KELLY THE LAST GASP HERO

THE wet weather ultimately only added to the drama on Saturday at Mineral Resources Park with a last gasp kick off the ground from Manfred Kelly securing the season saving five-point win for South Fremantle over Perth.

With the wet weather on Saturday afternoon, the football certainly wasn’t pretty and that's highlighted by the fact that for the entire game both the Bulldogs and Demons only combined for a total of 16 scoring shots between them.

However, it remained a tight contest and in the end with South Fremantle needing to win to keep its finals hopes alive, a late rushed kick deep forward from Lewis Rayson ended up with Manfred Kelly running onto it and to kick the goal off the ground.

That would prove to be the last kick of the game with South Fremantle winning 7.1 (43) to 6.2 (38) to stay alive in the finals race.

South Fremantle does remain in sixth position and now must beat West Perth at home this Saturday while needing one of Swan Districts, East Fremantle or Claremont to lose in order to play finals.

Former Bulldogs captain Dylan Main kicked three of the seven goals for his team on the day from 11 kicks and three marks.

Aaron Drage racked up 31 possessions for South Fremantle, Isiah Winder 26, Jake Florenca 23, Glenn Byron 23, Lewis Rayson 19, Kyle Russell 18, Haiden Schloithe 17 and Jason Carter 17.

The only two goals of the opening quarter went the way of South Fremantle at the seven-minute mark and then thanks to Ed Graham at the 13-minute mark.

They would be the only scores for either team in the first term with South Fremantle as a result going into quarter-time leading by 12 points.

Perth answered back with the first two goals of the second quarter through Joe Chaplin and Aaron Clarke, but Dylan Main responded shortly before half-time for the Bulldogs to give his team the six-point edge at the main break.

Main then also kicked his second of the afternoon to start the second half to extend South Fremantle's lead out to 12 points, but Perth then managed the other two goals of the third quarter and that meant scores were all square at three quarter-time.

South Fremantle took back the lead with a third goal to Main to open the last term, but it would be goal for goal the rest of the way in a tight and tense finish in the wet conditions.

Clarke kicked a second for Perth to tie scores back up once more and then it was the returning Jake Florenca who restored the Bulldogs to the lead at the nine-minute mark of the last term.

The Demons answered once more through Jed Kemp and then the home team took the lead at the 21-minute mark with a behind courtesy of Kane Johnston.

Things were getting desperate with South Fremantle's season on the line and eventually it was a quick torpedo to the top of the goal square from Lewis Rayson that set up the winning play.

The ball got out the back of the pack with Manfred Kelly swoop and kicking the ball off the ground to give South Fremantle the five-point lead.

The Bulldogs then held on for the season saving win by forcing consecutive stoppages after the ball went back to the middle.

The day started on Saturday morning at Mineral Resources Park with South Fremantle's colts just coming up short against a Perth team who made the grand final last year and are locked into playing finals again in 2024.

The Demons ended up winning 10.9 (69) to 8.4 (52) with the Bulldogs goals kicked by Toby Whan, Harrison Heaton, Lucas Ali, Jaxon Artemis, Elijah Nathan, Hudson Pivac, Kyle Brestovac and Ivan Starr.

Nic Davidson also ended up with 17 possessions, Orlando Keleman 17, Artemis 16, Taj Longmuir 16, Whan 16, Tom Bell 13 and Josh Louthean 12.

It was a thrilling win the reserves for South Fremantle at Lathlain with the Bulldogs prevailing 9.5 (59) to 7.9 (51) on the back of the sealing goal from Mitch Geier at the 18-minute mark of the final quarter.

The win sees the Bulldogs now sit in fourth position on the reserves ladder and guaranteed of playing finals heading into the last round where they take on the bottom placed West Perth.

Jaren Carr kicked three goals in the win for South Fremantle with Robbie Turnbull racking up 26 possessions, Toby Dodds 25, George Wessels 23, Roan O'Hehir 17 and Callum Copeland 15.