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Rundle emergence identifies future direction

Tuesday, July 23, 2024 - 11:58 AM
Rundle emergence identifies future direction
 
If adversity brings opportunity, Corey Rundle is in the right place at the right time.
Rundle might never replicate the glory of his third match for West Perth - when his two critical goals helped the Falcons win the nail-biting 2022 grand final - but he has the chance to become a key figure in the next premiership campaign.
Rundle’s move into the midfield on Saturday signalled a changing of the guard for next year and beyond.
The new role was not enough to help West Perth overcome East Fremantle, with the 16-point defeat, 11.10 (76) to 9.6 (60), extending the Falcons’ losing streak to eight matches – their worst run since losing 10 in a row in 1979 – but it indicated that coach Jason Salecic’s focus is clearly on the future.
Rundle’s shift from half-forward to the middle of Pentanet Stadium enabled him to claim a career-high 22 disposals, including 13 contested possessions, but the true value of his presence was underlined by his ability to win game-high returns of 10 clearances and 11 tackles.
With Riley Sprigg returning to the ruck due to Brock Carter’s knee injury, and doing well enough to produce 25 hit-outs and win the ball 17 times in contests, West Perth had a glimpse of the potential future.
The present was less fruitful though the usual contributors maintained their level of performance as the Falcons remained within range all game but could not find the means to overcome the visitors.
Big forward Tyler Keitel landed his fourth consecutive bag of five or more goals, kicking 5.3 including three straight in the third term when West Perth charged strongly to get within two points, to reach his half-century.
If Keitel maintains that form over the final month, he should eclipse his career-best season in 2021 when he kicked 64 goals and won the second of his three Bernie Naylor medals.
He leads the goal-kicking race by 18 with the majority of other contenders having five matches left.
And captain Dean Munns maintained his miserly record against big name forwards by restricting Cody Leggett to just four kicks and one score.
The leaders at each end of the ground played their part but it was not sufficient to restrict the reigning premier.
Ruckman Lachlan Blakiston has taken his own opportunity at the Sharks to have a big say in proceedings while a group of mercurial and muscular players in the prime of their careers provide East Fremantle with a balanced team list.
While Keitel’s third-term burst got his team within range, West Perth couldn’t combat East Fremantle’s dynamic small forward Jed Hagan whose three in the last term gave his team valuable breathing space.
West Perth won the lead midway through the first term when Sasha Kernutt goaled from a free after a sequence of play that started when debutant Aiden Nelson hauled in a strong intercept mark.
The 21-year-old Nelson, a cousin of Fremantle defender and West Perth product Heath Chapman, and a promising Joondalup cricketer, made a splendid start with his 82% disposal efficiency a hallmark of his display.
But West Perth could not maintain the lead after relinquishing it early in the second term with Jon Marsh’s power and Ben McGuire’s pace proving substantial obstacles.
 
WEST PERTH 3.0 5.3 8.3 9.6 60
EAST FREMANTLE 2.1 5.5 8.6 11.10 76
GOALS - WEST PERTH: Keitel 5; Black, Rundle, Kernutt, Patterson.
EAST FREMANTLE: Hagan 4; B McGuire, J Marsh 2; Leggett, Jansen, Montauban.
BEST - WEST PERTH: Keitel, Rundle, Munns, Sprigg, Nelson.
EAST FREMANTLE: Blakiston, Hagan, Cleaver, Jansen, Baskerville, Murdock.

 

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