Bulldogs thrash Sharks to gear up for finals campaign

SOUTH Fremantle ensured it will enter the WAFL finals full of confidence despite the absence of a host of key players beating East Fremantle for a seventh straight time and winning on the 10th consecutive visit to East Fremantle Oval on Saturday.

 

South Fremantle showed no mercy for its wooden spoon bound Fremantle rivals and after just three goals from 12 attempts on goal in the first quarter, the Bulldogs kicked 20.2 after quarter-time to just 4.5 to come away with a thumping 23.11 (149) to 5.6 (36) victory.

 

It was a seventh straight win in a derby over East Fremantle for South Fremantle and even more impressively, a 10th consecutive victory on visits for the Bulldogs to East Fremantle Oval.

 

The win is a fourth straight overall for South Fremantle to finish the season in second position with a 13-5 record ahead of a qualifying final contest with West Perth at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

 

Even with South Fremantle coming into the game without Ashton Hams, Cory Dell'Olio, Marlion Pickett, Ryan Cook, Brock Higgins, Brandon Donaldson and the injured Ben Saunders, it was a remarkably dominant showing by the Bulldogs to close the home and away season.

 

South Fremantle finished the game with 210 more disposals than East Fremantle, 102 more marks, 61 inside-50 entries to 28 to end up with 34 scoring shots to 11 on the way to a 113-point thumping.

 

The Bulldogs had 13 goal scorers and every player on the team had double-figures in possessions including four with 30 or more, and 14 with 20 or more. The Sharks had just five goal scorers and nine players with single-figures possessions.

 

Without Saunders, Dell'Olio, Hams and the now departed Blaine Johnson in the South Fremantle forward-line, coach Todd Curley threw Dylan Main forward and the captain kicked a career-best five goals from 20 possessions and nine marks.

 

Mason Shaw kicked five goals as well from 17 disposals and 14 marks to give him 12 goals straight over the past two weeks to head into the finals in impressive form.

 

Zac Strom stepped up too for the Bulldogs both forward and in the ruck with 21 disposals, 10 marks, eight hit outs and two goals while debutant ruckman Blair Della Franca also did well for 14 possessions, six marks and 29 hit outs.

 

Jake Florenca also came into the South Fremantle team and kicked two goals from 25 possessions, seven marks and five tackles.

 

Nick Suban continued his superb form as a midfielder over the second half of the season and racked up another 35 possessions while Haiden Schloithe picked up 34 disposals, Shane Hockey 30, Jacob Dragovich 29, Jarrod Parry 25 and Steven Verrier 20.

 

The Bulldogs' back-line stood up well again with Shaun Bewick amassing 32 possessions and 11 marks with Blayne Wilson finishing with 25 disposals and 13 marks, Adam McIntosh 22 touches and eight marks, Steven Edwards 21 possessions and 11 marks, Chad Pearson 19 disposals, and Jason Maskos 19 touches and 12 marks.

 

Regan Spooner was impressive on debut as well and ended the afternoon with 25 possessions and eight marks.

 

The signs were bad early for East Fremantle when Shaun Bewick kicked a goal for South Fremantle after three minutes but the Bulldogs just couldn’t find the major opening on the way to nine behinds in the first stanza.

 

Captain Dylan Main eventually kicked truly before East Fremantle got on the board thanks to Sean Henson. The Bulldogs responded through Jake Florenca to put his side up by 20 points at quarter-time.

 

Mason Shaw kicked two goals in little over a minute early in the second term to make the margin more than five goals before Josh Collard chimed in with the first goal of his league career.

 

East Fremantle did get one back but then South Fremantle answered through Jarrod Parry and Shaw to close the first half in control with a 43-point advantage.

 

Steve Verrier and Zac Strom then added majors to start the second half before Main added two in quick succession as the lead ballooned to 11 goals. Shaw then booted his fourth and Jake Florenca his fourth before the Sharks managed another thanks to George Hampson.

 

South Fremantle still kicked the last two goals of the third term through Zac Strom and Steven Edwards to head into three quarter-time up by 85 points.

 

The Bulldogs weren’t in the mood to let up and remained remarkably accurate after quarter-time kicking another five goals in the first 12 minutes of the last quarter, including a fourth and fifth to Main, fifth to Shaw, and Shane Hockey and Nick Suban joining in.

 

The Sharks had a couple of brief highlights with goals to Jonathon Marsh and Jye Clements, but they couldn’t stop a triple-figure loss with South Fremantle ending up prevailing to the tune of 113 points.

 

South Fremantle's reserves went into the clash with East Fremantle on Saturday at East Fremantle Oval needing to win to play finals, but with the players needed for the league clash later in the day, it made sure the Bulldogs' depth was truly tested.

 

East Fremantle started well with three goals to two in the first quarter and then kicked the only four goals of the second to lead by 26 points at half-time.

 

The Sharks still led by 25 points at three quarter-time and then withstood a comeback from the Bulldogs to win 11.3 (69) to 9.8 (62).

 

The result means South Fremantle misses out on playing finals in the reserves slipping to seventh position with an 8-10 record.

 

Matthew Ah Siu made a rare appearance for South Fremantle with 23 possessions and four goals while Andre Coutinho also kicked three majors.

 

Caleb Datson finished with 24 possessions for the Bulldogs, Glenn Byron 22, Daniel Cabassi 21 and Trent Reed 21 to go with nine tackles, seven inside-50 entries and five marks. 

 

There was plenty at stake to begin the big day of WAFL Colts action at Subiaco Oval on Sunday with a derby where East Fremantle and South Fremantle were gearing up for the finals campaigns.

 

Both the Sharks and Bulldogs were guaranteed of playing finals no matter the result on Sunday morning at Subiaco Oval, but while South Fremantle couldn’t move from fifth spot, there was plenty on the line for East Fremantle.

 

East Fremantle needed to win the game to secure third position on the ladder and to earn a finals double chance. 

 

It wasn’t to be, though, with South Fremantle winning the game by 18 points and that was enough to tip East Fremantle's percentage below that of Swan Districts so the Sharks slipped to fourth position with a 10-8 record on the season.

 

That means that East Fremantle and South Fremantle will meet again on Saturday at Fremantle Community Bank Oval in an elimination final.

 

East Fremantle started the game well at Subiaco Oval with three goals to two in the first quarter but by half-time South Fremantle had assumed a six-point advantage kicking four goals to two in the second term.

 

The Bulldogs kicked further away in the third quarter with five goals to two and that was enough to secure the 13.9 (87) to 10.9 (69) victory.

 

Luke Moore kicked four goals for South Fremantle from 10 disposals and five marks with Lachlan Johnson booting two goals as well.

 

Kyle Hamersley collected 23 possessions for the Bulldogs, Tom Blechynden 19, Ira Jetta 18, James Russell 17, Matthew Ward 16 and Jack Redman 16.

 

 

SOUTH FREMANTLE – Goals: Main, Shaw 5; Z Strom, Florenca 2; Dragovich, Parry, Bewick, Suban, Hockey, Verrier, Edwards, Parker, Collard.

Best: Bewick, Suban, Schloithe, Hockey, Z Strom, Main, Spooner, Wilson.

EAST FREMANTLE – Goals: Henson, Marsh, Hampson, Fletcher, Clements.

Best: Jackson, Cuneo, Anthony, Hampson, Jupp.