valuable career as he approaches 100 matches for the club.
West Perth now face a considerable challenge when they travel to Mandurah to take on Peel but the players know that a win there, with a final-round match against archrival East Perth on home soil, could set up one of the greatest season finishes in their history.
 
WEST PERTH 4.0 6.3 10.5 14.7 91
SOUTH FREMANTLE 3.2 4.6 5.7 8.7 55
GOALS - WEST PERTH: Keitel, Pegoraro, Dixon 3; Kernutt 2; Meadows, Knott, Murray.
SOUTH FREMANTLE: O’Hehir, Graham 2; Dragovich, Z Strom, Bourne, Hall.
BEST - WEST PERTH: Meadows, Pegoraro, A Lynch, Keitel, Kernutt, Nelson.
SOUTH FREMANTLE: Ferreira, Drage, Miller, Z Strom, O’Hehir, Stephens.

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