BULLDOGS MAKE IT 12 STRAIGHT DERBY WINS

SOUTH Fremantle has gone a game clear in second spot making it 12 consecutive derby wins over cross-town rivals East Fremantle winning by 61 points on Saturday afternoon at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

As third placed Claremont lost to ladder leaders Subiaco also on Saturday afternoon as part of Round 18 WAFL action, the Bulldogs’ win now sees the reigning premiers go a game and percentage clear in second spot as they stay in touch of the Lions on top.

It was another dominant derby win for South Fremantle with the Bulldogs getting better the longer the game went.

East Fremantle did well to remain within 13 points at half-time with their season on the line, but South Fremantle dominated the second half with 11 goals to three to end up commanding 19.9 (123) to 9.8 (62) winners.

The Sharks still haven’t won a derby since the 2016 WA Day Foundation Derby with only Matthew Jupp and Ryan Lester-Smith the current players who were there on that day.

Not only is it a 12th consecutive loss to their arch-rivals, but the loss also ends any hope East Fremantle had of playing finals in 2021. With just three games remaining in the season, East Fremantle is four games behind the fifth placed Swan Districts.

There was a lot to like about the South Fremantle performance once more as they continue to build momentum heading towards finals with premiership stars Brock Higgins, Zac Dent, Ben Rioli and captain Dylan Main still to return.

Unheralded midfielders Tom Blechynden (25 disposals, nine tackles) and George Wessels (24 disposals, five inside 50s) found plenty of football for the Bulldogs.

The forward-line was tough to stop once more too with Brandon Donaldson dominating with five goals as Mason Shaw and Cody Ninyette were damaging finishing with four and three goals respectively.

Kyle Baskerville (23 disposals, five tackles) and Luke English (21 disposals, 12 tackles) led the ball winners for the Sharks while Corey Holmes was their only multiple goal kicker finishing with two goals.

South Fremantle were dominant early, managing to hold the ball in their front half with key forward Jimmy Miller making his presence felt early taking strong marks around the ground.

Whilst the Bulldogs had strong field position over the Sharks, they were unable to capitalise in front of goal due both to East Fremantle’s defence holding up well and wasted opportunities, which resulted in just a nine-point quarter time lead.

In the second term the reigning premiers showed why they’ve had the wood over the Sharks in recent years, putting four consecutive goals on the board that was the result of elite ball movement and making the Sharks pay on turnovers.

Again, it was a credit to East Fremantle’s defence that more damage wasn’t done.

However, two late goals to Sharks forward Corey Holmes kept East Fremantle’s hopes alive cutting the half time margin back to 13 points.

But Todd Curley’s men took complete control in the third quarter, kick-started by a brilliant opening goal from Cody Ninyette, side-stepping multiple opponents to finish a classy snap from 35m out.

The Bulldogs kicked six goals to two, flexing their muscles over the Sharks whose glimmer of hope for finals was all but gone as they trailed by 36 points at three quarter-time.

The final term saw the flood gates open for South Fremantle, kicking another six goals to East Fremantle’s one to see the final score at 19.9 (123) to 9.8 (62).

SECOND HALF BLITZ DROWNS SHARKS
The effort was certainly there in the first half for East Fremantle and there were signs of an upset brewing as they managed to hold the margin to a manageable 13 points at half-time. Jonathon Marsh was threatening to break the game open with two goals and a couple of big marks early, but it wasn’t to be. The Bulldogs kicked eleven goals to three in the second half as they continue to dominate their cross rivals now for five years and 12 games straight.

BRANDON’S BIG DAY OUT
In a best on ground performance, Brandon Donaldson dominated the game for four quarters to finish the match with a game high five goals. The left-footer’s class was on show as he not only hit the scoreboard but managed to find plenty of footy around the ground to finish with 19 disposals, six marks and three tackles. It was Donaldson’s best performance of the season thus far and he’d be hoping he can continue this form heading into finals as he tries to win a second premiership.

OPTUS WAFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON – ROUND 18

SOUTH FREMANTLE        4.4    8.6    14.7    19.9 (123)
EAST FREMANTLE        3.1    6.5    8.7    9.8 (62)

SOUTH FREMANTLE: Goals – Donaldson 5; Shaw 4; Ninyette 3; Schloithe, Hall 2; Dragovich, Miller, Schlensog.
Best – Donaldson, Blechynden, Wessels, Z Strom, Shaw, Suban, Ninyette, Kelly.
EAST FREMANTLE: Goals – Marsh, Holmes 2; Bennett, Jansen, Bockman, O’Reilly, Tassone.
Best – English, Eardley, Baskerville, Jupp, Lester-Smith.

CREDIT Sunday, August 8, 2021 – 10:49 AM – by Alex Ventouras WAFL website