FALCONS FINISH YEAR IN STYLE FOR TSALIKIS, HUNT

WEST Perth finished off the 2014 WAFL season with an 82-point thumping of Perth at Lathlain Park on Saturday with Dan Hunt and Anthony Tsalikis enjoying the best possible send off in the last games of their glittering careers.

The game was supposed to not only the last in the careers of Hunt and Tsalikis, but also the 150th appearance with West Perth for premiership ruckman Chris Keunen but he was a late withdrawal due to a severe migraine delaying his milestone until Round 1 next year.

However, that was the only disappointment of the day with West Perth dominant the wooden spooners Perth and handing the Demons a 14th consecutive defeat to finish the season with as the Falcons ran out 21.18 (144) to 9.8 (62) winners.

It was a dominant display by West Perth with the Falcons finishing with 185 more possessions than Perth, 81 more marks, 26 more inside-50 entries and 22 more scoring shots.

The win means that West Perth finishes the 2014 season in sixth position on the WAFL ladder with a 9-11 win-loss record.

The day was made for Hunt and Tsalikis, though, and both had afternoons to remember to close out their careers.

Tsalikis has every reason to be proud of his career that spanned 190 games and saw him kick 336 goals to be third all-time on the goalkicking list at West Perth.

Tsalikis is now a six-time leading goalkicker at the club and finished on fire on Saturday with 31 possessions, 13 marks and four goals.

While it was no surprise to see Tsalikis kick four goals, it was to see Hunt join him with four majors after the rock solid key defender of 169 games had a day out.

The premiership defender went forward in the second quarter and had one chance on goal touched on the line.

He then had another shot early in the last quarter that missed, but once he got his eye in it was party time and he ended up with four to take his career tally to six. Before Saturday, he had not kicked a goal in 107 matches since the second semi-final of 2008.

Hunt and Tsalikis were far from the only West Perth players to have days out though.

Shane Nelson put in a remarkable performance finishing with 52 possessions, 12 marks and eight inside-50 entries. Aaron Black also finished with 39 disposals and 18 marks and Rohan Kerr 38 touches and 15 marks.

Marcus Adams kicked four goals as well with Steve Potente adding three to go with 24 possessions and Seva Martin two to go with 33 hit outs.

Laine Rasmussen gathered 24 possessions for West Perth, Matt Guadagnin 23, Jay van Berlo 21, Kris Shannon 21, Ray Bartholomew 21, Max Alexander 20 and Luke Meadows 20.

Perth got off to a fast start in the final game for both teams of the season with the Demons booting the opening two goals before West Perth got on the board thanks to a goal to Potente.

Perth again stretched its lead back out to two goals imposed himself on the contest with two quick goals – the first a strong set shot from 50 and then the second after he shrugged off a tackle from a Demons defender and then he snapped it through skilfully from near the boundary.

West Perth was then up by a point and would never look back for the rest of the afternoon.

Adams was then involved in West Perth's next goal as well with a clever handball to the goal line that Potente was able to run on to and kick out of mid-air to put the Falcons in front of the Demons by nine points.

Tsalikis had missed his first couple of shots on goal but thanks to a free-kick overruled by the non-controlling umpire that certainly was a piece of charity, he was given a shot from 25-metres out and nailed his first of the day and 333rd of his career.

By quarter-time at Lathlain Park, West Perth was leading by 16 points and had taken control of the contest.

Perth did fight back with two early goals to start the second quarter before ruckman Martin answered for the Falcons and then when Potente added his third of the first half, West Perth was back out to a 16-point advantage.

Hunt was then shifted forward midway through the second quarter and soon after had a set shot from 50 that looked right on track but just as he started to celebrate it was touched right on the goal line.

Tsalikis did manage to add his second goal, though, and West Perth was in control by 24 points at the main break.

Once more it was Perth who started the better to open the second half, but it wouldn’t last and West Perth soon steadied with Adams booting his third goal to make the lead again 17 points.

Some good fighting work in the forward 50 from Tsalikis then set up Rasmussen to run into an open goal to soon after. By the time Browne and Tsalikis kicked goals as well, the lead was out to 31 points and then 44 by three quarter-time after Adams booted his fourth and Guadagnin his first.

With the victory secured at the last change, the focus turned to trying to get Hunt to end his six-year goal drought and it didn’t take long into the final term for him to get the goal he was after and his first in his 107 games since the second semi-final loss of 2008 to Subiaco.

It was then party time for West Perth in the final quarter in what was without question the most enjoyable term of football for the year.

After van Berlo kicked a goal when left alone in the forward 50, Hunt missed a set shot that could have given him his second he was able to pounce on a loose ball from that kick-in and snap through a goal on his left boot. That saw him double his career tally.

Martin then added his second of the day for the Falcons and Tsalikis kicked his fourth in what was the last kick of his career.

West Perth led by 70 points at that stage and the final margin was 82 after Hunt managed to mark and kick truly on two more occasions to end up with four goals in the last quarter on a remarkable end to his career.

West Perth's reserves geared up for its second semi-final clash with Subiaco this Sunday with a 18.13 (121) to 8.7 (55) win over Perth at Lathlain Park.

Shayne Zanetti had not played a single game at any level with West Perth since appearing in the league side in Round 10, 2012 but he lined up in the reserves on Saturday and put in a stunning performance as the 23-year-old 199cm big man booted seven goals from 13 possessions and seven marks.

Matt Fowler also kicked three goals for the Falcons, Ben O'Regan three and Aidan Lynch two to go with 26 possessions and eight marks.

Trent Manzone gathered 27 possessions for the Falcons, O'Regan 26, Jack Thrum 21 and Ben McNamara 20 as they recorded the thumping win to celebrate the 150th appearance of Cameron Branch.

West Perth's colts also recorded a 15.13 (103) to 5.4 (34) win over Perth to start the day while Kaidyn Fullgrabe kicked five goals, Clinton Hinchcliffe three and Nathan Alexandre two.

Troy Manners gathered 29 possessions, Hinchcliffe 28, James Sheehan-Nel 24, Ashley Smith 21, William Michell 19 and Jacob Turner 19.

WEST PERTH        5.5    8.9    14.13    21.18    (144)
PERTH            3.1    5.3    8.4    9.8    (62)

WEST PERTH – Goals: Tsalikis, Hunt, Adams 4; Potente 3; Martin 2; Browne, Guadagnin, J van Berlo, Rasmussen.
Best: Nelson, Tsalikis, Black, Kerr, Hunt, Potente, Rasmussen, Adams.
PERTH – Goals: Collard 3; Arangio, Tropiano, Browne, Power, White, Bevan.
Best: Tropiano, White, Hunt, Florio, Sinclair.