A Day of Mixed Fortunes for Sharks at Home

A convincing Colt’s win, a spirited effort by the Development League and a heartbreaking loss for the League is how it panned out for East Fremantle at ATOM Stadium against Swan Districts on Sunday.

The Colts got the day off to the best possible start, taking on the ladder leading Swans Colts team and recording a comfortable 35 point win. 

The first half was almost a case of deja vu from the previous Swans encounter, with the Sharks controlling play, but not making the most of it on the scoreboard.  At quarter time our boys had missed some opportunities in front of the big sticks, kicking 4.4 to 2.0

The second quarter was much of the same as the first  with the Sharks winning the clearances, getting first hands on the ball, but not capitalising on the scoreboard, kicking 5 behinds, whilst the Swans were able to go forward on 7 occasions, but kicked 4 goals straight and all of a sudden leading by 3 points at the main break.

After half time East Fremantle were far more efficient and the team defence was outstanding, holding the Swans to one point in the third.  Hebiton, Meade and Senna Grljusich were controlling the back line,  rebounding Swan’s entries at will.  The mids were being fed by Fowler and Strnadica in the ruck, where Adamini (12  clearances) was having a major impact on the game.  Strnadica was also causing headaches as a forward, kicking multiple goals, with Parish dangerous at his feet when the ball hit the ground.

The final quarter saw our boys really put distance on the scoreboard, kicking 5.2 to 2.0 to record a very good win, one that sees them sitting in second position on the ladder.

East Fremantle                  12.12 = 84            def                         Swan Districts                    8.1 = 49

The Development League boys, still decimated with injuries, were always going to be up against it, playing a Swans team determined to hold their spot in the top five. 

The Sharks started well, showing a real appetite for the contest, tackling hard and applying plenty of pressure across the ground and at quarter time we led 2.0 to 4 points.

Early in the second the Swans team took advantage of some ill-discipline and a drop off in defence and at one stage looked like breaking the game wide open, but with Brandon Ellis up forward making the most of his opportunities from a midfield led by Jake Schleicher, the Sharks fought back to trail by only 10 points at the main break.

As often happens when a number of players come in to a team that has been hit by injuries there is that chance of fatigue and that’s exactly what happened on Sunday.  With a fitter Swans taking full advantage, the Sharks boys just couldn’t go with their opposition and the back half of the third quarter and the final term (EF 1.3 – SD 5.3) saw Swan DistrIcts pull right away and record a very comfortable 48 point win. 

The score certainly wasn’t a true reflection of the effort and determination shown by the Sharks boys and with the imminent return of players in the coming weeks we hope to see more consistent 4 quarters from the Development League team.

East Fremantle                  8.6 = 54                def. by                  Swan Districts                    15.12 = 102

The League game was always going to be an interesting affair to see how the players reacted and got themselves prepared after the resignation of Coach Steve Malaxos.  Brad Dodd took over the side on the Monday afternoon and had prepared well, given there were still some injury concerns over a few players.

Dodd and the selection committee put faith in three young men to make their debut, in ruckman Jack Fletcher, Colts’ Captain Fraser Perry and defender Miles Franklin.

The Sharks controlled much of the play in the first quarter but were unable to impact the scoreboard and at the first break Swans had been more efficient and led by 9 points.  The highlight of the quarter was a courageous mark and goal by Perry with his first touch in senior footy.

Like the Colts, the second quarter was almost a mirror of the first with the Sharks fighting hard to reduce the margin and at one point take the lead, but some lapses and skill execution allowed Swans to score some easy goals and they opened up the margin again to lead by 14 points at the main break.

With Anthony and McNamara winning plenty of ball in the middle and with Chartres and Schofield playing well in defence, Dodd moved Brock O’Brien (had been very good in the first half) forward and he had  an immediate impact with his attack on the ball and aggression in the forward line.  Young was hitting the scoreboard (3 goals) and Fletcher’s impact in the ruck saw Swans make a change there too.  The East Fremantle team defence begun to kick in and by the end of the third quarter the game was up for grabs with less than 2 goals separating the teams.

The Sharks came out hard in the final quarter with B. O’Brien kicking the first of the quarter and when Fraser Perry had kicked the second of his 4^th quarter goals our boys had hit the front.  Unfortunately a missed opportunity and then a strong Jukes mark and goal, his 4^th of the game, the Swans were able to hang on for the last 6 minutes to record a thrilling 5 point win.

Many will look at the loss and 8^th position on the ladder, but in what would be one of the most exciting years in WAFL history only 1 game separates 2^nd and 8^th so there is still plenty to play for in season 2015.

East Fremantle                  11.8 = 74                           def. by                  Swan Districts                    12.7 = 79