BULLDOGS MAKE IT 11 STRAIGHT DERBY WINS

SOUTH Fremantle’s run of dominance in derbies to stretched 11 consecutive wins with the Bulldogs coming away with the hard earned 16-point win in the WA Day Foundation Derby on Monday.

The Bulldogs have dominated recent derbies against the Sharks not having won 10 straight meetings coming into Monday’s game, but they had enjoyed life at Shark Park even more having won 11 in-a-row at the venue.

South Fremantle looked set for another thumping win too after kicking the opening four goals of the game, but East Fremantle was able to fire back and make a real game of it in front of 5914 people at New Choice Homes Park.

The Bulldogs were able to kick away again with the only four goals of the quarter but the Sharks kept fighting and while South Fremantle still won 11.8 (74) to 8.10 (58), it wasn’t the same dominant type of win they have delivered against East Fremantle in recent times.

The win was still South Fremantle’s 11th in-a-row against East Fremantle, 12th consecutive at Shark Park and improves the Bulldogs to a 6-2 record on the season in third place.

South Fremantle’s main duo in attack Mason Shaw and Cody Ninyette stood up once again kicking four goals apiece.

South Fremantle captain Dylan Main continued his run of form since returning from injury too for another 30 possessions, five marks, five inside-50 entries, three tackles and a goal.

Zac Strom dominated a lot of the game from his wing for the Bulldogs with 26 disposals, eight marks, seven inside 50s and four tackles.

Brock Higgins was terrific in the ruck with 18 possessions and 39 hit outs while Chad Pearson finished with 18 disposals, Haiden Schloithe 17, Jacob Dragovich 17, Jarrad Doney 17 (nine tackles), Brandon Donaldson 17 and Blake Schlensog 17.

South Fremantle has dominated recent derbies in emphatic fashion and the way they started again on Monday, that average winning margin of 75 points looked well and truly on the cards again.

Inside the first 17 minutes, Cody Ninyette kicked two goals for the Bulldogs with captain Dylan Main and vice-captain Mason Shaw also chipping in.

In fact, East Fremantle didn’t even go inside their forward 50 until the 14-minute mark of the term and the horror misdirected spoil on the goal line from Jamie Meade leading to a Ninyette goal summed up the game’s opening.

The ominous signs of another demolition derby wouldn’t eventuate, though, and the Sharks were able to steady before quarter-time with goals to Tim Bockman, Hugh Dixon and Jonathon Marsh to only trail the Bulldogs by six points.

Shaw’s second goal to start the second quarter put South Fremantle back out to a 13-point lead but East Fremantle responded soon after through Dixon and the game was really beginning to heat up as a tightly-contest battle.

There was just the one more goal before half-time and that was courtesy of Ninyette who booted his third and helped the Bulldogs to the 11-point edge at the main break.

South Fremantle was again able to kick away and control much of the third quarter with the advantage of the slight breeze at Shark Park.

Jacob Dragovich opened the half with a good set shot goal before Shaw kicked his third and fourth. Jarrod Salmeri kicked the first goal of his career in his second game even if it appeared a bit lucky to count with the likelihood he kicked it after the siren.

Still, South Fremantle led by 36 points at three quarter-time and they were still 31 points up with Ninyette’s fourth at the eight-minute mark of the last quarter.

East Fremantle kept on fighting, though, and kicked the last three goals of the game with two of those to Bockman and another to Ryan Lester-Smith to cut South Fremantle’s final winning margin to 16 points.

Derby day started with the colts contest and that turned into a win for East Fremantle 12.8 (80) to 6.8 (44).

Julian Hulten and Kobe Foster kicked two goals each for East Fremantle with Caleb Stephens picking up 22 possessions, Caden Turnbull 19, Toby Dodds 18, Aaron Drage 16, Harvey Muller 14 and Angus Fraser 14 to go with 10 tackles.

Then in the Reserves contest, East Fremantle also defeated South Fremantle 8.12 (60) to 2.4 (16).

South Fremantle’s goals came from Nathan Spooner and Fletcher Metcalf while Matthew Ward had 21 possessions, Trent Newton 20, Regan Spooner 19, Seaton Thompson 17, Glenn Byron 16, Aiden Hall 16, Jaxon Bellchambers 15 and Hamish Free 15 to go with 29 hit outs.

OPTUS WAFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON – ROUND 9

SOUTH FREMANTLE        4.2    6.5    10.7    11.8 (74)
EAST FREMANTLE        3.2    4.6    4.7    8.10 (58)

SOUTH FREMANTLE: Goals – Ninyette, Shaw 4; Dragovich, Main, Salmeri.
Best – Strom, Higgins, Main, Ninyette, Pearson, Doney, Shaw, Schloithe.
EAST FREMANTLE: Goals – Bockman, Dixon 3; Marsh, Lester-Smith.
Best – Eardley, Jansen, Dixon, Jupp, Baskerville, Bockman, Tassone.