Bulldogs go down fighting against Lions

SOUTH Fremantle’s league and reserves teams put their undefeated starts to the season on the line at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Saturday and both came up short against Subiaco.

South Fremantle’s reserves saw its 14-game winning streak come to an end courtesy of the Lions to start the day at Fremantle Community Bank Oval in a tight affair.

The Bulldogs’ league side then did battle in the meeting of the two undefeated sides and despite South Fremantle closing to within two points early in the last quarter after earlier trailing by 37 points, the Lions ended up prevailing 15.16 (106) to 10.15 (75).

The day finished on a positive note, though, with South Fremantle’s colts joining the league and reserves teams on a 5-1 record after seven rounds with a strong victory.

South Fremantle was looking to challenge a Subiaco team coming off winning the last two WAFL premierships and that was on a 10-game winning streak. Despite coming up short in the finish there was plenty of positive signs for the Bulldogs.

Without question the standout performer of the afternoon was Shane Hockey. The tough-as-nails midfielder dominated at stoppages and his clearance work was what helped inspired the Bulldogs back into the game in the third quarter. He finished with 24 possessions, six marks, six tackles and five inside-50 entries.

Ashton Hams was particularly effective after half-time when he moved to half-back and finished the afternoon with 26 possessions while Marlion Pickett moved forward in the second half and was lively ending up with 18 touches, 10 tackles and a goal.

Jacob Dragovich kicked three goals in his first league game of the season and Blaine Johnson added two but Ben Saunders, Mason Shaw and Steven Edwards were kept goalless by Aaron Heal, Declan Jackson and Joel Latham respectively.

Matthew Gundry continued his career-best form in defence for the Bulldogs finishing with 17 possessions while Adam McIntosh competed hard and had 18 disposals while Steven Verrier compiled 19 touches in the midfield to go with six marks and six tackles.

Josh Branchi had two versatile Subiaco big men to try and combat, and while both Lachlan Delahunty and Clancy Wheeler were god for the Lions, Branchi did all he could finishing with 12 touches, 33 hit outs and a skilful final quarter goal when he dribbled it through from the boundary.

South Fremantle’s back-line was under siege for the first time this season with former Bulldog Ben Sokol kicking seven goals and Hamish Shepheard three, but there wasn’t always a lot the defenders could do with the pressure up the field not the level it has been the first five games.

South Fremantle has been a fast starting team all season to date with the Bulldogs opening up handy leads that helped set up the opening five victories, but that wasn’t the case against the Lions on Saturday.

Instead it was Subiaco who came out of the blocks quickly with the first three goals of the game with the first to Shepheard after a minute and then the next two to Sokol.

South Fremantle got just on the board before quarter-time with a goal to Dragovich in his first game of the season.

The Bulldogs did get an early second quarter goal from Haiden Schloithe who took a strong contested mark against his direct opponent Greg Clark and then converted. But either side of that Sokol booted his third and fourth goals of the game.

The Bulldogs threatened to get back in the contest in the second term but missed some gettable opportunities and the Lions were making them pay for costly turnovers over the ground.

By the time Sokol kicked his fifth goal at the 23-minute mark, Subiaco led by 32 points and the margin was 36 by half-time despite late Bulldogs goals to Dragovich and Hams who swooped on a loose ball and snapped truly in an attempt to lift his side.

Subiaco looked poised to run away with the contest at half-time but South Fremantle regrouped at the break, and made a few positional changes which helped but it was more the attitude adjustment that turned things around.

Hams was being well held by Brett Mahoney in the midfield and him going to half-back was a move that worked as did pushing Pickett forward.

It took 14 minutes for it to pay off with a goal but eventually it did when Johnson kicked truly. Zac Strom then nailed a set shot and Johnson booted his second with the Bulldogs kicking three goals in five minutes to close the gap to 16 points.

It was then just 10 points before three quarter-time when Dragovich marked his strong return to the league side with a third goal and the Bulldogs had all the momentum after holding the Lions goalless for the term.

Pickett then gave South Fremantle the perfect start to the final quarter kicking truly from a set shot to close the gap to two points.

But that would be as close as the Bulldogs got with Subiaco kicking the games next four goals in just over 10 minutes to put it out of reach. Sokol booted his sixth and seventh goals of the match, and by the time Shepheard nailed his third on the final siren the Lions won by 31 points.

South Fremantle’s reserves put its undefeated streak on the line to start the day at Fremantle Community Bank Oval and it was perhaps a bad omen for what was to come, with Subiaco taking out a 15.7 (97) to 12.16 (88) victory.

It was South Fremantle’s reserves first defeat since Round 14 last year. The Bulldogs won nine straight matches on the way to the 2016 reserves premiership and then stretched the winning run to 14 before Saturday’s loss to Subiaco.

Brandon Donaldson and Tyson Pickett kicked three goals apiece for the Bulldogs and Jordan Matera two.

Brock Higgins showed he’s ready for his first league game of the season finishing with 21 possessions and 38 hit outs while Tim Stewart racked up 31 disposals, Jake Florenca 27, Matthew Ah Siu 18, James Laurino 18 and Jacob Martinez 17.

The colts then took to Fremantle Community Bank Oval following the league game on Saturday night with South Fremantle beating Subiaco 15.13 (103) to 6.13 (49).

Jarren Colpitts kicked five goals from 16 possessions for South Fremantle with Jimmy Miller and Alex Robinson also kicking three goals apiece.

Antionne Forrest-Yarran added 21 possessions and two goals while Dylan Brown compiled 29 disposals, Daniel Burke 27, Kyle Russell 21 and Tim English 18 to go with eight marks and 24 hit outs in the ruck.

SOUTH FREMANTLE        1.4    4.7    8.12    10.15    (75)
SUBIACO            3.4    10.7    10.10    15.16    (106)

SOUTH FREMANTLE – Goals: Dragovich 3; Johnson 2; Schloithe, Branchi, Strom, Pickett, Hams.
Best: Hockey, Gundry, McIntosh, Hams, Dragovich, S Verrier, Pickett.
SUBIACO – Goals: Sokol 7; Shepheard 3; Waters, Twomey, Phelan, Wheeler, McKenzie.
Best: Sokol, Kitchin, Delahunty, Latham, Heal, Wheeler, Jackson, Kennedy.