WAFL R21 Wrap Up with Jacob Landsmeer - Thanks to The Left Bank

Sharks qualify for finals with win in the wet over Eagles

East Fremantle has qualified for it’s third straight WAFL finals appearance, booking an elimination final berth with a 60-point win over West Coast at Lathlain Park on Saturday.

Needing a win to make certain of their spot in September the Sharks lead at every change, overcoming slippery conditions to defeat an undermanned Eagles side 12.17 (89) to 4.5 (29).

The result gives East Fremantle the opportunity to defend their 2023 premiership, qualifying in fourth position with an elimination final date awaiting them with Claremont next Sunday.

The Sharks needed to avoid a repeat of their round three result at the same venue against the Eagles if they were to play finals, West Coast having ended their losing drought with a stunning three-point win over the reigning premiers.

Key defender Lennon Marlin was ruled out of the match with a back injury, while Zach Rankin made way for Michael Tassone in effectively a straight swap, Ben McGuire also coming back in to the 22 to add some speed to the forward half for Bill Monaghan’s side.

Difficult conditions greeted the players with wind and rain around for the 1PM clash, East Fremantle starting well when Cameron Eardley plucked an impressive mark at half forward four minutes in, playing on and finding Dillon O’Reilly in the goal square for his side’s first major.

The Eagles responded quickly with goals to Coby Burgiel and Archer Reid, the latter from a strong contested mark after a dynamic clearance from Zane Trew.

O’Reilly responded with his second courtesy of a snap from the top of the square, and the Sharks were steadying any final round nerves when Cody Leggett hauled in a strong mark inside 50 and goaled at the 25-minute mark of the opening term.

Lachlan Blakiston had a terrific battle with Matt Flynn in the ruck, Sharks midfielders Milan Murdock, Tom Joyce and Harry Marsh all finding plenty of the ball as they began to work their way on top in the contest.

Eardley was marking everything up forward, able to produce a trademark leap and mark at half forward from a penetrating Jack Cleaver pass before playing on and slotting a magnificent goal to open the scoring in the second term.

Squally conditions made goal kicking and skills difficult for both teams, but East Fremantle’s skill and grunt was proving too much for an Eagles side that was playing for little more than pride.

Ben McGuire popped up to slot a major before Eardley again presented strongly to mark and goal, giving the Sharks a four-goal advantage at half time.

Any chances of a comeback were snuffed out in the opening minutes of the second half, Tom Bennett setting up O’Reilly for his third major, Leggett producing some trademark bullocking to mark and goal for a second time before Bennett kicked one himself, throwing a boot at the ball in the goal square to nab the Sharks ninth goal of the afternoon.

That would be the final goal for almost half an hour of football as rain arrived to make conditions tough for the beleaguered Eagles, the Sharks happy to scrap with the game safe in their keeping.

The teams combined for a remarkable eight straight behinds between them before Darby McCarthy kicked the Eagles fourth and final goal of the afternoon early in the final term, only window dressing as the Sharks tuned up for finals.

The skies cleared for the final 15 minutes to allow East Fremantle to pile on some late majors, Leggett’s impressive afternoon continuing as he charged out to a bouncing kick from Alex Montauban, taking the ball cleanly and feeding McGuire for his second major.

Eardley’s late season form as a forward continued with a brace of late goals, the first a 60-metre skidding ball that bounced through and a career equalling fourth goal coming form another strong mark inside 50.

Eardley finished with 4.3 from 16 disposals and 9 marks, while O’Reilly (3.1 from 17 disposals) and Leggett (2.2) also had impressive games forward of centre.

O’Reilly’s performance marked his 50th game of WAFL football with a strong showing, 45 of those in blue and white after a brief stint with Fremantle and subsequently Peel Thunder in 2019 and 2020.

Blakiston’s breakout season continued in the ruck with 22 disposals and 27 hitouts, his impressive link work around the ground a feature.

Milan Murdock (30 disposals) continued his push for a Sandover Medal with another strong midfield performance, while Marsh (25 disposals) and Kyle Baskerville (24) also had strong games.

Tom Joyce revelled in the conditions with 24 touches and 10 tackles, building nicely back from a chest injury on the cusp of finals.

Sharks coach Bill Monaghan praised the efforts of his players to qualify for a third successive finals series.

“The playing group has been great throughout the last couple of years. This year has probably been more challenging than the past two seasons,” he told 91.3 Sport FM on Monday.

“At least in the last two seasons we’ve been able to play the majority of our home games at the WACA, this year has been a little bit different.”

“We’ve continued our travels for both training and games, and the players attitude and effort to overcome a four-point penalty at the start of the year and make finals is a real credit to them.”

Despite missing the double chance and a top three finish due to the four-point premiership penalty the Sharks recorded the best percentage of any side in the competition, showcasing their outstanding talents in both attack and defence.

The league side now sets itself for an elimination final clash with Claremont at Revo Fitness Stadium on Sunday, the winner to progress to a first semi-final.

The Reserves will also feature on Sunday in the qualifying final against Subiaco, playing for the right to meet Claremont in a second semi-final in week two of the finals.

The Reserves feature first from 11:25 AM, before the League side clashes with Claremont from 2:10 PM to keep their hope of back-to-back premierships alive.