STRONG START FOR BULLDOGS OVER EAGLES

SOUTH Fremantle kicked the first four goals of the game on the way to a dominant first up showing to start the 2023 WAFL season with a 43-point victory at home to the West Coast Eagles on Saturday.

Despite having plenty working against them coming into the new season, South Fremantle started the quest for an eighth consecutive finals appearance in the best possible way at Fremantle Community Bank Oval for the Round 1 match up.

South Fremantle kicked the opening four goals of the game and were never headed from there on the way to the eventual 15.12 (102) to 8.11 (59) victory.

Despite the fact the Bulldogs have lost plenty of experience and firepower in attack especially coming into the 2023 season with the retirements of Haiden Schloithe and Mason Shaw, kicking goals wasn’t an issue at all on Saturday.

While scoring didn’t come too freely for the Bulldogs in 2022 despite another finals appearance, the 15 goals and 27 scoring shots from 50 inside-50 entries on Saturday in the win against the Eagles offered encouraging signs.

Given Shaw and Schloithe have taken 515 goals with them into retirement and that Matthew Parker and Blake Schlensog won't be part of the South Fremantle forward set up, a lot will rest on Jimmy Miller in 2023 and he stood tall on Saturday.

Miller matched his career-best performance with four goals from 15 touches, 12 hit outs, four marks and four tackles.

In his 99th game with the Bulldogs, Brandon Donaldson started the new season impressively too kicking three goals from 19 disposals while debutants Chase Bourne and Mackenzie Nield kicked two goals apiece.

Jacob Dragovich marked his return for South Fremantle after a break in 2022 and racked up 28 touches on the wing while in the middle, Tom Blechynden gathered 25 disposals, Dylan Main 22, Brendon Ah Chee 21 and Manfred Kelly 19.

Down back, Chad Pearson was terrific with 21 possessions and nine marks while holding Alec Waterman to just four kicks and one goal with Toby McQuilkin tremendous with 25 possessions and five marks.

In the absence of Jackson Broadbent and Brock Higgins, Solomon James did well on debut in the ruck with 39 hit outs.

It wasn’t the prettiest opening from either team and it took more than 13 minutes for the first goal to come which came courtesy of South Fremantle recruit Jordan Gallucci.

It then took just a couple of minutes for the Bulldogs to get another through another recruit, Mackenzie Nield, and then with Jimmy Miller adding another, South Fremantle had the only three goals to quarter-time to lead by 17 points.

A second goal to Miller early in the second quarter saw South Fremantle leading by 25 points with the game's first four goals before eventually the Eagles were on the board courtesy of Joey Deegan at the 12-minute mark.

South Fremantle soon after responded with a goal to another debutant, Chase Bourne, and then a second to Nield pushed the Bulldogs advantage to 30 points.

West Coast did at least build some momentum to go into half-time including a goal to Josh Browne but still the Bulldogs were in control leading by 21 points.

West Coast were then able to make it three goals in succession by kicking the first two goals of the second half thanks to Isiah Winder and Shannon Lucassen.

That cut the deficit to nine points but South Fremantle continued to have the answers and kicked away again with goals to Brandon Donaldson, a couple more to Miller, and then a second and third to Donaldson.

That saw the Bulldogs 34 points up by three quarter-time before Zac Strom pushed the lead out to 40 points to start the last quarter.

West Coast had a brief flurry with goals to Alec Waterman and Jack Eastough, but South Fremantle had all the answers and goals to Manfred Kelly and Bourne set the tone for the eventual 43-point victory.

SOUTH FREMANTLE        3.3    6.6    11.8    15.12    (102)
WEST COAST EAGLES        0.4    2.9    5.10    8.11    (59)

SOUTH FREMANTLE – Goals: Miller 4; Donaldson 3; Bourne, Nield 2; Kelly, Strom, Gallucci, Harbour.
Best: Blechynden, Pearson, Ah Chee, Dragovich, Donaldson, McQuilkin, Miller, Main.
WEST COAST EAGLES – Goals: Winder, O'Neill, Browne, Waterman, Nitschke, Deegan, Lucassen, Eastough.
Best: Trew, Nelson, O'Neill, Creasey, Winder, Browne, Nitschke.