Sharks relentless in Subi thrashing

The East Fremantle Sharks have blown the Maccas WAFL competition wide open with an 80-point defeat of the previously unbeaten Subiaco Lions yesterday afternoon at Medibank Stadium.

After Subiaco defeated South Fremantle last weekend in their top of the table clash, talk in media circles considered the possibility of the back-to-back premiers going unbeaten for the season.

The Lions were on an 11-game winning streak stretching back to early August last year -- their last loss coming from their Round 20 one-point thriller against Swan Districts.

The task for the Sharks got even harder with captain Jamie McNamara withdrawn from the lineup through injury, but luck was on the side of acting captain Liam Anthony when he won the toss and chose to kick with a stiff breeze for a seven goal to two opening term.

Kicking with or without the wind, the Sharks dominated all aspects of the game. The Anthony brothers were particularly ruthless with Liam and Dion racking up 14 tackles between and amassing 35 and 26 possessions respectively.

Ryan Lester-Smith (28 touches) and George Hampson (26) also saw plenty of the ball, setting the table for 12 different goal-kickers. Brett Peake (3), Josh Simpson (3), Jesse Crichton (2) and George Hampson (2) were the Sharks’ multiple scorers.

Not only were the Sharks prolific up front, they were miserly down back -- limiting the Lions to just two scoring shots in the second half.

It was hard task for Rob Wiley to be brief when asked about what pleased him from a terrific team effort, and he paid credit to the entire group post-game.

“When you’ve got 22 contributors then that’s a really good reason why you play well, and that’s what we had we had all of our guys playing great roles,” said Wiley.

“Jesse Crichton did a fantastic job on one of their main ball winners in [Leigh] Kitchin, and Jimmy Bristow on their two ruckmen won a lot of the football.

“Our backman were using the ball with composure coming out of the backline set us up. Ryan Lester-Smith was just outstanding and as well as Brock O’Brien in that area. Sam Reid who kept [Ben] Sokold to no goals after he kicked seven last week -- so we just had contributors all over the field and that really helps. They understood the gameplan and they put it to good use.”

The emphatic nature of the win may see some add the Sharks to their list of contenders in 2016, but Wiley had a crucial message for his side, stressing that this was just one win in their a twenty game regular season.

“It’s just great for this group because they’ve worked really hard and to be able to come up against the reigning premiers and the benchmark of the competition and play four quarters of footy,” said Wiley.

“You know that was a really encouraging sign for the club and for this group of players – you’ve got to build confidence and momentum, and being able to beat the league leaders certainly is a step in the right direction.”

“But every game is different, we again have to review and see where we can get better and get prepared for a tough game against Perth.

It was no doubt an off day Subiaco, who will look to bounce back against Claremont in Round 9 while the Shaks host Perth at ATOM Stadium next Saturday at 2:15p

GAME SUMMARY

FIRST QUARTER. Subiaco: 2.1.13, East Fremantle 7.4.46

Goals to Simpson (2), Hampson, Eardley and Watson stunned the Lions as the Sharks’ opened up a 32-0 advantage with just over 10 minutes on the clock. A Subiaco response was inevitable as the Lions picked up two crucial goals in the space of three minutes behind Simon Moore and Liam Ryan.

With a stiff breeze hampering the Lions' efforts, Subiaco might have been content with their 21 point deficit at the 28 minute mark -- but the Sharks weren’t done as Peake goaled and then quickly set up Perham for another to return the margin to a daunting 33 points at the opening break.

SECOND QUARTER. Subiaco: 4.4.28, East Fremantle 10.6.66

With the wind to the Lions’ backs, the question at quarter time was around how much they could claw back in the second quarter.

The Lions stuck to the script with the first goal at the four minute mark, but the Sharks continued to have their chances at the other end. When the Sharks were able to lock the ball inside their offensive fifty after a kick-in, Peake crumbed and goaled to square the ledger for the term.

A Wayde Twomey goal after from a set-shot steadied Subiaco at the 18 minutes and into time-on the Lions were again on the offensive – but an expert reading of the play from Josh Simpson created a turnover that would put East Fremantle well and truly in the driver’s seat.

Simpson seemed to come from nowhere to intercept a handball, setting Jayden Schofield free in the middle of the ground with an empty paddock between himself and the goal. As Hampson saw off the chasing Nick Hay, Schofield sprinted almost a hundred meters to dribble through his lone major for the day.

Minutes later Matthew Watson set up a Hampson mark at the top of the goal square, and it was a buoyant East Fremantle at the main break having increased their lead by five points against the wind.

THIRD QUARTER. Subiaco: 5.4.34, East Fremantle 14.9.93

After dominating the hit outs 37-21 in the first half, it was a Jimmy Bristow contested mark and 50 metre penalty on the right forward flank that set up the first goal of the quarter.

At the 10 minute mark Ryan Lester-Smith gathered and slotted a goal from the left forward pocket to stretch the Sharks’ advantage to 52.

Crichton soon goaled from a free kick and Simpson added his third after Hampson set him up at the top of the goal square. Adam Cockie would give Subiaco their only score for the term through a set shot, but the margin was a seemingly unassailable 59 at three quarter time.

FOURTH QUARTER. Subiaco: 6.4.40, East Fremantle 18.12.120

In terms of scoring, the fourth quarter was an exact replica of the third, with the Lions only managing one scoring shot through a Greg Broughton goal while the Sharks again added four goals and three behinds.

Crichton, Tim Bristow and Brandon Ellis all goaled from close range and George Hampson put the icing on the cake through a mark that set up a running Brett Peake whose goal set the margin at 80 points.