Hams, Schloithe, Saunders, Cook lead WAFL to win over NEAFL

SOUTH Fremantle had four players representing the WAFL against the NEAFL in Sydney on Saturday and each of them were among Western Australia’s very best in the 85-point victory at Blacktown International Sportspark.

Ashton Hams, Haiden Schloithe and Ben Saunders all represented the WAFL for the first time in Saturday’s thumping win while Ryan Cook played his third State game in four years since moving to WA.

The four of them could very well have been the WAFL’s four best players in the match as well in outstanding performances in the black and gold jumper.

Hams controlled the game across half-back all day long for WA and was allowed to virtually do as he pleased, and he tore the NEAFL apart racking up plenty of the ball and using it well on his left boot.

His reward was the Simpson Medal and it’s the second of his career after also receiving one following the Bulldogs’ 2009 premiership victory.

South Fremantle skipper Ryan Cook was his teammate Hams’ main rival for the Simpson Medal after his outstanding performance on the wing and across half-forward. He racked up plenty of the ball and also kicked two goals.

Schloithe also kicked two goals while also winning plenty of the ball both as a midfielder and across half-forward as he continued his breakout WAFL season that could very well see him back in the AFL system in 2014 having already spent time with the Fremantle Dockers.

Then there was full-forward Saunders who earned his place in the team having kicked 15 goals in his last four matches this season with the Bulldogs.

Overall, he has kicked 115 goals in just 36 matches with South Fremantle since moving to the port from Claremont and he won the Bernie Naylor Medal in 2012 as the league’s leading goalkicker.

He again showed that he is the best pure full-forward in the WAFL with a five-goal performance in the State game victory on Saturday.

The game was the first time that the WAFL has played a representative team from the North East Australian Football League featuring players from clubs based in New South Wales, the ACT, Queensland and the Northern Territory.

The NEAFL hosted the match at Blacktown in Sydney on Saturday and they managed to boot the first two goals of the game inside the first four minutes, but the WAFL team dominated the contest from that point on.

The WAFL kicked 19 of the 23 goals kicked for the rest of the game to end up comprehensive winners, 19.18 (132) to 6.11 (47).

Experienced midfielders Brendan Lee and Luke Blackwell both led the way in the middle for WA with good support from ruckman Chris Keunen as well as young on-ballers Shane Nelson and Schloithe.

Schloithe also booted two goals while winning plenty of the ball with George Hampson, Nick Rodda and Blaine Boekhorst all kicked two goals as well.

Hampson could have easily kicked five if he had his kicking boots on and that’s exactly what Saunders did, taking his chances to end up five majors.

Tony Notte was a good target up forward who helped Keunen in the ruck as well while his Swan Districts’ teammate Ryan Davis was also a lively contributor as was Sydney Swans AFL premiership player and Perth captain Paul Bevan.

Boekhorst was one of 15 players lining up for the WAFL team for the first time and not only did he kick two goals, but he played an outstanding overall game.

The WA back-line was also tremendous led by Swan Districts skipper Tallan Ames who kept the in-form Cleve Hughes to just the one goal for the day before he went down hurt.

East Fremantle’s Andrew Stephen was also one of WA’s best coming out of the back-line while Steven Dodd, Jordan Jones and Laine Rasmussen stood up well.

Former Claremont played and two-time WAFL representative Ryan Brabazon was one of the NEAFL’s best contributors along with Matt O’Dwyer, Todd Grayson and Cameron Ilett.

The NEAFL got off to a flying start with goals to Cleve Hughes and Kade Klemke in the opening four minutes.

However, the WAFL started to steady and got on the board when Hams set up his South Fremantle teammate Saunders who was able to snap through a clever goal from the pocket.

WA then took the lead shortly after when Boekhorst took a strong mark and kicked truly. East Fremantle defender Stephen might have kicked just nine goals in his 100-game career, but kicked WA’s third after a lucky 50m penalty against Brabazon.

West Perth’s Rodda then snapped a goal from the goal square to put WA up by 15 points before Sean Ellis kicked the NEAFL’s third of the opening term. Hams managed to just kick WA’s first before the quarter-time siren as the WAFL side led by 17 points at the first break.

It took almost 20 minutes in the second quarter for either team to kick a goal, but then the WAFL got on the board through Notte before Cook and Saunders also added majors before half-time to see the visitors take a 36-point lead into the main break.

Cook then opened the second half in ominous fashion for the WAFL with an early goal, his second, before the NEAFL responded through Cameron Ilett.

However, the WAFL then began to really dominate and it soon became a South Fremantle show on the scoreboard with Schloithe booting his first, and then Saunders kicking his third, fourth and fifth goals before three quarter-time.

WA led by 54 points to have the result in hand at three quarter-time, but the team didn’t take the foot off in the last quarter.

Schloithe kicked his second to start the fourth term and then Rodda, Hampson, Davis, Boekhorst and Hampson again added goals as the WAFL kicked another five goals to one in the last quarter to end up winning by 85 points.

WAFL 5.7 8.12 14.10 19.18 (132)

NEAFL 3.2 3.6 5.10 6.11 (47)

WAFL – Goals: Saunders 5; Hampson, Boekhorst, Rodda, Schloithe, Cook 2; Davis, Hams, Stephen, Notte.

Best: Hams, Cook, Saunders, Stephen, Schloithe, Blackwell, Lee, Ames, Boekhorst.

NEAFL – Goals: Hughes, Klemke, Ellis, Ilett, Dunne, Vandenberg.

Best: O’Dwyer, Grayson, Brabazon, Ilett.

Simpson Medal – Ashton Hams.