TWO teams desperate for their second victory of the year squared off at Steel Blue Oval on Saturday. Swan Districts and West Perth went into the game with a 1-4 record and a win was essential in order to stay in contact with the top five.

West Perth had the better of the contest for large periods of the day and this resulted in a 23-point victory. It was a win built on persistence and hard work and gives the team something to build on as the season progresses.

The Falcons made all of the early running but were only able to kick four behinds. The first major, against the run of play, went to Swans at the 13-minute mark. They followed up with another five minutes later and going into time on led by nine. Debutant, Dean Munns, was involved in the first goal for the Falcons when he helped get the ball to Michael Lourey who finished from 40 metres out.

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A BIG performance from Tyler Keitel in the ruck, the early return of Shane Nelson and the continued outstanding form of Aaron Black were only some of the factors behind West Perth returning to the winner's list against Swan Districts on Saturday.

Both Swans and the Falcons entered the annual Anzac Day Round clash struggling to start the season with 1-4 records, but it was West Perth who came away with its second win of 2016 ending up winning 13.14 (92) to 10.9 (69).

Following a tight first half, West Perth held Swan Districts goalless in the third quarter and kicked three majors themselves to set up the eventual 23-point victory.

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WEST Perth takes on Swan Districts in the now annual Anzac Round clash on Saturday with the Falcons determined to end a three-game losing streak and to begin to get its 2016 season back on track.

Swan Districts and West Perth will do battle for a fourth successive year in the Anzac Day round this Saturday with both clubs desperate to record their second wins of the 2016 season.

Swans and the Falcons have now made it an annual tradition to do battle either on Anzac Day, or the Anzac Round, and usually that has been with both teams battling for spots closer to the top of the ladder.

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I'D just gotten off the plane fresh from a trip to America were I was lucky enough to meet the likes of NBA MVP’s Kevin Durant, Shaquille O’Neal and Steph Curry on a basketball tour around the States.

This was a trip of a lifetime and I was full of enthusiasm for the upcoming WAFL season, the only thing was I didn't have a team to play for after being let go by Fremantle the year before and therefore leaving the Peel Thunder Football Club.

It was at this stage I was approached by the West Perth Football Club, I was extremely impressed by the chat I had with Ward and Bill and was rapt to be able to join the Falcons for the upcoming two seasons.

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WEST Perth premiership coach Bill Monaghan discusses Saturday's loss to East Perth and looks ahead to this Saturday's annual Anzac clash with Swan Districts which will take place at Steel Blue Oval.

QUESTION: You fought really hard in the first half and were right in the contest at half-time. Can you put your finger on what went wrong in the second half?
ANSWER: I can tell you the difference between the two halves, but what I probably can't tell you is why that's the case. In the first half we had 210 possessions and we've been averaging about 300 for games. We took 50 or 60 uncontested marks so we were able to control the tempo of the game, and our pressure skills were reasonably good even though they are still a way off where we want them to be. But we weren’t getting opened up as much on turnovers because we were controlling the field position a little better. But after half-time that all went out the window. Their possession count in the third quarter was 120 to 75 so it went back to where we just couldn’t control the tempo of the game or field position.

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WEST Perth has won 15 of its 19 WAFL premierships in odd years and you could surmise that years which end with an even number don’t tend to bring a lot of joy to Falcons supporters.

This certainly appears to be the case this year as a disappointing season continued at Medibank Stadium on Saturday when West Perth was defeated by East Perth. The 60-point loss leaves the Falcons in a precarious position having won only one of its first five games. The injury toll is certainly having an impact and there is no immediate end in sight.

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IT was a youthful and undermanned West Perth taking on East Perth in the opening derby of 2016 on Saturday at Medibank Stadium, and the Falcons put in a strong showing particularly in the second quarter but couldn't continue that after half-time.

West Perth was able to put together a strong second quarter with goals to Keegan Knott, Max Alexander, Joel Leeson and Aaron Black to lead by five points before conceding a goal to East Perth just before the half-time siren.

The Falcons were still right in the contest at the main break trailing by just a point but the Royals then kicked the opening nine goals of the second half to set up the eventual 14.16 (100) to 6.4 (40) win.

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WEST Perth might be missing up to two handfuls of first choice players for Saturday's first derby of 2016 against East Perth at Medibank Stadium, but that won't stop the Falcons throwing everything at getting a crucial four points.

East Perth and West Perth have met in some bigger games on more important stages in recent years, but Saturday's first derby at Medibank Stadium will be crucial for where both end up in 2016.

The Royals and Falcons both enter the clash with 1-3 records so trying to come back from 1-4 will be difficult. However, improving to 2-3 will likely put the winner in the top-five by the end of the round and keep them in a good position to make a strong run in 2016.

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MISSING your No. 1 ruckman, most prolific ball winner, toughest enforcer and two important defenders would be tough for any team to cover and that's the case with West Perth right now, but coach Bill Monaghan isn’t looking for excuses after a 1-3 start. 

West Perth's season hasn’t started how it hoped with losses to the unbeaten South Fremantle and Subiaco, and the 2-1 East Fremantle in between a 44-point win over Perth at HBF Arena.

Dual Breckler Medal winning midfielder Shane Nelson hasn’t played yet this year to a fractured wrist and premiership defender Laine Rasmussen hasn’t made a league appearance while Kody Manning and Chris Keunen have not played since Round 2 and Joe Morrow was also out on Saturday.

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WEST Perth premiership coach Bill Monaghan discusses Saturday's loss to East Fremantle, what went wrong and what needs to improve quickly while providing an injury update and looking at Saturday's first derby of 2016 against East Perth at Medibank Stadium.

QUESTION: It was obviously a horror start, but were you even more disappointed in the last quarter after fighting so hard to get back into the game in the second and third terms?
ANSWER: I guess in the last quarter that was because we had expended so much energy getting back in the game. We conceded a really late one in the third quarter which we shouldn’t have done, it was an errant kick into the middle followed by a senior player flying for the ball, trying to mark it and letting it get out the back. So they kicked a goal with 30 seconds to go and we were three down at that stage, and had outscored them seven goals to three in the two quarters up to then. We go to three quarter-time four goals down and win the first clearance, get an uncontested mark 15 metres out and we miss it. Everyone misses goals, so you don’t lay the blame solely on the person who missed, but at the one-minute mark of the last quarter we should have been two, or three at the worst, goals down and it's game on. Then with the ease they got their next goal took the wind out of our sails on the back of those other two things. Is that acceptable? No. Are we looking for excuses? No. but sometimes circumstances lead to sides working their butts off to get in the game and frustration or lack of reward mean things can turn ugly. They then got up and about, and saw it as a nail in the coffin and went for the jugular, and ran away with it. I was extremely disappointed with our finish to the game but I was more disappointed with the start. If there's a positive in it, and not that there is great positives, for the second and third quarters for the players to be able to turn that around and to at least fight it out and wrestle momentum back our way was at least a positive. But we've got a lot of work to do.

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