It all comes down to this

It all comes down to this game.  The winner will be in the finals and the season will be over for the team that loses. The importance of the game was highlighted by coach Rob Wiley.  

“It’s like a Grand Final, it’s do or die. Coming off a big loss was really disappointing, sometimes it’s not about winning or losing, it’s about effort and our effort was not acceptable,” Rob said.

East Fremantle must put the disappointing 99-point loss from last weekend behind them and quickly move onto this week’s game against East Perth.

The focus at training this week has been fantastic with the team confident they can turn around from last week and launch into the finals. When asked if there would be any changes to the game Rob was confident in their processes,

“You have to believe in the systems and we know that the systems have stood up against the very best. The wins this year have certainly shown that when they play to the processes then it can work.”

The last time they met, the Sharks had the edge and won by 37-points. Cameron Eardley and James Bristow had been among the best on ground and no doubt they will need to stand up again in this weekend’s game. East Perth come off the back of a 4-point loss to second on the ladder South Fremantle and have been named the favourites to win. Rob was sure the Sharks could win and reiterated that it will be up to their effort,

“The most important thing is about giving effort and that they’re proud of the effort they give, if they can do that sometimes the result will look after itself.”

2016 has been a great season for the Sharks given where the side has come from last year and the development of the players continues to impress. Despite the loss of key senior player, Jamie McNamara, there is confidence in the younger players, such as Josh Cuneo and James Harrold, who have had solid performances this season to step up again this week.

 “It’s always disappointing to lose your captain but unfortunately he will miss the game, we have some really good leaders and whoever comes in to replace him has just got to play his role,” said Rob.

Into the 25 this week comes George Hampson, Fraser Perry, Conor Regan, Dylan Winton as well as experienced players Andrew Stephen, Jack Perham and Mitchell Boyle.

Perham has kicked 14 goals for the Development League in the past two games while Stephen and Boyle’s return to form has earned them a spot in the side.

After missing last week due to injury, Hampson is expected to play a crucial role in the Sharks side throughout the midfield and forward line as well as providing on field leadership.

Conor Regan will play his first league game of 2016 against the Royals, ironically having debuted against the same team last year. Since his return to football after surgery on his ACL, Regan’s form has gradually built, averaging 30 possessions in the last three weeks.

Like the Sharks, East Perth’s form has been somewhat inconsistent of late, however the strong West Coast influence will ensure a strong side, providing a huge challenge for East Fremantle.

Given the expected conditions, it will be a hard game for both sides and if there is one thing for sure, it will be a cut throat battle for 5th place. 

The winner of tomorrow’s match will then face Peel in the first week of finals. 

Just like the League, it all comes down to this week for the Colts. Coincidentally, the winner of this game will also take the 5th spot on the ladder and progress to finals. The past two weeks have been outstanding for the young Sharks, knocking off the top two teams in Perth and Claremont, however this game now becomes the most important of the season.

The boys should take great confidence heading in to this match.  Their pressure and intensity has been high and their ball movement much improved, while the attitude of the boys has been first class.  Coaching staff will again have a tough night at the selection table and will be asking themselves whether or not they need to change a winning line up.  In to the mix however will be Montauban, who has missed the past couple of games with injury, Quill (completed PSA commitments), Blurton and Lewis who are returning through community football, just to name a few.

The weather forecast looks similar to that of last week, which the Sharks played so well in, potentially helping the inform smalls in Holmes, Burton, Parfitt and Harding. The defence has stood tall the past two weeks, conceding just 27 and 34 points over that period and the coaching staff will again be hoping that the “back 7” will be at their miserly best.  The mix of talls and smalls in the forward line has also worked well, looking far more threatening to hopefully kick a score big enough to get the boys over the line and in to the finals.

The Development League lads ticked the first box last weekend, in terms of seeing how they compare to the best sides in the competition, with a strong 10 goal win against the Tigers, who sit second on the ladder.  They come up against the top of the table Royals, who no doubt will be up for the challenge as they try and secure that top spot and the rest in the first week of the finals.  The Royals have had huge wins the past two weeks against fellow top 5 sides in South Fremantle and Subiaco, winning those games by 111 and 79 points respectively.

In recent weeks the Sharks, who have won five of their past six games, have used the ball extremely well and have played terrific team footy.  The defence has been rock solid and although a number of forwards have been in and out due to League selection or injury, they have found ways to score well when the ball’s been inside 50.

This match should prove to be a great contest and will serve as a mouth-watering appetiser leading in to the very important League fixture.

A reminder to all that with the League being televised at the earlier time of 1:40pm the Colts (8:25am) and Development League (10:55am) will also have earlier starts.