Bulldogs with 81-point turnaround to beat Swans for John Todd Cup

SOUTH Fremantle kicked 14 of the last 15 goals to beat Swan Districts by 40 points after earlier being 40 down at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Saturday to retain the John Todd Cup.

 

Swan Districts looked right on track to score what might have been its most impressive win of the season when kicking six of the first seven goals of the game to lead by 41 points 13 minutes into the second quarter.

 

It was a third time in the past four games that South Fremantle had started slowly and after just falling short of coming back to beat Peel, and then overrunning Perth and Claremont impressively, the Bulldogs had the job ahead of them again on Saturday.

 

This time it was against a top four team in winning form but five goals in 12 minutes late in the second quarter had the home side right back in the contest. Then nine goals to one after half-time and South Fremantle pulled off the 81-point turnaround.

 

The Bulldogs kicked 14 of the game's last 15 goals to end up winning 15.13 (103) to 9.9 (63).

 

The win improves South Fremantle to an 11-4 record on the season to remain clear in second position on the ladder.

 

Swan Districts remains fourth at 9-6 and two games clear in that position despite the loss.

 

South Fremantle ended up delivering quite the dominant performance and while the wet weather helped, the Bulldogs held Swans to just 242 possessions – the lowest tally of any club this season.

 

The Bulldogs ended up with 87 more disposals, 12 more marks, five more hit outs, 25 more entries inside the forward 50 and 28 scoring shots to 18 in the 40-point victory.

 

Swan Districts came into the game with the focus of paying close attention to South Fremantle's key ball winners in particular with Tom Smirk coming into the team to play a stopping role on centre half-back Blayne Wilson and Ryan Crowley and Jesse Manton sharing duties on Tim Kelly.

 

Neither Wilson nor Smirk had much influence but the South Fremantle defender did hurt a shoulder despite returning to the field. He played his role still despite only seven possessions and three marks.

 

Kelly was able to fight through the attention he received too to finish with 21 possessions.

 

Swans small forwards took their chances early, but from there South Fremantle Steven Edwards (24 possessions, seven marks) and Jason Maskos (21 touches, four marks, four tackles) were tremendous. Josh Pullman also did well holding Ricky Cary to one goal and seven kicks.

 

Adam McIntosh also held Brayden Noble scoreless and to just four kicks.

 

Haiden Schloithe worked through some close attention too to end up with 22 possessions, four tackles and a goal for South Fremantle. 

 

Shane Hockey also finished with 22 touches, Ashton Hams 21, Dylan Main 20, Brendan Verrier 19 and Ryan Cook 19.

 

Cory Dell'Olio came back after missing last week's win over Claremont to kick three goals with Blaine Johnson, Ben Saunders and Jake Florenca all kicking two goals each.

 

Brock Higgins battled hard in the ruck for 50 hit outs and nine possessions.

 

Swan Districts' small forwards were enjoying the wet weather conditions early in the game and with the black-and-whites kicking with the benefit of the breeze to start the game at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

 

It took just three minutes for Jamie Bennell to open the scoring for Swans. Johnson did get the immediate replay for South Fremantle after drawing a free-kick, but it was the visitors who had all the momentum to start the game.

 

Taryce Stewart, David Ellard, Stewart again and then Bennell all added majors for Swans before quarter-time to see them claim a 22-point advantage at the first change.

 

Swan Districts then continued that momentum in the second quarter starting with big man Cary kicking his only goal of the afternoon. Stewart then added a third in mercurial fashion deep in the pocket up against the boundary line.

 

When fourth-gamer Mitch Mackenzie marked and kicked the first goal of his career at the top of the goal square Swans looked to be heading for the big win with a 41-point advantage.

 

However, Swans wouldn’t kick another goal for more than another 60 minutes of playing time with the Bulldogs continuing their habit of setting themselves a big task with a slow start, but being up to it.

 

The turnaround began with Saunders earning a high tackle free-kick and going back to kick truly at the 15-minute mark of the second term. Less than a minute later Jacob Dragovich snapped truly out of congestion and the signs of another comeback were building.

 

Saunders then came out charging on a late, attacking the ball like a steam train to take the chest mark and go back to kick his second. With Johnson then adding his second and Dell'Olio his first before half-time, South Fremantle was right back in the contest just 10 points down at the long break.

 

Swans might have had the breeze again in the third term, but they couldn’t capitalise with the pressure and intensity of the Bulldogs having dramatically lifted all over the field.

 

It resulted in two crucial goals into the breeze for the quarter Schloithe and Florenca to see South Fremantle hold a narrow one-point lead.

 

Swan Districts did make things interesting to regain the lead with the opening goal of the last term when Ellard kicked his second, but it wouldn’t last.

 

Hams kicked a beauty from deep in the pocket on the wrong side for a left-footer to draw scores level and then they moved ahead with a second for the day to Dell'Olio.

 

Shaun Bewick then earned a free-kick directly in front and kicked truly to make the margin 14 points. It then became 21 when Marlion Pickett got one to roll through that he kicked from the centre square at the 23-minute mark.

 

South Fremantle was finishing all over Swan Districts by that stage and kicked three more goals through Florenca, Dell'Olio and Shaw to run out 40-point winners having been 41 down midway through the second quarter.

 

The day began at Fremantle Community Bank Oval with the colts contest that saw Swan Districts defeat South Fremantle 12.9 (81) to 6.8 (44).

 

Thomas Weston and Luke Moore kicked two goals each for South Fremantle.

 

Ryan Burrows racked up 28 possessions for the Bulldogs, Regan Spooner 27, Kyle Hamersley 18, Enrique Aiken-Featherstone 18, Bruno Faulkner 17 and Brodie Plunkett 17.

 

Then in the reserves at Fremantle Community Bank Oval, the ladder-leading South Fremantle kicked four goals to one in the last quarter to come away with the 8.11 (59) to 4.10 (34) victory.

 

Matthew Gundry, Mitch Dzelebdzic and Zac Strom all kicked two goals each for South Fremantle with the latter adding 20 possessions and five marks.

 

Tom Vandeleur amassed 34 possessions for the Bulldogs, Matthew Parker 26, Brandon Donaldson 25, Chad Pearson 24, Josh Collard 22, Kyle Russell 19, Jarrod Parry 18 and Andre Coutinho 18.

 

South Fremantle will look to continue its winning form next Saturday heading to Busselton to take on an East Perth team needing to win to stay in the race for the finals in 2017.

 

 

SOUTH FREMANTLE – Goals: Dell'Olio 3; Johnson, Saunders, Florenca 2; Hams, Pickett, Shaw, Bewick, Dragovich, Schloithe.

Best: Edwards, Maskos, Main, Cook, Hockey, Schloithe, Kelly.

SWAN DISTRICTS – Goals: Stewart 3; Bennell, Ellard 2; Mackenzie, Cary.

Best: Notte, Gault, Ellard, Faulkner, Stewart, Turner.