Falcons Lose Dour Struggle

WEST Perth led at the end of every quarter except the one that counted in the Channel 9 WA Day Derby against East Perth at Arena Joondalup on Monday.

The crowd of over 6000 witnessed a tight, uncompromising game of football that saw both sides kick two goals in each of the first three quarters. East Perth kicked two in the first few minutes of the final quarter and this was to be the turning point of the game. From this point they held their advantage until the end and eventually ran out 16-point winners.

The closeness of the scores kept supporters interested until the end. Fraser McInnes kicked the first goal of the game at the two-minute mark. It was the start of a trend that saw all East Perth goals, except one, kicked by Eagles-listed players. Marc Crisp roved the ball off hands to snap a clever goal 10 minutes later to narrow the margin to one-point. Patrick McGinnity kicked his first shortly after to extend East Perth's lead again but shortly after Steve Potente, who has become a regular goal kicker for the Falcons, kicked the first of his three after receiving a free 30 metres out. This narrowed the margin to just two. West Perth attacked consistently for the last eight minutes of the term but could only manage three behinds. This enabled them to take a one-point lead into the first change, 2.4 (16) to 2.3 (15).

The lead was extended to eight after Potente’s second. The Falcons were attacking consistently but the delivery into the forward-line made it difficult for the forwards to take advantage of the supply. East Perth took advantage of their opportunities to kick two quick goals and snatch back the lead midway through the quarter. The next 15 minutes saw very little action on the scoreboard but a lot of tight action on the field. Matt Guadagnin finally broke the ice when the Falcons carried the ball from deep in defence; he finished from 20 out to give West Perth a one-point lead. This was the half-time margin and the home side led 4.6 (30) to 4.5 (29).

The third quarter was a repeat of the first two with both teams only managing two goals each. West Perth continued to have more inside-50 entries but found it difficult to hit a target. Behinds were the order of the day until the 13-minute mark when McInnes’ second gave East Perth back the lead. Some strong body work by Marcus Adams and Kody Manning resulted in Aaron Black marking 45 metres out. His accurate kick gave the lead back to West Perth but it was short lived after Scott Lycett marked 40 out to score his second. Adams’ strong attack on the footy again paid dividends shortly after when he hand balled to Potente for his third. As had been the case in the previous quarters this enabled West Perth to take the lead into the final change. The scores were 6.10 (46) to 6.7 (43).

The Royals were on the board in the final quarter after taking the ball straight out of the centre from the first bounce. Big man Paul Johnson became the first non-Eagles listed player to hit the scoreboard for the visitors. Another major followed in much the same fashion but it was former Falcon, Mark Hutchings, who kicked his first from the square. East Perth led by nine in the blink of an eye. West Perth attacked consistently but to no avail. The next goal didn’t occur until the 20-minute mark but unfortunately it was a third to Lycett and as a result it sealed the game. The lead was now out to 14 points. Eight minutes later it was 22 after another goal to East Perth. The only Falcon goal for the term came at the 30-minute mark when Black kicked his second. The final siren saw West Perth losing by 16 points; 10.9 (69) to 7.11 (53).

The Falcons had more inside-50 entries, 51 to 40, but the tall East Perth targets were able to take more of their opportunities. There was no doubting the efforts of West Perth but unfortunately they were beaten on the day. Best players for West Perth were Jordan Jones, Luke Tedesco, Steve Potente, Aaron Black and Andrew Strijk. The reserves suffered a heart breaking four-point loss when East Perth kicked the winning goal with less than 10 seconds to play. They had done a terrific job to regain the lead after trailing by 20 points during the last quarter. Best players were Ben O’Regan, Matt Johnson who kicked five, Tim Sutherland and Trent Manzone. Congratulations to the Colts who scored their third win of the season. It goes without saying that it is a crucial game against Claremont next week as West Perth now sit one game out of the four.