WAFL – BULLDOGS LOSE FIRST GAME OF 2025

South Fremantle’s winning start to the 2025 WAFL season came to an end on Saturday afternoon with the West Coast Eagles claiming the 16-point victory at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

South Fremantle started the season with impressive wins against Perth, Peel Thunder, Swan Districts and West Perth under new coach Craig White leading into Saturday afternoon’s clash with the Eagles at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

West Coast might have not yet won a game for the season but had a team featuring 17 AFL-listed players and they were able to restrict South Fremantle to one goal in the first half on the way to the eventual 12.10 (82) to 9.12 (66) victory.

Trey Ruscoe and Brandon Donaldson ended up kicking two goals apiece in the game for the Bulldogs.

Isiah Winder continued his impressive form too for South Fremantle through the middle with 26 possessions and eight tackles while Matthew Parker collected 26 disposals, Jake Florenca 25, Tom Blechynden 25, Matthew Ward 22 and Ethan Hughes 21.

Hamish Free also had a fascinating battle in the ruck with West Coast’s Bailey Williams, finishing with 14 touches, 35 hit outs and two marks.

South Fremantle might have been the unbeaten team coming into the Saturday match up at Fremantle Community Bank Oval and West Coast were winless, but the Eagles managed to kick the only goal of the first quarter.

That saw the Eagles take a six-point lead into the quarter-time break and then West Coast also kicked the first two goals of the second term before Bulldogs premiership player Caleb Datson also kicked truly for his new team.

West Coast added another too before South Fremantle’s first goal of the game came at the 25-minute mark of the second quarter when Brandon Donaldson roved the ball in the goal square, and snapped truly.

The Eagles were still leading by 36 points at half-time before the Bulldogs did kick the first two goals of the second half courtesy of Donaldson and Isiah Winder.

Matthew Ward also added another for South Fremantle in the third term but West Coast also kicked two more goals to be leading by 30 points at three quarter-time.

The Eagles also kicked the first two goals of the last quarter before Trey Ruscoe kicked his first of the day. He also added another in the final stanza with Glenn Byron, Solomon James and Matthew Parker also kicking truly but the Eagles were able to secure the 16-point victory.

South Fremantle is back in action this Saturday at Revo Fitness Stadium against Claremont with all three grades taking on the Tigers.

SULLIVAN LOGISTICS WAFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON – ROUND 5

SOUTH FREMANTLE                        0.3          1.5          4.8          9.12        (66)

WEST COAST EAGLES                     1.3          7.5          9.8          12.10     (82)

SOUTH FREMANTLE – Goals: Ruscoe, Donaldson 2; Winder, Byron, Ward, James, Parker.

Best: Winder, Parker, Ward, Florenca, Blechynden, N Strom, Free, Hughes.

WEST COAST EAGLES – Goals: Williams, Shanahan, Champion, Livingstone 2; Petruccelle, Rawlinson, Datson, Edwards-Baldwin.

Best: Hall, Grego, Dewar, Davis, Sparks, Williams, Gross, Bazzo.