WAFL – PARKER, WINDER SHINE IN NAIDOC WEEK

South Fremantle celebrated the annual NAIDOC Week clash with Claremont for the Jimmy Melbourne Cup with another standout performance for a 27-point win to move further clear on top of the WAFL.

South Fremantle and Claremont have now been playing for the Jimmy Melbourne Cup in an annual NAIDOC Week contest ever since 2007 and that tradition continued on Saturday at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

Both teams sat in the top two spots of the WAFL coming into the game as well and in the end it was a strong showing once more from the Bulldogs to prevail 10.9 (69) to 6.6 (42).

The win means that South Fremantle improves to an 11-1 record on the season to be two and-a-half games clear now on top of the WAFL ladder by the end of Round 13 and with just six games remaining in the season.

To celebrate NAIDOC Round, Matthew Parker and Isiah Winder were the two standout players on ground in the win for the Bulldogs.

Parker shook off a rib injury suffered the week before to still play and finish with 30 possessions and a goal while Winder delivered two goals to go with 23 disposals.

Tom Blechynden also finished with 23 touches, Jake Florenca 22, Matthew Ward 22, Chase Bourne 22, Jamaine Jones 20, Ethan Hughes 18 and Zac Strom 17 while Noah Strom was again outstanding defensively keeping Kieran Gowdie to two kicks and one goal.

South Fremantle made the perfect start to the NAIDOC Week contest with a goal inside the first two minutes to Jaxon Artemis.

Trey Ruscoe then kicked another soon after and by the time Matthew Parker added another just before quarter-time, the Bulldogs went into the first break leading by 16 points.

There was only one goal kicked between the two teams in the second quarter and that went the way of Claremont just before half-time to Jaiden Hunter, but the Bulldogs were still leading by 11 points at the main break.

South Fremantle then made the perfect start to the second half with an early goal to Zac Strom before Roan O’Hehir added another to push the lead out to 23 points.

The Bulldogs were still leading by 11 points at three quarter-time before then dominating the last term with a couple of goals to Isiah Winder, and others to Ashton Ferreira, Aaron Drage and Chase Bourne to secure the 27-point win.

The day’s action got underway at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Saturday with the reserves match up and Claremont ended up beating South Fremantle 15.7 (97) to 7.5 (47).

There were seven goals between both teams in the first quarter with Claremont leading by seven points at quarter-time but the Tigers kicked away in the second term with the only four goals to be 30 points up by half-time.

Claremont managed another four goals to two in the third quarter and three to two in the last on the way to the 50-point victory.

Despite the loss, South Fremantle remain in top spot of the reserves with an 8-3 record to be percentage ahead of Claremont but having played an extra game.

Hudson Pivac and Bailey Harbour kicked two goals each for the Bulldogs with Nick Stuhldreier collecting another 22 possessions, Jack Green 20, Kyle Russell 19, Toby Dodds 19, Robbie Turnbull 17, Jacob Whan 17, Tarkyn Etherington 16 and Josh Branchi 13 to go with 28 hit outs.

The colts contest then took place on Sunday morning back at Fremantle Community Bank Oval with Claremont winning a thriller over South Fremantle 10.12 (72) to 10.6 (66).

The Tigers made a fast start with five goals to two in the first quarter and then Claremont managed another three to one in the second term to be leading by 33 points at half-time.

South Fremantle fired back into the contest with the only four goals of the third quarter, and then three to two in the last but couldn’t quite complete the comeback with the Tigers holding out for the six-point win.

South Fremantle are still sitting in second position in the colts with a 7-4 record to be two games behind East Fremantle and percentage ahead of West Perth.

Cameron Maynard and Tom Jackson ended up kicking three goals each for South Fremantle with Taj Longmuir adding two to go with 14 possessions and six tackles.

Millar Rank collected 22 disposals for the Bulldogs, Lucas Cattalini 19, Noah Roberts 19, Elijah Nathan 18, Jacob Donald 17 and Jay Elliott-Tideman nine to go with 33 hit outs in the ruck.

SULLIVAN LOGISTICS WAFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON – NAIDOC ROUND

SOUTH FREMANTLE                        3.5          3.7          5.9          10.9        (69)

CLAREMONT                                      1.1          2.2          4.4          6.6          (42)

SOUTH FREMANTLE – Goals: Winder 2; Ferreira, Ruscoe, Z Strom, Drage, O’Hehir, Bourne, Artemis, Parker.

Best: Parker, Winder, N Strom, Bourne, Jones, Ward, Winder, Florenca, Blechynden.

CLAREMONT – Goals: Hunter, Elliott, Bolton, Delacey, Davis, Gowdie.

Best: Davis, Elliott, Martinis, Eastland, Alvarez, Minear, Bolton.