Bulldogs fall to the Lions in the wet

SOUTH Fremantle's impressive seven-game winning streak came to an end at the hands of Subiaco in wet conditions at Fremantle Community Bank Oval in Round 11 of the WAFL season on Saturday.

South Fremantle came into the contest as the form team in the competition having not only won seven straight matches and eight of nine for the season, but that one lone loss to Perth could have easily gone the way of the Bulldogs as well.

However, wet conditions greeted the teams on Saturday at the port and it was Subiaco who handled them better in the finish to end up winning 13.9 (87) to 8.6 (54).

South Fremantle captain Dylan Main was the Bulldogs' only multiple goal scorer on the day kicking two.

In the absence of ruckman Brock Higgins through suspension, Zac Strom did an outstanding job in that role for South Fremantle up against both Clancy Wheeler and Lachlan Delahunty from Subiaco.

He competed at just about every stoppage in the game and ended up with plenty of the ball, plenty of hit outs and was rewarded with a clever goal from a boundary throw-in when he took it from the air and snapped truly.

Jacob Dragovich, Steve Verrier, Jake Florenca, Brendan Verrier, Zac Dent and Haiden Schloithe were among the other South Fremantle players to fight valiantly.

It was the most anticipated WAFL match of the season on Saturday at Fremantle Community Bank Oval with the Bulldogs and Lions both coming into the contest on 8-1 records with top position on the line.

Add in the fact that South Fremantle had beaten Subiaco back in Round 6 at Leederville Oval to be the only team to manage to beat the Lions since the 2017 Grand Final, and there was plenty to look out for when the teams came together once more.

It would be their only meeting ahead of a potential finals clash and it was Subiaco who handled the wet weather the better from the outset and that proved the difference in the contest.

With a strong core of senior, experienced players built for the wet conditions and having already had good practice in torrential rain two weeks earlier against Perth where they held the Demons to one goal, the Lions were cleaner with the ball and stronger at the contest to set up the commanding win.

South Fremantle did actually start encouragingly with the opening goal of the contest through Brandon Donaldson courtesy of a free-kick. But from there, Subiaco six-gamer Jack Beverley kicked two goals in the space of five minutes to give the Lions a lead they would never again surrender.

Tom Edwards-Baldwin added another major before quarter-time to see Subiaco go into quarter-time leading by 13 points.

It took little more than a minute for Subiaco to add a fourth goal through Ryan Borchet to open the second quarter too. When Borchet added a second, the lead grew to 24 points before South Fremantle captain Dylan Main did get one back for the home side.

The rain then picked up further steam at half-time and the deluge made any chance of a South Fremantle comeback after the break all the more challenging. 

But South Fremantle did pick up some momentum for the first time in the game with goals to Haiden Schloithe, Mason Shaw and then Main to close to within 16 points midway through the third term.

It appeared that the game was on, but Subiaco showed its quality with a stunning run leading into three quarter-time with goals to Max Walters, Clancy Wheeler, Hayden Kennedy, Lachlan Delahunty and Simon Moore to lead by 46 points at the last change.

South Fremantle did have the better of the last term and kicked three goals to one but that only cut Subiaco's eventual win to 13.9 (87) to 8.6 (54).

The win takes Subiaco a game and percentage clear on top of the WAFL ladder with a 9-1 record while South Fremantle remains second at 8-2, a game and percentage ahead of the third place Claremont. 

The win takes Subiaco a game and percentage clear on top of the WAFL ladder with a 9-1 record while South Fremantle remains second at 8-2, a game and percentage ahead of the third place Claremont. 

Earlier in the morning, Subiaco might have had a slow start to its premiership defence in the colts competition in 2019 but they are now warming to the task nicely following a 72-point win over South Fremantle at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Saturday.

After going scoreless against South Fremantle in that first meeting of the season at Leederville Oval to quarter-time, this time it was Subiaco holding the Bulldogs to just the two behinds while kicking five goals themselves.

It was then two goals apiece in the second quarter but that saw Subiaco in control leading by 31 points at half-time.

The Lions booted another four goals to one in the third term and then four goals to one in the last to record the commanding 15.11 (101) to 4.5 (29) victory.

The win improves Subiaco to a 3-6 record on the season while South Fremantle is 2-7 as a result of the loss.

South Fremantle's goals came courtesy of Robert Woods, Brodie Plunkett, Eric Botha and Liam Bradford.

Adam Correia racked up 21 possessions for the Bulldogs, Ira Jetta 20, Jonas Brown 18, Jarrod Salmeri 16 and Brodie Plunkett 16.

And in the reserves contest, South Fremantle recorded a 9.7 (61) to 6.15 (51) victory against Subiaco.

Travis Abbott and Jaxon Litherland kicked two goals each for South Fremantle's reserves.

Adam McIntosh continued to put his hand up for a league recall with the Bulldogs with 23 possessions, eight marks and a goal while Matthew Ward gathered 23 disposals, Blair Della Franca 19 (35 hit outs), Zane Sumich 17, Andre Coutinho 16, Matthew Green 16, Guy Barnes 16 and Jack Redman 15.
 

SOUTH FREMANTLE        1.2    2.3    5.4    8.6    (54)
SUBIACO            3.3    6.5    12.8    13.9    (87)

SOUTH FREMANTLE – Goals: Main 2; Schloithe, Stewart, Z Strom, B Verrier, Donaldson, Shaw.
Best: Z Strom, Dragovich, Wilson, B Verrier, Dent, Schloithe, Main.
SUBIACO – Goals: Borchet 3; Beverley 2; Kitchin, Kennedy, Waters, Moore, Delahunty, Wheeler, Walters, Edwards-Baldwin.
Best: Delahunty, Horsley, Walters, Braut, Lockyer, Wheeler, Litherland, Kitchin.