FALCONS DOMINATE FROM FIRST BOUNCE

IT WAS a cold, wet and windy day at East Fremantle Oval on Saturday but the display by West Perth helped to warm the hearts of their supporters. West Perth kicked with the breeze to start the match and a goal within the first minute was a precursor of what was to come.

The Falcons took the ball straight out of the middle at the opening bounce and a free-kick to Matt Johnson at the top of the square gave West Perth the perfect start with a major in the first minute. It took another eight minutes before the next goal and it was the first of two to Trent Manzone when he scored with a snap from the top of the square. He had a big day finishing with 34 possessions. The next came shortly after when Blake Wilhelm scored from 50 after coming off half-back. He has shown a real appetite for league football and looks very comfortable at this level. The fourth for the quarter came at the 14-minute mark when Marcus Adams marked 20 metres out. A rushed behind followed before Michael Lourey took his season total to 30 with consecutive goals. Rory O’Brien kicked one for the Sharks at the 27-minute mark but when the quarter-time siren went the Falcons had certainly used the first quarter breeze to advantage and they led by 32; 6.2 (38) to 1.0 (6).

East Fremantle had the advantage of the strong breeze in the second quarter but the Falcons' attack on the football saw them outscore the Sharks still with two goals to one. Steve Potente showed his value to the team kicking the first two goals of the term. The first was a kick from 30 after a Jay van Berlo pass and the next was a snap from the square. This took the lead out to 44 points after seven minutes but East Fremantle kicked the only other goal for the quarter courtesy of Andrew Stephen. After both teams had had use of the breeze West Perth still led by thirty two; 8.5 (53) to 2.3 (15). Their work into the breeze was impressive.

The third quarter belonged to the Falcons as they scored 4.7 to nothing. Luke Meadows announced his return to the league side with a goal on the run from 50. Andrew Strijk then received a free and 50m penalty and kicked a monster goal from inside the centre square. The West Perth pressure continued but the next four shots went behind before a precise tap by Marcus Adams to the advantage of Laine Rasmussen saw him goal on the run from 50. The Falcons domination continued when Kris Shannon and Ray Bartholomew combined to get the ball into the hands of Strijk 30 metres out. Strijk showed his class with a good finish to kick his second for the quarter. At the final change a dominant West Perth led by 69 points; 12.12 (84) to 2.3 (15).

The lead was out to 75 at the 11-minute mark when Potente took advantage of the forward pressure to kick his third. He had 18 possessions to go with his three goals. Shortly after Manzone weighed in with his second to take the lead to 80 points. The work into the wind continued to be impressive. Jamie McNamara scored the Sharks third before a bullet like pass by Strijk to Matt Fowler saw him mark 30 out. His accurate kick took the lead out to 79. The last goal of the game went to East Fremantle forward Brock O'Brien who scored from 50 to make the final margin 73; 15.14 (104) to 4.7 (31).

It capped a very good day for the club who recorded wins in all three grades. The victory leaves West Perth in second spot, on percentage only, so there is still a lot of work to be done. Supporters should be thrilled with the way that this young side is playing as they are extremely competitive, well coached and are still in good position to earn a home final. Best players included Joe Morrow, Andrew Strijk, Laine Rasmussen, Aaron Black, Ray Bartholomew and Trent Manzone. Youngsters such as Tyler Keitel, Blake Wilhelm, Aidan Lynch, Corey Chalmers, Kris Shannon, Luke Meadows and Drew Rohde continue to show that they are very good players in the making and are the future of the West Perth Football Club. Next week is the second last home game against Swan Districts, another finals contender, so be there to help get the teams over the line.

ARTICLE BY DARRELL KENT
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BELINDA TAYLOR