SEVEN FALCONS HELP WAFL TO BIG WIN OVER NEAFL

SEVEN West Perth premiership players all made a strong contribution to the WAFL's comprehensive 85-point win over the NEAFL in Sydney on Saturday.

West Perth premiership stars Jay van Berlo, Nick Rodda, Chris Keunen, Laine Rasmussen, Kody Manning, Jordan Jones and Shane Nelson all pulled on the Black Swans jumper and did so with distinction.

Only van Berlo had previously played for WA having lined up in last year's win over Victoria in Northam, and Rodda, Keunen, Rasmussen, Manning, Jones and Nelson all grabbed their opportunities to represent the WAFL with both hands.

Keunen was WA's No. 1 ruckman in the game and did the majority of the work in the middle throughout the match, and did a terrific job as the best big man on the ground by the final siren.

Rasmussen and Jones were both strong members of the defensive unit that ensured that the NEAFL only kicked six goals for the afternoon while Rasmussen served as WA's best small defender, and Jones was solid defensively and also provided plenty of good run and drive out of the back-line.

Nelson played through the middle and combined well with experienced campaigners like Brendan Lee and Luke Blackwell, and then outside runners Blaine Boekhorst, Ryan Cook and Haiden Schloith

e to end up winning plenty of the footy and setting up a lot of play for WA.

Rodda was a late call up into the team and served to be WA main tall target in the forward-line and he presented well, competed hard and also ended up kicking two goals.

Manning was also outstanding with his main role to put on huge pressure in the forward-line. He hounded the NEAFL defenders and midfielders all afternoon, and put in a terrific performance while also winning enough of the ball to be an attack threat as well.

The game was the first time that the WAFL has played a representative team from the North East Australian Football League featuring players from clubs based in New South Wales, the ACT, Queensland and the Northern Territory.

The NEAFL hosted the match at Blacktown in Sydney on Saturday and they managed to boot the first two goals of the game inside the first four minutes, but the WAFL team dominated the contest from that point on.

The WAFL kicked 19 of the 23 goals kicked for the rest of the game to end up comprehensive winners, 19.18 (132) to 6.11 (47).

South Fremantle's Ashton Hams controlled the game across half-back all day long for WA and was allowed to virtually do as he pleased, and he tore the NEAFL apart racking up plenty of the ball and using it well on his left boot.

His reward was the Simpson Medal and it's the second of his career after also receiving one following the Bulldogs' 2009 premiership victory.

South Fremantle skipper Ryan Cook was his teammate Hams' main rival for the Simpson Medal after his outstanding performance on the wing and across half-forward. He racked up plenty of the ball and also kicked two goals.

Lee and Blackwell both led the way in the middle for WA with good support from ruckman Keunen as well as young on-ballers Nelson and Schloithe.

Schloithe also booted two goals while winning plenty of the ball with George Hampson, Rodda and Boekhorst all kicked two goals as well.

Hampson could have easily kicked five if he had his kicking boots on and that's exactly what South Fremantle spearhead Ben Saunders did, taking his chances to end up five majors.

Tony Notte was a good target up forward who helped Keunen in the ruck as well while his Swan Districts' teammate Ryan Davis was also a lively contributor as was Sydney Swans AFL premiership player and Perth captain Paul Bevan.

The WA back-line was also tremendous led by Swan Districts skipper Tallan Ames who kept the in-form Cleve Hughes to just the one goal for the day before getting hurt.

East Fremantle's Andrew Stephen was also one of WA's best coming out of the back-line while Steven Dodd, Jones and Rasmussen stood up well.

Former Claremont played and two-time WAFL representative Ryan Brabazon was one of the NEAFL's best contributors along with Matt O'Dwyer, Todd Grayson and Cameron Ilett.

The NEAFL got off to a flying start with goals to Cleve Hughes and Kade Klemke in the opening four minutes.

However, the WAFL started to steady and got on the board when Hams set up his South Fremantle teammate Saunders who was able to snap through a clever goal from the pocket.

WA then took the lead shortly after when Boekhorst took a strong mark and kicked truly. East Fremantle defender Stephen might have kicked just nine goals in his 100-game career, but kicked WA's third after a lucky 50m penalty against Brabazon.

Rodda then snapped a goal from the goal square to put WA up by 15 points before Sean Ellis kicked the NEAFL's third of the opening term. Hams managed to just kick WA's first before the quarter-time siren as the WAFL side led by 17 points at the first break.

It took almost 20 minutes in the second quarter for either team to kick a goal, but then the WAFL got on the board through Notte before Cook and Saunders also added majors before half-time to see the visitors take a 36-point lead into the main break.

Cook then opened the second half in ominous fashion for the WAFL with an early goal, his second, before the NEAFL responded through Cameron Ilett.

However, the WAFL then began to really dominate and it soon became a South Fremantle show on the scoreboard with Schloithe booting his first, and then Saunders kicking his third, fourth and fifth goals before three quarter-time.

WA led by 54 points to have the result in hand at three quarter-time, but the team didn’t take the foot off in the last quarter.

Schloithe kicked his second to start the fourth term and then Rodda, Hampson, Davis, Boekhorst and Hampson again added goals as the WAFL kicked another five goals to one in the last quarter to end up winning by 85 points.

WAFL 5.7 8.12 14.10 19.18 (132)

NEAFL 3.2 3.6 5.10 6.11 (47)

WAFL – Goals: Saunders 5; Hampson, Boekhorst, Rodda, Schloithe, Cook 2; Davis, Hams, Stephen, Notte.

Best: Hams, Cook, Stephen, Blackwell, Manning, Boekhorst, Manning, Nelson.

NEAFL – Goals: Hughes, Klemke, Ellis, Ilett, Dunne, Vandenberg.

Best: O'Dwyer, Grayson, Brabazon, Ilett.

Simpson Medal – Ashton Hams.

BY CHRIS PIKE