Those of you who’ve been reading this newsletter all season know we’re big fans of Freo NGA prospect Fin Yeo. Yesterday at the State Draft Combine, he put up some serious numbers to further build his case for selection.

Speaking of big physical efforts, shout-out to the WA Football media manager Jordan McArdle who peeled off a marathon at the Perth Running Festival in the morning then went straight to work at the combine to help bring us this information.

In today’s newsletter: Finals get tough for both WA AFLW sides, Turbo on track for AA selection and the highlights from the WA draft combine.

Let’s get stuck in.

Jumper Punches is proudly supported by Sullivan Logistics, WA’s most reliable overnight freight partner. For more than 30 years, Sullivan Logistics has delivered at scale and speed for regional communities and primary industries across the state. Through freight, logistics, and warehousing, they keep Western Australia moving.

Get in touch today.

FREMANTLE AFLW

Kangaroos 9.4 (58) def Dockers 4.6 (30)

• The Dockers are out of the top eight. They held pace with the best team in it for most of the game, but weren’t good enough to get them done. Few are - the Roos only recently broke a 32-game winning streak spanning nearly three years and including two flags.

• In a tough loss, Kiara Bowers was typically tough for Freo. She had 32 disposals, eight clearances and eight tackles and looks an All-Australian lock.

• Fremantle sit ninth with three games remaining. They face St Kilda (18th), Geelong (2nd) and Sydney (7th) on the run home.

WEST COAST AFLW

Power 3.8 (26) def Eagles 3.4 (22)

• Port Adelaide controlled the air and stifled the Eagles late, denying them a fifth consecutive win. Finals are tough now, they are one of three teams sitting a game out of the eight, but their percentage (84.0) is a killer.

• One of the biggest positives West Coast can take from this season is the emergence of Amy Franklin as their spearhead. She didn’t have the best day against the Power, but when they needed a goal late Franklin was the only player who looked like getting it done - she just had to come too far up the ground to help create the chances. She’s got 12 goals this season after only 21 across her previous five seasons in the AFLW. Maybe not the week to pump up her tyres, but I’m taking the opportunity anyway.

• West Coast sit 11th with Geelong (2nd), Sydney (7th) and Hawthorn (8th) to come.

STATE DRAFT COMBINE

• Finlay Yeo’s excellent year continued on Sunday when he broke the all-time AFL Draft Combine record in the agility test. His 7.533sec smashed the previous record of 7.70sec set by fellow Sandgroper Darcy Jones (aka GWS’ kid with the lid). Yeo’s 20m sprint effort (2.95sec) would also have landed him in the top 10 at the national combine. The Fremantle NGA prospect has been firmly on our radar since a breakout 24 disposals and 11 inside-50s in the midfield in round one of the colts. He had a handful of gamebreaking moments in the U18 champs. There’s not much of him, but he doesn’t shy away from contact and when he gets the ball, things happen. I just really like him as an impactful and creative forward-half player.

• For the second year in a row, a Banfield won the State combine 2km. Last year it was Charlie, this year it was Harper. He finished just ahead of Perth mature-aged prospect Kane Johnston. Harper’s eligible as a father-son pick and played for West Coast’s WAFL side, but as we saw last year, that’s no guaratee he’ll end up there.

• Another Eagles NGA, Garrison Kenh, put up some great times in the 20m sprint (2.931sec) and the vertical jump. He’s a fascinating case, he took time to get going this season but his best was really good. Was it enough for the Eagles to hit the button?

• AFLW prospects Charli Bassett and Marie Polimeno both clocked PBs in the 1.6km time trial, clocking 5:52 and 5:54. Bassett in particular had an outstanding U18 champs playing on the ball.

  ---

That’s us all caught up.

Jumper Punches is produced by Playbookx. We’re a sports marketing company that unites brands, sports and community. If you’re a brand looking to grow your business, or a sport looking for help with commercial strategy, content or marketing, let’s have a chat.

Catch you next week.

More than 5000 people jammed into Sullivan Logistics Stadium to watch West Coast beat Fremantle for the first time in an AFLW Western Derby.

We’ll unpack that shortly, but just briefly I want to mention another drought breaking win that’s come across my desk.

Last week the Toronto Dingoes broke a 21-year premiership drought in the AFL Ontario competition. It was largely thanks to one mid-season recruit - Swan Districts stalwart Nathan Blakely.

‘Doc’ moved to Canada for work halfway through the year, joined the Dingoes and kicked 39 goals in five games, including 18.3 in one outing. He was best-on in the decider, which is also his first senior premiership, and helped break a run of three grand final losses for the club. How good.

In today’s newsletter: The Eagles drought is over, a ruck star ready to explode, a unicorn wins a medal and the highlights from the AFL draft combine.

Let’s get stuck in.

Jumper Punches is proudly supported by Sullivan Logistics, WA’s most reliable overnight freight partner. For more than 30 years, Sullivan Logistics has delivered at scale and speed for regional communities and primary industries across the state. Through freight, logistics, and warehousing, they keep Western Australia moving.

Get in touch today.

AFLW WESTERN DERBY

Eagles 5.9 (39) def Dockers 4.3 (27)

• West Coast have their first-ever win in an AFLW Derby, breaking the Dockers’ run of eight straight victories since the Eagles entered the comp in 2020.

• Terrific game in front of a great crowd. The official number was 5711. To put that in context, Freo average around 2200 at Cockburn and West Coast average about 1400 at Mineral Resources Park this season.

• West Coast came from behind with a huge final quarter after their defence was elite all game to keep them in it.

• Ella Roberts won the medal with 22 disposals, six tackles and a goal but shockingly for long-term readers of this newsletter (we are very pro-Ella), I thought Charlotte Riggs probably should have got the nod for her work in the ruck. Riggs had 17 touches, a team-high six clearances and was particularly good late, breaking with power from stoppages and getting the ball going West Coast’s way. All that against the best ruck in the comp, Mim Strom.

• Touched on this a couple of weeks ago, but Holly Egan was outstanding in defence for Freo again. Had to be patient, but they’ve found themselves one.

2026 DOIG MEDAL

• Luke Jackson took home Fremantle’s best and fairest on Saturday night. A fitting result after an enormous year in the ruck. He’s the third ruck to win the Doig after Aaron Sandilands (2019 & 2015) and Sean Darcy (2021).

Doig Medal Top 10

1. Luke Jackson – 269 votes
2. Andrew Brayshaw – 229
3. Caleb Serong – 228
4. Josh Treacy – 225
5. Shai Bolton – 218
6. Jye Amiss – 191
7. Pat Voss – 181
8. Sam Switkowski – 173
9. Murphy Reid – 172
10. Alex Pearce – 164

• It wasn’t on the same night, but young Dockers defender Hugh Davies easily took out the Peel Thunder B&F. At 22 years old, he’s proving too good for the WAFL, look for him to make a leap in 2027.

NATIONAL DRAFT COMBINE

• It’s been a massive combine for the WA boys. Seven of them - Heath Mellody, Leo Steed, George Gale, Koby LeCras, Benji van Rooyen, Cam Maynard and Harvey Spawton-Guy - are taking part. All seven recorded PBs in both the 2km time trial and 20m sprint.

• Steed (sixth) and Gale (ninth) had top-10 finishes in the 2km time trial.

• Maynard recorded the second-fastest 20m time with a seriously quick 2.898sec.

• Steed also record a top-10 finish in the agility test.

• We also had Cara Dziegielewski, Mia Carlshausen and Lexi Strachan undergoing AFLW testing last week, with Dziegielewski continuing to impress and firm for a top-five pick.

• Dziegielewski won the running vertical jump, finished 10th in the 1.6km time trial, ninth in the 20m sprint, and fourth in the standing vertical jump.

That’s us all caught up.

Jumper Punches is produced by Playbookx. We’re a sports marketing company that unites brands, sports and community. If you’re a brand looking to grow your business, or a sport looking for help with commercial strategy, content or marketing, let’s have a chat.

Catch you next week.

Up until Charlie Cameron kicked his goal in the last quarter, last week was an all-timer.

Post that moment… Mark LeCras has a quote that’s fitting here (iykyk).

I was struggling to put the Fremantle section of this newsletter into words, so thankfully our mate Tim Yap - who wrote this unreal piece in the lead-up - sent through some very well-articulated thoughts on the matter for us.

For those non-Dockers, feel free to scroll to the bottom for the AFLW points and some takeaways from the AFL Futures game.

For the Fremantle people here, read Tim’s piece and prepare for strong feelings.

A bit of info for the new subscribers this season, Jumper Punches will continue to hit your inbox every week through to AFLW season, and then the AFL and AFLW drafts, so stick around for everything you need to know right across the footy spectrum.

Let’s get stuck in.

Jumper Punches is proudly supported by Sullivan Logistics, WA’s most reliable overnight freight partner. For more than 30 years, Sullivan Logistics has delivered at scale and speed for regional communities and primary industries across the state. Through freight, logistics, and warehousing, they keep Western Australia moving.

Get in touch today.

FREMANTLE

It’s Sunday, not even 24 hours after the 2026 AFL Grand Final, and I feel numb.

I keep replaying those final moments in my head thinking something will change, surely it didn’t end that way?

We’d shown up.

We’d won the midfield battle.

We’d won territory.

We’d kept this offensive juggernaut to 72 points after seeing our skipper tragically fall face first into the turf, never to return to the ground.

We’d led by 17 with four minutes to go, as a sea of purple rose to their feet across the MCG, and I looked to my best mate for the first time all day, with a belief in our eyes that a lifelong dream was about to come true.

We should’ve been premiers.

Should’ve.

And as I watched from the stands as Brisbane players received their premiership medals; as Chris Fagan stood on that stage and spoke the words, “you probably deserved to win the game today”, I wept into my scarf in a stadium full of 100,023 people, that to me couldn’t have felt more empty.

Because as life so often teaches us, we don’t always get what we deserve.

My flight is not until Tuesday morning, and to everyone who’s checked in and asked how I’m feeling, or what I’m going to do, the answer I give (if any) is that I simply do not know.

I don’t know what to do.

My wife stayed back in Perth this week. She’s a massive footy fan, unfortunately barracking for Carlton. She watches every game she can over the course of a weekend except for Freo away games, preferring not to see what the club does to my emotions (she doesn’t like the yelling).

Whenever I’ve broken into a monologue this season about Freo and the journey it’s been, she will listen until a natural break in cadence, before turning to me and saying “you know you have Dan to talk to about this right?” Often followed by, “I’m happy for you though!”

She was watching the Grand Final with a group of our friends at a packed Fremantle Oval, and called me shortly after the final siren.

When I saw her name come up I took a deep breath, put on my bravest voice, and said the words I knew she needed to hear - “I’m ok.”

What I heard on the other end of the phone was her breaking into a sob, almost unable to speak, as I repeated those two words over and over in an attempt to console her.

It hurt her so much. As much as I’d seen anything hurt her before. Yet if you had asked her pre-game, she would’ve told you she’d eat her shoe before she cried over Fremantle.

But across four quarters of football, and those shattering final minutes, that all changed.

Not just because she understood what this had meant to me; but because she knew I was lying when I told her I was ok; and she would have moved mountains to take that feeling away from me.

To have someone feel such empathy for your own emotional experience, is to have someone who truly loves you. It’s the kind of love that funnily enough we have for our football clubs. The kind of love that keeps bringing us back despite how much it hurts. The kind of love that’s unconditional.

And so I called her back on my way home.

And she didn’t say a word as I cried and cried and cried to her, walking through the streets of Carlton North.

And when I was finished, I told her that I loved her and we hung up the phone. Nothing more needing to be said.

I still don’t know what to do. I feel a sense of numbness I’ve only felt during the worst times of my life. And even as I write this piece, part of me wonders if I’m just using it as a way to convince myself of something I don’t truly believe. If I am in fact, finally out of emotional tickets when it comes to this tragic passion of mine.

It’s unfair, it’s unjust, it’s all of the things you feel it is. And it’s going to be a long journey back for so many of us as we work through those emotions.

But we will. Because what other choice do we have?

The hard truth is, I don’t know if I’ll ever watch Fremantle win a flag. Whether I deserve to or not. But what I do know is I deserve that kind of love that I’m so lucky to have found. One that you all do too.

And although it doesn’t feel like it now (my god it bloody doesn’t feel like it now), it’s that same unconditional love that will bring me back next year; sitting in that same seat at Optus Stadium, or hopefully inside the G on that final day in September, to do it again with you all.

So be kind to yourselves Purple Army.

And maybe, just maybe, footy will one day be kind back.

Until next year, and every year after that,

Tim

WEST COAST AFLW

Eagles 6.9 (45) def Bombers 4.11 (35)

• Season properly back on track now with a third straight win. They’re still 12th on the ladder and their percentage is horrible but at least there’s a pulse.

• Maximum 10 coaches votes to Ella Roberts after 31 disposals, nine tackles, eight score involvements and nine intercept possessions. She also had two rundown tackles late when the Bombers were up and about.

• The Eagles’ injury problems are starting to come good. Courtney Rowley has been a significant out after suffering a second ACL injury - and she showed her class in her return. Her seven intercepts were behind only Roberts for the game, her defensive work was great and she’ll only continue to improve from here.

FREMANTLE AFLW

Dockers 9.6 (60) def Crows 5.5 (35)

• Only Fremantle’s second win over Adelaide since the start of the AFLW, they go back into the top eight and Hayler Miller becomes the club’s all-time leading W goal kicker. Good result.

• Some are suggesting this was Kiara Bowers’ best ever game. I understand the argument being made, without completely agreeing with it - she had a career-high 17 uncontested disposals and 600+ metres gained (plus 29 touches overall and two goals) and is adapting her game successfully at 34 while still rolling out best-on-ground performances. How many players are able to change roles and maintain a serious influence post-30? Not many, that’s for sure. She’s a very special footballer.

• News this week that the Dockers are a chance to lure Zippy Fish home. A couple of years ago they looked on the slide, but they’ve been able to re-tool by being bold at the trade table. Gabby Newton, Eden Zanker, Bella Smith… Zippy next?

AFL FUTURES GAME

• Campbell Creyk, Maxim Collins, Rafe Williamson (West Perth), Fynn Tomasini (Perth), James Artemis (East Fremantle) and Axel Walsh (East Perth) were all in action on Saturday in a national young guns showcase in Melbourne.

• Long-term readers will know we are fans of this kid, but Creyk was seriously impressive against the best bottom-agers in the country. Was quick and clean in wet conditions and found the scoreboard.

• Walsh did Walsh things in the ruck, which probably surprised people watching him for the first time, but after seeing him do it at league level in the WAFL, it came as no surprise. Expected to be announced as a Tassie Devil this week.

That’s us all caught up.

Jumper Punches is produced by Playbookx. We’re a sports marketing company that unites brands, sports and community. If you’re a brand looking to grow your business, or a sport looking for help with commercial strategy, content or marketing, let’s have a chat.

Catch you next week.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Sullivan Logistics sports deck to say hi on their way into Optus Stadium yesterday, to Soulsbys Barbers for cutting hair, and to Varsity for helping with some prizes.

Planning another event around the AFL draft in November, so keep an ear out.

In today’s newsletter: The Hayden Young game, the young tall who will push Freo’s big three next season, another Ella game, all the news from the WAFL grand final and who won the PFL A-Grade comps?

Let’s get stuck in.

Jumper Punches is proudly supported by Sullivan Logistics, WA’s most reliable overnight freight partner. For more than 30 years, Sullivan Logistics has delivered at scale and speed for regional communities and primary industries across the state. Through freight, logistics, and warehousing, they keep Western Australia moving.

Get in touch today.

FREMANTLE

Dockers 12.11 (83) def Swans 10.11 (71)

• The Fremantle Dockers are into their second AFL Grand Final. Justin Longmuir said it well post-game - they didn’t do it the easy way, but that’s kind of built into the Fremantle experience.

• In so many ways this prelim will be remembered as the Hayden Young game. Even before his stunning goal late in the third, he looked the most likely Docker to bring them back into the game. And then he had eight touches in the last term to help get them over the line. They’ve had to manage him through the season, but they’ve got him ripe for this time of year.

• Forget the dubious call in the lead-up, the Jye Amiss goal in the third quarter is crazy from a tall forward. Feel like this has been overlooked a bit…

• I repeat, the Fremantle Dockers are in the AFL Grand Final.

WAFL GRAND FINAL

Peel Thunder 16.17 (113) def Claremont 7.9 (51)

• Most of us thought Peel would probably win, but not like that. As dominant a grand final performance as I can remember. The clock hadn’t even ticked over a minute before Tobyn Murray slotted the first goal for the Thunder. It was over early, the only questions were the margin and the medallist.

• The medallist was Jeremy Sharp. The Fremantle-listed midfielder had a WAFL season to remember. He finished second in the Sandover by four votes - which he probably could have covered if he didn’t get a Freo call-up for two games. He took the Simpson home on grand final day with 27 disposals, seven inside-50s and a goal. Was probably between him and Cooper Simpson, who was terrific with 25 disposals, five tackles and a goal.

• Been big on Charlie Nicholls this season and he was great on Grand Final day. The young Dockers key forward kicked three and took seven marks working in tandem with Corey Tregenza. Nicholls finished the season with 30 goals from 14 games. Freo are a tough side to crack, but expect him to push the big three through next pre-season.

• This was an insane goal from Scott Tuia.

WAFL COLTS GRAND FINAL

East Fremantle 11.12 (78) def South Fremantle 3.16 (34)

• Turns out the reserves (a four-point win to Swan Districts) was the only good game of the day. The Sharks dominated the colts decider from the start, and based on the strength of their bottom-agers and futures players, we could see them do this many times over the next few years.

• Big game from Josh Nathan in the middle for the Sharks. The Freo NGA product finished the season in the seniors but had a massive impact for the colts on grand final day. 27 disposals, seven marks, two goals to win the medal as best on ground.

• My man Marcus Motton had some extremely nice moments. There’s still something about him I like that I just can’t put my finger on. He’s got some similarities to Jeremy Sharp at the same age. Looks great at full stride, has a booming kick. Keep an eye on how he develops.

• Heartbreaking result for the Dogs - set the pace for most of the season, as they did last year, and have two GF losses in two years to show for it.

WEST COAST AFLW

Eagles 5.6 (36) def Saints 3.7 (25)

• Daisy Pearce said finals were still possible after their bad start and people scoffed. Now they’ve won two on the trot and it’s not out of the question.

• So glad to see everything start to come together for Amy Franklin. She kicked two big goals against the Saints and now has nine from six games. She’s showed her talent over the years but struggled for consistency. It looks like things are falling into place.

• Are we allowed to write about Ella Roberts every week in this section? Clearly their best again, this time with 25 disposals, nine tackles and a game-high 530 metres gained.

FREMANTLE AFLW

Bulldogs 6.4 (40) def Dockers 4.6 (30)

• Cockburn is not proving to be a happy hunting ground for the Freo girls. The loss to the Dogs takes their record to 1-3 at their new home ground.

• The Dockers looked pretty good through the first three quarters but had it ripped away by the Dogs late, in a game where the wind was doing PLENTY.

• Worth noting the continued outstanding form of 34-year-old Kiara Bowers - nine clearances and eight tackles in 24 touches.

PERTH FOOTBALL LEAGUE

• It was a weekend for grand final blowouts. North Beach go back-to-back in the PFL A-Grade men’s comp, beating Fremantle CBC by 71 points. Former Docker and Subiaco premiership player Zac Clarke was named best on ground.

• Great story in the A-Grade women’s - Trinity Aquinas took home the flag with an eight-point win over University. They’ve been in the PFL for five years, making the C3 grand final in their first season, then going C2 premiers, C1 premiers, B-Grade premiers and now A-Grade premiers. What a run! Madeleine Booth was best on ground.

That’s us all caught up.

Jumper Punches is produced by Playbookx. We’re a sports marketing company that unites brands, sports and community. If you’re a brand looking to grow your business, or a sport looking for help with commercial strategy, content or marketing, let’s have a chat.

Catch you next week.

There was a lot of love for last week’s contribution from Mim on the pain and passion of being a Fremantle supporter. it seemed to touch a nerve with everyone in purple.

One of those people was Tim Yap, who reached out with a piece of his own around how supporting Fremantle has shaped him and what this year’s success has meant.

If you’ve got something to contribute, drop me a line at nick@jumperpunches.com.

And while I’ve got you, if you’re headed to the WAFL Grand Final at Optus Stadium this Sunday, make sure to drop into and say hi at the Sullivan Logistics Sports Deck just inside Gate D.

There will be haircuts by Soulbys Barbers, free footies to win and if you’re a Jumper Punches subscriber (free or paid) you can spin the wheel to win a heap of prizes including Varsity vouchers, new Jumper Punches merch and plenty more.

Alright, let’s get stuck in. Enjoy this from our mate Tim Yap…

Jumper Punches is proudly supported by Sullivan Logistics, WA’s most reliable overnight freight partner. For more than 30 years, Sullivan Logistics has delivered at scale and speed for regional communities and primary industries across the state. Through freight, logistics, and warehousing, they keep Western Australia moving.

Get in touch today.

My name is Tim. I’m 29 years old and work as a Paediatric Emergency Doctor in Perth. And whenever I imagine being in the crowd, watching Fremantle lift the premiership cup, I start to cry.

I know it seems ridiculous. But it also makes all the sense in the world.

I got married this year, one week before round one, with my best man on the day being my partner in supporting the Dockers since we were six years old.

In my wedding speech I tried to sum up the relationship (with my best man, not my wife):

“I wish I could stand here and talk about all the good times, but to be honest it’s been full of pain, crushed dreams and yelling creative expletives watching the Dockers.

“We joked about what it would be like if we didn’t have a flag by the time we were 30.

“Well, we are 29 this year, we have full-time jobs, facial hair, eight finals appearances, seven finals wins, a Nat Fyfe debut, two Nat Fyfe Brownlows, a Nat Fyfe retirement … and no flag.

“But I am in some way grateful for each of those painful moments, because I’ve been able to share them with you.”

Now - some six months, 19 wins and a minor premiership later - our childhood dream seems closer than ever. And it’s got me thinking about the words I spoke that night, what September means to so many of us across Australia, and the relationship football has played with my own mental health, through some of the most challenging periods of my life.

I first started supporting Freo in 2003. A small, asian six-year-old kid in a school full of Aussies, I used sport as a way to fit in.

I didn’t have a dad around to kick the footy with me, he passed away when I was young. But that didn’t stop me kicking the ball around for hours alone in the driveway. I would make up player careers and season scorelines, but the storyline always finished with the Dockers lifting the cup.

I was obsessed with all things footy, regularly hiring out 100 Years of Australian Football from the School library and photocopying pages to study later. By the time I was eight I could’ve told you the winner of every grand final, Norm Smith and Brownlow Medal going back 50 years.

If I didn’t look like you, that was ok, I’d run harder on the field, and learn more about the game than you ever could.

As a Dockers fan in the early 2000s, it felt like everyone in WA besides me and my best mate barracked for West Coast. They played in finals and won flags, while we hung our hats on derby wins. Still, I’d argue with the Eagles fans in the playground until I was red in the face. (Sure they won the flag in 2006, but we beat them twice that year, so who was really the better side? We would’ve beat them in that Granny anyway)

Then came Ross, and with him a rare period of success that defined my teenage years. With finals euphoria and heartbreak that would dictate my mood for the week.

At this age I hadn’t yet grasped the fleeting nature of all things good and bad in life, and unfortunately for us Freo fans, fleeting the good truly was.

What was difficult for me during this next phase as a Dockers supporter however, was the convergence of the team’s demise with that of my own mental health. Something I could’ve never predicted.

It’s often said that for so many of us, sport is an escape. A place where we can find temporary relief from what can be at times a cruel and unforgiving world.

But what happens when that escape begins to emulate the cruelty of our own reality? When sport changes from a beacon of hope and joy, to a microcosm of the happiness and success we ultimately feel we don’t deserve?

Well in some of the darkest times of my own life, I was faced with this exact question. And like so many of us, I kept showing up. Whether it be at the ground or on the couch, footy was the only constant in my life. But instead of distracting me from my own hardships, it acted as its own.

I wanted to pull away, find a new hobby or place to invest my time that didn’t hurt so much, but as we all know all too well, that passion simply cannot be replaced.

Which is why I hate the phrase ‘it’s just a game’.

Because of course there are more important things than football. I’ve been reminded of that many times throughout my own life, I’m reminded of that every day at work. I’ve lost loved ones, I’ve lost patients, and at times I’ve lost myself. But for better or for worse, footy has always been there, weaving its way into the fabric of my own identity.

And when I look back at some of my most cherished memories - passages of play I can replay beat-for-beat in my head, lines of commentary I can repeat word for word - I don’t just see games of football, I see different versions of myself, facing different hurdles throughout my life, that have shaped the man I am today.

Footy has taught me resilience. At times when just getting out of bed onto the couch to watch the game was an achievement in itself.

It’s reminded me to always show up; for my team, for my loved ones and for myself, no matter the situation, no matter the stakes.

And it’s allowed me to remain connected with people when life has gotten in the way; a medium to foster more meaningful relationships that are so difficult to find in the modern world, particularly amongst young men.

So as this incredible season reaches its pinnacle, and I look back on the words I spoke six months ago, this September for me represents the passing of time.

I’m 29 now, and my life is now full of so many wonderful things that I am truly grateful for.

But when I take my seat at Optus Stadium, or turn on the TV at home, I’m still that six-year-old boy in his driveway, finding his place in the world, dreaming of September glory.

There’s still work to be done. But preparing to watch the team this Friday night, and whatever comes after, I can’t help but look back on the journey endured to this point and be proud of the person I’ve grown to become, through life and through football.

So no, it’s not just a game. It’s Australian Rules Football. It’s an identity.

Jumper Punches is produced by Playbookx. We’re a sports marketing company that unites brands, sports and community. If you’re a brand looking to grow your business, or a sport looking for help with commercial strategy, content or marketing, let’s have a chat.

At Optus Stadium on Friday night it was Luke Jackson leading the Dockers to a prelim, then yesterday we saw the grand finalists decided in the WAFL in a thriller

Before we get into everything, a quick announcement: Jumper Punches will be doing a live pre-game pop-up at the WAFL grand final this Sunday at Optus Stadium.

We’re teaming up with our major partners Sullivan Logistics and setting up in their Sports Deck with a DJ, haircuts from our mates at Soulsbys Barbers and giveaways for subscribers including Jumper Punches caps, footies, Varsity vouchers and more

So if you’re headed to the game, drop in beforehand and say g’day

Subscribe now

In today’s newsletter: Wharfie Time, Serong’s leadership, the Eagles get off the mark, Freo defy some hefty AFLW injuries, two of the WAFL’s best backs go at it, and a derby colts GF.

Let’s get stuck in.

Jumper Punches is proudly supported by Sullivan Logistics, WA’s most reliable overnight freight partner. For more than 30 years, Sullivan Logistics has delivered at scale and speed for regional communities and primary industries across the state. Through freight, logistics, and warehousing, they keep Western Australia moving.

Get in touch today.

FREMANTLE

Dockers 18.12 (120) def Cats 16.10 (106)

• Get some Wharfie Time into you.

• The bounce back was inevitable. The only question was if it would be enough against an experienced Geelong outfit. The fast start seemed to answer the question. The late third-quarter blitz put a full stop on it.

• That blitz was led by Luke Jackson and it’s not the first time he’s led a third-quarter blitz in an important final at Optus Stadium. The last time he did it, he left the ground a premiership player with Melbourne in 2021. Here are his Q3 stats from Friday night: eight disposals, two goals, one goal assist, four clearances.

• Interesting tidbit from this yarn by Eliza Reilly about Caleb Serong’s leadership during the week. Corey Wagner said Serong took the chance to speak to the group about his own failure early in the week: “He said he was selfish and he wanted to win so badly that he went away from enjoying football and being a leader. He’s the one who leads the way with that openness and vulnerability. Everyone else could take a leaf out of his book and a weight off their shoulders.”

• Bring on Sydney this Friday.

WEST COAST AFLW

Eagles 6.10 (46) def Lions 6.5 (41)

• A genuine turn-up. The Eagles win their first game of the year and it’s the first time they have ever beaten Brisbane in the AFLW.

• This may have been Ella Roberts’ best game yet. And she’s played some bloody good ones. Finished with a career-high 34 disposals, 11 clearances and eight tackles through the middle of the ground.

• Former skipper Emma Swanson had some terrific moments in defence when her side needed someone to step up. Nine intercepts, mainly across half-back, and started some nice scoring chains as well.

• Check this goal out:

FREMANTLE AFL

Dockers 5.7 (37) def Bombers 3.4 (22)

• First win at Cockburn in the books for the Freo girls. Slightly harder than it had to be, but once they got on top they didn’t let the Bombers back into it.

• Three of their four All-Australians from the past two seasons are now out injured. Mim Strom was a late withdrawal with soreness after copping a shoulder injury last week. Then Emma O’Driscoll went down in the first term with an ankle. With Aisling McCarthy still sidelined with a knee issue, that leaves only Gabby Newton fit from that quartet.

• In the absence of O’Driscoll, we got a breakout game from Holly Egan. In the third game of her career, coming off an ACL injury, the defender peeled off at the right times to grab a game-high eight intercepts and used the ball well. One moment late had three efforts in the one passage of play. One to watch.

WAFL PRELIMINARY FINAL

Claremont 8.10 (58) def East Perth 7.8 (50)

• We end up with the grand final we thought we would all season. Peel Thunder v Claremont next Sunday at Optus Stadium. Be there.

• East Perth actually had the better of the contest in the final term, but couldn’t find a clear target inside 50. Goals on the rebound to Heath Mellody and a crazy finish by Tyson Headland were enough to get it done.

• This game was a great display from two of the best young defenders in State League footy. For the winners, Jasper Peace played one of his best games of the season with nine marks and 17 touches. On the other end Jake Soutar had eight marks and cut off plenty of Tiger attacks. Both could make it at AFL level.

• Speaking of best games this season - Oliver Eastland is already one of the best rucks in the comp, and when his opponent is a 17-year-old (regardless of how talented he is), the big Tiger will dine out. Eastland had 25 disposals, 35 hit-outs and a goal in a BOG performance. Axel Walsh didn't let himself down, but Eastland was too big and too good over four quarters.

WAFL COLTS PRELIM FINAL

South Fremantle 14.4 (88) def Claremont 9.7 (61)

• We’ve got a Freo Derby grand final in the colts! The best two teams all season will meet in the decider on Sunday - it’s actually a twilight fixture, after the league decider at Optus Stadium.

• Jack Mcauliffe (three goals, 16 disposals) and the tireless Chace Vanderhoek (24 disposals, one goal) were fantastic for the Bulldogs as they have been most of the season.

• Harper Banfield won’t play in another grand final, but he did cap off an outstanding September run with another 25 disposals and eight tackles.

That’s us all caught up.

Jumper Punches is produced by Playbookx. We’re a sports marketing company that unites brands, sports and community. If you’re a brand looking to grow your business, or a sport looking for help with commercial strategy, content or marketing, let’s have a chat.

Catch you next week.

In the aftermath of last week’s finals shocker from Fremantle I wanted somebody to articulate the unique experience of supporting the Dockers, so I reached out to fellow Substacker Mim, whose writing I’ve really enjoyed this season.

I think it’s been summed it up brilliantly.

And yes, this is the second guest post this week. We’re always open to contributors so if you think you have something you’d like to add to this project drop me a line at nick@jumperpunches.com.

Alright, let’s get stuck in.

Jumper Punches is proudly supported by Sullivan Logistics, WA’s most reliable overnight freight partner. For more than 30 years, Sullivan Logistics has delivered at scale and speed for regional communities and primary industries across the state. Through freight, logistics, and warehousing, they keep Western Australia moving. Get in touch today.

The story goes that in 1951, the County Mayo team bus of jubilant All-Ireland winners drove blithely through the hushed contemplation of a funeral procession. An incensed priest condemned this lack of respect for the deceased, and laid a curse upon the revellers: County Mayo would not win another All-Ireland until all members of the offending squad had perished from this mortal coil.

It doesn’t really matter that all objective evidence suggests the funeral procession, the heedless team bus, the wrathful priest are purely apocryphal. County Mayo’s curse spoke for itself: eleven All-Ireland Final appearances, plus two replays, without once laying hands to the trophy.

Then in 2026 (with every member of the 1951 winning team interred, for those superstitiously inclined), Mayo did it. They finally won.

Freo are on a dry spell of their own, which spans their entire existence in the Australian Football League. But Australia does not have Ireland’s propensity for superstition. Ours is a hard-eyed culture, where the world operates by rational, market-driven principles; in Australia, teams lose because they are not good enough. It can drive you crazy, as a Freo fan. At least there’s sympathy extended to blameless victims of supernatural forces. Curses can be broken. What if your team is simply never good enough?

This is the permanent sliver of doubt skewering the heart of every single Freo fan. It doesn’t matter that the team tore apart the competition on a 14-game win streak. It doesn’t matter that we secured a home final. It doesn’t matter that we clinched the minor premiership. That dark, painful shard never goes away. What if we’re not good enough when it counts?

Last Thursday, we weren’t just “not good enough”. We didn’t look close to a premiership winning side.

It was a game so bad you stop thinking about footy and start thinking about death. What if my dad dies without ever seeing a flag? And then, The bastard deserves it for raising me to be a Freo fan.

We missed easy goals. We fumbled easy disposals. We meandered into ferocious Hawthorn tackles. The Sherrin itself seemed to wilfully bounce into opposition hands. And there were the Hawthorn Hawks, once more the executioners of Freo’s highest hopes.

Two teams, two lengthy rebuilds, finally finishing top four. But the difference is, last go around the Hawks won three flags.

Mim's Substack

My personal Substack

Freo rebuilds creep along at a geological timescale, ebbing, flowing, steps forward, steps backwards; then, when that contention finally arrives, it seems to last about as long as that bag of baby spinach at the back of your fridge. Even poised where we are demographically, with theoretical years of contention stretching out ahead, every pre-Y2K birthdate sends a shiver down my spine. It’s not as easy for us as it is for the big eastern state teams, nabbing free agents, feasting on the fallen carcasses of expansion teams and wooden spooners. Freo haven’t brought in a free agent through bidding for years; the team sheet is rounded out by discards and hard luck stories, determined to prove their mettle.

And for most of 2026, they have proven themselves—proven themselves to be the best in the comp. Take Josh Treacy, the ultimate “chip on your shoulder” archetype. Overlooked entirely in the national draft, squeezed onto Freo’s rookie list, he clung to his AFL lifeline with both hands. And like anything trapped between those giant mitts, he held on tight. And then last Thursday, on the biggest stage of all, Josh Treacy once again fumbled, stumbled like a rookie. I don’t single out Josh Treacy because he was uniquely deserving of critique; he was one of dozens of Freo players having an off night. Basically the entire team played below their baseline (except Jordan Clark, who retroactively earned his 2026 AA blazer). But Josh Treacy is the guy who never has an off night.

Here is where you’d like a curse. Sure, the weather was inclement, favouring our opposition’s style of game. Sure, there were nerves for our young list. Sure, some of the umpiring decisions at crucial moments were hard to swallow for the home crowd. External factors were nowhere near sufficient to explain this degree of underperformance. But there’s no curse, either. You have to plainly say “we weren’t good enough when it counted”.

Journalist Matt Price once described Freo as “an antidote to the incurable virus of instant gratification”. He loved Freo, and he never saw a premiership. I’ll love Freo my whole life too, even if I never see a premiership. It’s not just the likes of Treacy, Voss, Dudley, Switkowski with a chip on their shoulder—this is the core identity of Freo, right down to the fanbase. We’ve never had that instant gratification. We never had blissful, simple trust in our beloved club. And we’re still sticking with the Dockers. If you never have doubt, you never need faith.

A shocker like Thursday could shred attendance figures, especially from a fickle fanbase accustomed to success after success. That’s not the Freo fanbase. The Geelong semifinal sold out almost instantly.

Freo are better than this. Freo fans believe that Freo are better than this. This Friday, Freo’s long-suffering fans still have faith that they’ll taste triumph instead of more bitter, dockery despair.

And I’d simply ask Transperth to be very mindful of any funeral processions passing through train crossings.

That’s us all caught up.

Jumper Punches is produced by Playbookx. We’re a sports marketing company that unites brands, sports and community. If you’re a brand looking to grow your business, or a sport looking for help with commercial strategy, content or marketing, let’s have a chat.

Catch you next week.

The way that West Coast finished the season meant there was plenty of unrest, but once the dust settles it’s a bit easier to see the steps they took in ‘26.

And you’ve got pick No.3 in hand (even if that turns into No.5 after bids) with some great forward-mid impact players likely to be on the board.

If you’re new here, welcome. Jumper Punches is newsletter covering WA footy in all shapes and forms, and hits your inbox every Monday with everything you need to know from the weekend.

Plenty coming this week, with a guest Freo post set to drop tomorrow. And shortly we’ll have an announcement about an in-person activation at the WAFL grand final we’re pretty excited about too.

Let’s get stuck in.

Jumper Punches is proudly supported by Sullivan Logistics, WA’s most reliable overnight freight partner. For more than 30 years, Sullivan Logistics has delivered at scale and speed for regional communities and primary industries across the state. Through freight, logistics, and warehousing, they keep Western Australia moving. Get in touch today.

Four wins don’t sound like a lot, but this season will be judged on far more from a West Coast perspective. Kurt from Golden Wings has a full wrap on his YouTube channel, but we asked him to find five positives for us to help Eagles fans come to terms with the year just gone.

The torchbearers are set

Rebuilds are a slow burn, and West Coast especially has taken its time to hit the draft in a substantial way. After five years of bottom-three finishes, we can finally see the future leaders emerging.

Harley Reid is a once-in-a-decade player; teams will rebuild for years and go without a genuine match-winner in the guts. Rewarded for an outstanding year with his maiden John Worsfold Medal, it’s hard to see a world where he doesn’t push for All Australian honours next year.

Willem Duursma is mature beyond his years, and his attributes make for a one-in-a-million player. A midfielder who stands taller than his full-forward, Willem’s ability to dominate the air and the ground-level contest makes him impossible to contain. Add a burst of pace, tidy foot skills, composure and an innate goal sense, and the Eagles could have two of the competition’s best mids over the next decade on their books.

Throw in Reuben Ginbey, who can only be described as a warrior down back. His attack on the footy is no different to his attack on the training track. He’ll drag the team along with him as he continues to set the standard.

If there’s a mental and physical archetype I want my team built around, West Coast have got it. These are the players that will set the standards for the emerging group.

The boys got fitter

The addition of ex-Fremantle High Performance Manager, Phil Merriman, may have been overshadowed by last season’s Trade and Draft acquisitions, but his impact was obvious in 2026.

Eyebrows were raised when high-tempo match-sim was introduced earlier than ever at the Eagles, one of many changes Merriman brought to the club’s fitness regime. But it paid dividends; the Eagles were fitter, stronger, and found themselves able to consistently push teams right until the final siren.

Games aren’t won in January, but they certainly can be lost with a poor pre-season. Can’t wait to see the results of another gruelling summer for this young group.

Competitive for longer

You’re never satisfied without the four points, but this year the uplift in fourth-quarter competitiveness was clear.

The four wins speak for themselves; add another five games that were lost by less than 12 points, and you’ve got nine genuine opportunities to win. Off the back of a historically poor one-win season, the improvement is evident.

The young Eagles sorely lacked the poise and experience to finish these games in front on the scoreboard, but that’ll come. The talent, development and fitness are compounding, and there’s a platform set for another jump in the wins tally for 2027.

Bargain buys providing

Plenty is made of the high-pedigree talent that rebuilding clubs acquire through the draft. When you can also add quality mature-age talent around the fringes, the wheel starts to turn much quicker.

Take Milan Murdock, signed as an untried SSP just weeks before the season opener. No one could have predicted he’d rejuvenate the Eagles’ forward line and sew up a top-four finish in the best and fairest.

Tom McCarthy too had an outstanding year in defence as last year’s marquee Mid-Season pickup, reflected by a top-six finish in the B&F. Then enter Marcus Herbert, Pick 13 in this year’s MSD. Slotted straight into a role at AFL level, was best afield for the Eagles in his first-ever Derby, and looks a player for the future.

Even Deven Robertson was a massive success as a DFA Rookie prior to his ACL injury, and Finn MaCrae’s leadership in the WAFL can’t be undersold. The bargain buys are providing, credit to the West Coast recruiters for taking a punt on them.

With crisis comes opportunity

When two of West Coast’s most important players and key defensive pillars, Harry Edwards and Reuben Ginbey, were sidelined with long-term injuries, the cupboard was looking bare. But from the fire emerged Rhett Bazzo, who proved he’ll be an integral piece of this young West Coast defence.

His AFL experience before this season has been rough, to say the least. Called up ahead of his time to an injury-ravaged backline, as a young key back was always going to be tough. Playing on some of the best key forwards the modern era has seen, in a team that was losing by 100 points regularly, you could forgive him for being scarred by those early games.

With a little more stability, Rhett has been able to develop in the WAFL over the past 18 months and when called upon this season, he was ready. He put together a fantastic 14 games, ranking above average in Intercepts, Intercept Marks and One-Percenters, and winning 69% of his contested one-v-one’s.

One of the feel-good stories of the season, Rhett is grit and resilience personified. I can’t wait to see what he can do with this newfound belief, alongside Reuben Ginbey next season.

That’s us all caught up.

Jumper Punches is produced by Playbookx. We’re a sports marketing company that unites brands, sports and community. If you’re a brand looking to grow your business, or a sport looking for help with commercial strategy, content or marketing, let’s have a chat.

Catch you next week.

Being a Fremantle fan is an interesting experience. The word Dockery was invented for a reason. All you can do is hope this week will be better than the last.

Meanwhile at WAFL level the footy has been unreal, and there’s still a prelim and a grand final to come in the next couple of weeks.

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In today’s newsletter: An unreal WAFL final, looking ahead for Freo, Harley wins in a canter, Dockers W lose their most important player and an Eagles-linked prospect digs in again in the colts.

Let’s get stuck in.

Jumper Punches is proudly supported by Sullivan Logistics, WA’s most reliable overnight freight partner. For more than 30 years, Sullivan Logistics has delivered at scale and speed for regional communities and primary industries across the state. Through freight, logistics, and warehousing, they keep Western Australia moving. Get in touch today.

FREMANTLE

Hawks 10.12 (72) def Dockers 5.10 (40)

• We try to keep things positive in this newsletter. So this will be brief.

• Sydney’s shock win over Brisbane changed the game a bit. Most assumed there was one strong side of the finals bracket and one weak side. That’s not the case anymore.

• So let’s just forget about last Thursday and look to the Friday semi-final against Geelong.

• The main question being, who comes in to replace Brandon Walker (who I thought had done some nice things despite a rusty couple of touches)? Judd McVee and Corey Wagner are the obvious candidates, and both did OK for Peel on the weekend without having a statement game.

• That’s all we have to say about Freo v Hawks.

WEST COAST

• In a surprise to absolutely nobody, Harley Reid won the John Worsfold Medal in a canter last Friday night.

Here are the top 10 vote getters:

1. Harley Reid (260 votes)

2. Jake Waterman (209)

3. Tim Kelly (193)

4. Milan Murdock (170)

5. Brady Hough (166)

6. Tom McCarthy (164)

7. Willem Duursma (163)

8. Elliot Yeo (161)

9. Reuben Ginbey (159)

10. Liam Baker (155)

• Coming fourth in the B&F as a last-minute SSP selection is crazy Milan Murdock, genuinely crazy.

WALYALUP (FREMANTLE) AFLW

Dockers 9.6 (60) def Tigers 5.5 (35)

• Excellent win from Walyalup. They controlled the contest early and never let the Tigers back in it in a meaningful way.

• But it wasn’t all roses - Mim Strom was out after a quarter with a shoulder injury. If you’ve read this newsletter in recent weeks, you know how good she’s been for them. Case in point: she missed three quarters but still led her team for clearances. Forward Eden Zanker went into the ruck in her absence which gave them a different look, but nobody can dominate like Mim in there.

• Gabby O’Sullivan has been a consistent presence in the Freo forward line, and she bobs up at least a couple of times every year with a game-shaping performance. Three goals on the weekend and probably the Dockers’ best.

WAALITJ MARAWAR (WEST COAST) AFLW

Demons 12.9 (81) def Eagles 6.8 (44)

• That’s four losses in a row to start the season. Naarm (Melbourne) are very good, but the warning lights are going off all over the place.

• It was a tough day for the defenders - Melbourne led the inside 50s 41-30 and benefited from overlap in their favour time after time. But once again there were a few moments from Zoe Wakfer down back that has me convinced she can be an elite key defender.

WAFL

• Rusted-on WAFL man Jacob Landsmeer reckons East Perth’s two-point semifinal win over Perth was the best game of WAFL footy since the 2010 grand final - yes, the Andrew Krakouer game.

• The Royals moved through to the preliminary final thanks to a last-gasp goal from Sam Van Diemen, who gathered the ball running towards the boundary through a stoppage, threw it on his left and saw it sail through for an absolutely cracking goal which broke the hearts of Demons fans. It was a fitting finish to a game which was end-to-end all day.

• Worth noting the last two Royals inside-50s came courtesy of some big Axel Walsh grabs in defence. Kid’s a star.

• The mini of the game should be on 7plus today, so check it out if you have the time.

• East Perth will face Claremont in the prelim after the Tigers suffered a 28-point loss to Peel, who move straight through to the grand final.

• Zac Mainwaring had a terrific game for the Tigers with three goals, nine tackles and 13 touches. He looks dangerous wherever you put him. Our man Heath Mellody was also class.

• For Peel, Tobyn Murray had some seriously good moments including a running goal that started on a half-back flank.

WAFL COLTS

• East Fremantle are straight through to the decider and looked scary seeing off Claremont by 36 points. Bottom-aged mid James Artemis had 20 and eight tackles and there was a lot to like from Gus Mourish too.

• Harper Banfield dropped another best-on performance for Claremont in a losing side. The hard-nosed Eagles-tied prospect had 29 disposals, a goal and nine inside-50s. Uncompromising.

• The Tigers will meet South Fremantle in the prelim after the Dogs beat West Perth by 35 points. Bottom-aged mid Riley Stannard had his best game for months, kicking two goals from 27 disposals and five tackles.

• For the Falcons, Campbell Creyk finished off a tremendous bottom-aged year with 30 disposals and seven tackles through the middle. Gets extra points for wearing his long socks up. He’s joined by Tadhg Barrowclough who was enormous again in defence.

That’s us all caught up.

Jumper Punches is produced by Playbookx. We’re a sports marketing company that unites brands, sports and community. If you’re a brand looking to grow your business, or a sport looking for help with commercial strategy, content or marketing, let’s have a chat.

Catch you next week.

It’s been in the books for a few weeks now, but the 2026 PSA footy season was one of the best in years.

Scotch College returned to the winners’ list with their fifth Alcock Cup under coach Steve Malaxos - and their first since winning four on the trot between 2020 and 2023.

It came down to the second-last fixture, with Aquinas and Hale keeping them honest throughout the season.

There were plenty of players we liked the look of this season, with most of them folding into WAFL colts as well throughout the year and a select few still competing for a senior or colts WAFL flag.

Here’s a list of them in no particular order. We put the cut-off at six games, with excludes the likes of Heath Mellody, who had three high-level games for Hale.

This post is for our paid-up Jumper Punches members, who get additional content plus first dibs on events, merch etc.

Alright, let’s get stuck in.

Main pic credit: Total Sports Photography/PSA WA

Read more

More on that soon.

The AFL’s wildcard weekend proved a hit. Not sure it will ever convert the non-believers, but if we all agreed on everything, life would be pretty boring.

Now we gear up for Fremantle on Thursday night.

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In this newsletter: AFLW woes continue for WA sides, Mellody makes a mark, Hammer inspires the Royals and West Perth start colts finals in style.

Let’s get stuck in.

Jumper Punches is proudly supported by Sullivan Logistics, WA’s most reliable overnight freight partner. For more than 30 years, Sullivan Logistics has delivered at scale and speed for regional communities and primary industries across the state. Through freight, logistics, and warehousing, they keep Western Australia moving. Get in touch today.

AFLW

• Wharfie Time reared its head for the first time in the AFLW, but it came a bit late to have any real impact. The Dockers went toe-to-toe with the unbeaten Carlton all day and looked a chance when Gabby O’Sullivan sunk one late, but went down by six points.

• Arguments about the best ruck in the competition should stop at Mim Strom. Others may be better pure rucks, but she had the third-highest clearance average in the competition last year and has continued that form through. Again on the weekend she had a goal from 16 disposals, eight clearances and 27 hit-outs. She is the heart of this Dockers outfit.

• Teething problems continue with integrating gun forward recruit Eden Zanker. She missed a lot of the pre-season so there’s still time. But she’s only kicked goals in one of three games.

• West Coast’s season couldn’t have started any worse - 0-3 with an unbeaten Melbourne to come next week. In fairness, they were pretty good in theirir loss to Adelaide on the weekend, apart from the second term where they conceded six goals.

• This was Ella Roberts’ best game so far this season. She had 27, eight clearances and eight tackles. They’ll need some big efforts from here if they are going to turn the season around.

WAFL

• He was highly touted coming into this season. He showed his class at the U18 champs. Now Heath Mellody is proving he could step straight into an AFL side next year. The teenage Tiger was one of Claremont’s best in their finals win over Perth at Revo Fitness Stadium. He finished with 23 disposals, four clearances and one very nice snapped goal in heavy congestion. If you had told me he’d be starting in the middle in a league final six months ago I wouldn’t have believed you, but he’s not just getting a crack, he’s helping reignite a Claremont side that had lost some steam. As good a prospect we’ve had since Luke Jackson in 2019.

• With the win, the Tigers face Peel next week for a chance to head straight into the grand final.

• Hamish Brayshaw has shaken off the rust left from his hamstring injury and inspired East Perth to an elimination final win over Perth. The skipper racked up 26 disposals and owned the stoppages with partner in crime Liam Tedesco as the Royals held on for a thrilling five-point win.

• They play Perth next week in another do-or-die final.

• And could this be the week they hit they Axel Walsh button? After his huge ressies debut last week, he backed it up with 3.4, 18 disposals and 21 hit-outs in the Royal ressies’ finals win over Perth.

WAFL COLTS

• Told you the Falcons colts were good. They move on in the finals, beating Subiaco on the back of four second-half goals from our man Harvey Spawton-Guy. The key forward kicked them from all angles, continuing his league form. Will be a problem for South Fremantle next week.

• Defender Tadhg Barrowclough caught the eye again. He’s had an incredible season for West Perth, gets big numbers for a KPP and takes the game on.

• Here come colts finals Claremont. Harper Banfield was back and best on with 28 disposals and a goal. The Tigers beat the Bulldogs by eight points.

• After a few quiet weeks, finals lit a fuse under Cam Maynard, who was back to his best with two goals, seven tackles and 13 touches for the Dogs.

  ---

That’s us all caught up.

Jumper Punches is produced by Playbookx. We’re a sports marketing company that unites brands, sports and community. If you’re a brand looking to grow your business, or a sport looking for help with commercial strategy, content or marketing, let’s have a chat.

Catch you next week.

I took the family down and the vibes were great. If you haven’t been to a WAFLW decider, chuck it in the diary next year. It was certainly a better use of time than watching a strange, semi-lifeless round 24 in the AFL.

And speaking of deciders, if you’re heading to the WAFL GF in a few weeks, keep an eye out, we’re planning something pretty cool pre-game.

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In today’s newsletter: Pain over for Eagles, breakout game from a Freo forward, the WAFLW grand final upset, Axel’s big day out in the ressies and a Freo NGA goes crazy in his colts debut.

Let’s get stuck in.

Jumper Punches is proudly supported by Sullivan Logistics, WA’s most reliable overnight freight partner. For more than 30 years, Sullivan Logistics has delivered at scale and speed for regional communities and primary industries across the state. Through freight, logistics, and warehousing, they keep Western Australia moving. Get in touch today.

WEST COAST

Hawks 16.11 (107) def Eagles 6.9 (45)

• The positive to take out of this is that the pain is over. The Eagles finish the year on an 11-game losing streak and all out of gas.

• I think when there’s a bit if distance, West Coast fans can look at this season as one where things started to get better, rather than worse, for the first time. The first half of the season was good. There’s plenty of kids and mature-aged finds running through the 23. And there’s more high picks to come.

• One of those mature-aged finds finished with a bang. Milan Murdock had one of his best games against the Hawks. Three goals, 24 disposals, seven score involvements.

FREMANTLE

Blues 18.11 (119) def Dockers 12.10 (82)

• This was a weird round and a weird game. The result was annoying, but the Dockers had nothing to play for and it showed.

• Freo’s qualifying final match-up has been sorted. They’ll play the Hawks at Optus Stadium - times and days are TBC but it sounds like it’s likely to be the Thursday.

• Losing Brennan Cox will hurt. We’re still yet to hear the extend of his calf injury, but he’ll miss the Hawks game at the very least. Oscar McDonald is there to replace him, but Cox at his best is better than McDonald, and it generally takes a while to get back to your best after a calf.

AFLW

• After a disappointing first-up loss in round one, the Dockers did a complete 180 and looked full of run and dangerous when going forward. From the bounce against the Pies, Freo were in control to run out 20-point winners.

• This was Bella Smith’s breakout game. The key forward kicked three and had a major say in proceedings. She had a tough first year last season after joining the Dockers from Sydney, but looks to have found her groove.

• When Freo are up and going, so much points back to Mim Strom. The All-Australian ruck was the leading possession-getter on the ground. She finished with 28, nine clearances, a goal and 28 hit-outs. Elite and still getting better.

• The Eagles will be doing some soul-searching this week. Gold Coast have a lot of young talent, but the Eagles should have been able to handle them on their own deck. Instead the Suns belted them by 35 points.

• Amy Franklin was a bright spark. She had one of her best games at the level, finishing with three goals.

WAFLW GRAND FINAL

East Fremantle 3.5 (23) def Swan Districts 2.7 (19)

• Going into finals, if anyone told you they predicted this, they would have been lying. The Sharks were up and down through they year. They defended better than most other teams, but were generally a rung below Swans and Claremont. Now they are premiers, after knocking both of those teams off in an outstanding finals run.

• The grand final came down to the last quarter. Swan Districts led for most of the game, but Sharks started to gain control of the ball and the momentum late - and that translated to two goals, including the winner from Sienna Jezierski-Brow with three minutes to go.

• It’s not the medal she wanted on the day, but Jaime Henry capped her outstanding year with the Lou Knitter Medal as best-on, polling eight of a possible nine votes. She finished with 31 disposals and 11 tackles.

• It was the opposite result in the Rogers Cup. They had to go to golden point, but Swan Districts claimed the win over East Fremantle by one point. And it was Sharks tall Avuya Nomlatyu taking home the best on ground medal in a losing side.

WAFL

• A crazy final round. The live ladder was jumping all over the place, but in the end Perth, South Fremantle and East Perth made finals and Subiaco and West Coast missed out.

• Heath Mellody is very good at footy. In his second league game, the likely top-10 pick had 33 disposals, 10 tackles and seven inside-50s in a win over West Coast. He did as he pleased, and even kicked a beautiful goal on the run from 45m that killed off any chance of an Eagles comeback in the fourth quarter. One of the best game you’ll see from a teenager at the level.

• Told you Trey Ruscoe was a game-changer for Souths. They had a nail-biting win over Peel Thunder to claim their finals spot and Ruscoe kicked five. Chad Pearson held strong in defence too, in a very nice showing.

• Subiaco did everything they could but it wasn’t enough. They beat East Perth by 35 and Stefan Giro filled the stat sheet with 26 disposals, six tackles, six inside-50s and a goal.

• Tyler Keitel has claimed his sixth Bernie Naylor Medal, kicking two goals to Aaron Clarke’s two behinds. The Demons got the win, and a top-three finish, so I’m sure Clarke isn’t that cut up about it.

• Tasmanian target Axel Walsh ended up playing reserves for East Perth and did a bit of everything. Three goals, 19 disposals, 23 hit-outs. Could a league debut in a final be looming this weekend?

WAFL COLTS

• A draw with Perth was enough for West Perth to claim fifth spot and a finals berth. East Freo finish top, joined by Souths, Claremont, Subiaco and the Falcons.

• 16-year-old forward Jed McGuane starred for the Falcons in the draw, kicking five goals in a breakout performance.

• The Sharks are in incredible form. They rolled Swan Districts 133-15 and two Fremantle NGA players were leading the charge. Finlay Yeo had one of the games of his life with four goals from 30 disposals. Under-16 All-Australian Aiden Martignago was the other - he had 36 disposals and three goals in his colts debut.

• Over at Subiaco it was Sam O’Brien filling his boots with two goals from 37 disposals in a win over East Perth.

  ---

That’s us all caught up.

Jumper Punches is produced by Playbookx. We’re a sports marketing company that unites brands, sports and community. If you’re a brand looking to grow your business, or a sport looking for help with commercial strategy, content or marketing, let’s have a chat.

Catch you next week.

Crazy scenes in the WAFLW on the weekend, with Claremont knocked out of finals in straight sets. Sets the scene for Swan Districts v East Fremantle in the decider at Fremantle Community Bank Oval this Sunday.

There’s a final on offer from now until the last week of September, so if you haven’t subbed to this newsletter, now’s the time.

Subscribe now

In today’s newsletter: Jye Amiss is second in the Coleman, some positional puzzles at West Coast, the Shark surge, finals-defining wins in the WAFL and a Euro-tanned forward who could shape September.

Let’s get stuck in.

Jumper Punches is proudly supported by Sullivan Logistics, WA’s most reliable overnight freight partner. For more than 30 years, Sullivan Logistics has delivered at scale and speed for regional communities and primary industries across the state. Through freight, logistics, and warehousing, they keep Western Australia moving. Get in touch today.

FREMANTLE

Dockers 16.16 (112) def Crows 13.10 (88)

• Top spot locked in for the second time in the club’s history. It means something, but not a whole lot. The most important stuff is still to come, and that will start with a final against one of Hawthorn, Brisbane or Melbourne in three weeks’ time (Geelong are also a long shot, but unlikely).

• Jye Amiss is having a seriously good finish to the regular season. He’s kicked 19 goals in the past five weeks, and that includes a donut against the Bulldogs. His 58 goals for the season are good enough for second in the Coleman race, behind Charlie Curnow’s 66.

• Last week we mentioned the midfield looked a bit off. That’s fixed now. They hunted the Crows on Friday and looked as slick as ever. Caleb Serong led the way. The regular All-Australian had his best game for the year, with 29 disposals, two goals and 12 clearances. He was everywhere.

WEST COAST

Giants 16.15 (111) def Eagles 7.15 (57)

• This is a team that needs the end of the season to come quickly.

• Liam Baker’s move forward was effective. He had a handful of nice moments. But that’s kind of what you get from Baker - he’s good wherever you put him. Leaving him in defence as a senior head is probably the better long-term option.

• Speaking of switching positions, Andrew McQualter admitted that they probably threw Willem Duursma around too much this season. The No.1 pick struggled to get into the game against the Giants, and moving him around wasn’t the answer. If he’s not playing on the ball next year, or at least staying on the wing, I’d be surprised.

AFLW

• The Eagles opened their season with a loss on the road to GWS, who laid on the pressure and ran away with a 12-point win. They actually had 15 more inside 50s but were just outworked once the ball landed.

• Ella Roberts was one of West Coast’s best with 15 disposals and a goal, but she copped a tight tag that limited her impact.

• The co-captains got to work as their side’s two best. Bella Lewis had 28 and six clearances. Charlie Thomas had 25.

• Down in Cockburn it was a new home ground but the same old issue for Fremantle - connection between the midfield and the forwards. It was their bigest challenge last year, they worked on it in pre-season, but it was a red flag immediately in game one, which they lost by 21 points to Port Adelaide.

• Kiara Bowers hasn’t lost a step in her 11th season on the list. She finished with 24 disposals, nine tackles and five clearances.

WAFLW

• For the first time in five years, Claremont won’t be playing in the WAFLW grand final. East Fremantle pulled of a major upset at Revo Fitness Stadium on Sunday and will meet Swan Districts in the decider next week.

• The two sides couldn’t be split at the final siren, so it went to extra time, where Sharks skipper Tiani Teakle nailed the result with a goal basically on the final siren.

WAFL

• Everyone who needed to win to stay in the finals hunt won. The headline there was West Coast upsetting Peel for the first time in what feels like months. The Eagles’ nine-point win came with mature mids Finlay Macrae (31 disposals) and Harry Schoenberg (23, 10 tackles) getting to work.

• So the finals situation going into the last round: For South Freo, East Perth and Perth - win and you’re in. If any of them drop a game and West Coast beat Claremont, the Eagles are in. Subiaco are technically a chance, but they’d need a heap of percentage.

• Subi had an epic win over Claremont to keep themselves half-alive in the finals race. His Tigers didn’t get the win, but top-10 draft prospect Heath Mellody looked at home on debut with 17 disposals, while fellow debutant George Gale had some nice moments.

• Trey Ruscoe had one game to shake off the rust after a mid-season Europe trip, then bounced straight back to form with four goals in a derby win over East Fremantle.

WAFL COLTS

• East Fremantle took the derby honours and top spot on the ladder with a win over Souths. James Artemis had another big day in the middle, and Jayke Taylor kicked two goals from 12 touches. Will be interesting to see how many of his U16 teammates join him next week now that school footy has wrapped up.

• Tadhg Barrowclough had an astonishing 17 marks and 26 disposals for West Perth in their win over the Royals. The result gave the Falcons the advantage in the battle for fifth spot on the ladder.

  ---

That’s us all caught up.

Jumper Punches is produced by Playbookx. We’re a sports marketing company that unites brands, sports and community. If you’re a brand looking to grow your business, or a sport looking for help with commercial strategy, content or marketing, let’s have a chat.

Catch you next week.

The first finals of the WA season were run on the weekend and both were cracking, tight encounters, with Swan Districts booking a ticket straight to the WAFLW decider.

We also handed out a trophy at school level as coach Steve Malaxos returned to the winners’ list at Scotch College with his fifth title since 2020.

In today’s newsletter: The Eagle who may have earned a new deal, two half-centuries at Freo, a WAFL veteran’s big day in front of goals, a colts rookie’s big day in front of goals, plus the WAFLW finals.

Let’s get stuck in.

Jumper Punches is proudly supported by Sullivan Logistics, WA’s most reliable overnight freight partner. For more than 30 years, Sullivan Logistics has delivered at scale and speed for regional communities and primary industries across the state. Through freight, logistics, and warehousing, they keep Western Australia moving. Get in touch today.

WEST COAST

Magpies 17.15 (117) def Eagles 15.8 (98)

• They just got Daicosed. If not for the Brownlow Medal favourite, they could have won the game. But Nick had 39 disposals, 10 clearances and a goal and they didn’t.

• They were also dealing with the fact their best player - and only real midfield difference marker - Harley Reid was battling all day after an early cork. He fought his way through the game and was still one of their best, but his attacking flair was blunted.

• Tom Gross has probably been the Eagles’ best young WAFL player this year, but with so many cuts looming his spot wasn’t guaranteed next year. It feels like he showed enough against the Pies to get another chance. Two goals from 14 disposals and a handful of nice moments.

FREMANTLE

Demons 17.11 (113) def Dockers 17.7 (109)

• Of their three losses this year, that’s the first time you felt like the Dockers were playing well enough, they were just beaten. Even if Justin Longmuir pointed the finger at a bad day for the back six.

• A moment for Josh Treacy and Jye Amiss. For years the Dockers had been searching for a post-Pav spearhead capable of 50 goals in a season. Now they’ve got two. Amiss now has 53 for the year, and Treacy has 50.

• This is very vibe-based, but it feels like the mids just need to get going a bit. There have been some big individual games, but as a collective they don’t seem to be firing as well as they could. Luckily both the forward and defensive 50 operators have been overperforming (this week aside for the defenders) to make up the difference.

WAFLW FINALS

• Swan Districts are straight into the GF after holding off a fast-finishing Claremont to win by one point at Steel Blue Oval.

• Jaime Henry had 23 and 11 tackles for the winners, while Hayley Bullas was huge for Claremont with 27 and 11 tackles in a ripping contest.

• Have to give a nod to Shaya Yarran, who kicked the winning behind and seemed to be everywhere in the final term.

• In the other game, East Fremantle’s miserly defence got it done again, ending South Fremantle’s season 3.4 (22) to 2.6 (18).

• Jae Flynn continued her excellent season with 23 disposals, seven tackles and a goal off half-back.

WAFL

• Peel and Claremont aside, finals spots are still up in the air. East Perth (fourth) jumped back into the five by beating South Fremantle (fifth). And West Coast (sixth) are on the cusp after dealing a blow to Subiaco, who dropped from fifth to seventh as a result of their loss. Percentage is now all that’s separating Perth in third from West Coast in sixth.

• Outside of Peel, who have won 12 in a row and sit in a different category to the rest, West Coast are probably the WAFL’s form team. Finlay Macrae had 30 and nine inside-50s to help them record their fourth win from the past five games and keep finals in the picture.

• Speaking of Peel, Lachie Tardrew had a day out in their win over Perth - 36 disposals and three goals

• The Bernie Naylor Medal is surely headed back to Tyler Keitel now. The West Perth veteran kicked six and had 31 disposals to help the Falcons to their second win of the season, a shock 45-point win over East Fremantle.

• This year’s draft crop continues producing at league level. Harvey Spawton-Guy now has six goals from three games at West Perth, Benji van Rooyen had nine touches, 12 hit-outs and four tackles for Claremont, and Garrison Kenh had some nice moments off half-back for the Eagles.

WAFL COLTS

• South Fremantle ruck Byron Foster ran rampant in a win over East Perth with 25 disposals, two goals, 36 hit-outs and eight inside-50s.

• Keep an eye on 16-year-old Demon Hayden Symons. The young forward out of Hammond Park kicked six in his second colts game to help Perth beat Peel.

• Freo NGA Finlay Yeo loaded up for East Fremantle in a win over West Perth with 27 disposals, two goals and seven tackles. I’m really high on this kid as an exciting front-half creator.

SCHOOL FOOTY

• Scotch College are Alcock Cup champions. Their 53-36 win over Aquinas was enough to make them unbeatable with one game remaining in the PSA WA season. Unsurprisingly, it was George Gale leading the way for his school, who claimed their fifth title under coach Steve Malaxos.

• Axel Walsh had 31 disposals and 12 clearances for Trinity College in a 101-49 win over Hale.

• Guildford Grammar fell agonisingly shot of their first win of the season, with Wesley College winning 7.17 (59) to 8.10 (58).

That’s us all caught up.

Jumper Punches is produced by Playbookx. We’re a sports marketing company that unites brands, sports and community. If you’re a brand looking to grow your business, or a sport looking for help with commercial strategy, content or marketing, let’s have a chat.

Catch you next week.

The ATCO WAFLW Finals are here, and if you haven’t grabbed a ticket yet I suggest jumping on and heading down to Steel Blue Oval or Good Grocer Park this Sunday.

The regular season was a ripper, with seven teams battling for a top four spot from start to finish. Swan Districts set the pace, Claremont caught up quickly, and then the rest made a real run in the back half of the year.

We also saw plenty of massive individual seasons.

Some of them ended in early AFLW opportunities. Noa McNaughton (Fremantle) and Sienna Gerardi (West Coast) were picked up in the pre-season draft in May, then Poppy Stockwell (Hawthorn), Juliet Kelly (Adelaide), Natasha Entwistle (West Coast), Madison Evans (Brisbane) and Isabella Shannon (West Coast) got the call-up as injury replacement players through the season.

Then there were plenty of others who helped define what was one of the best, most competitive WAFLW seasons we’ve had.

To shape this list, we surveyed five judges from across the media, coaching and playing ranks, asking for their 10 best for the season, and ranked them according to the number of selections.

The top three were unanimous picks. The rest weren’t far off.

When players received the same number of votes, they were ranked according to how high their club finished on the ladder.

Make sense?

This post is for paid Jumper Punchers members. Not only do you get great content like this, you also get early access to some great activations we have planned over the next few months.

So many people have already signed up to support this project in its first full season, and we genuinely appreciate every one of you.

Alright, let’s get stuck in.

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It’s all that was running through my head when I saw the vision of Willem Duursma in tears after West Coast’s loss to Richmond yesterday.

It’s gut-wrenching stuff, but it’s also exactly what you want to see. There are no questions about intent. You can see how much it hurts.

Anyway, there were plenty of other, less depressing, results around the State on the weekend, so let’s check in on those….

In today’s newsletter: Eagles win all the stats except the one that matters, Fremantle on a different defensive plane, AFLW pre-season derby standouts, a WAFL veteran catches fire, WAFLW finals set and a colts cult hero goes beast mode.

Let’s get stuck in.

Jumper Punches is proudly supported by Sullivan Logistics, WA’s most reliable overnight freight partner. For more than 30 years, Sullivan Logistics has delivered at scale and speed for regional communities and primary industries across the state. Through freight, logistics, and warehousing, they keep Western Australia moving. Get in touch today.

WEST COAST

Tigers 12.12 (84) def Eagles 9.19 (73)

• They won the inside 50 count 52-45. They won clearances 38-30. They took 14 marks inside 50 to Richmond’s 10. They laid 22 inside 50 tackles to Richmond’s 10. They kicked 9.19. Bad kicking is bad football. No reward for effort. It absolutely kills you.

• On the bright side, take the accuracy in front of goals out of it and the Eagles had things on their terms. I know it’s little consolation, but they are headed in the right direction.

• And speaking of right direction, Harley Reid’s headed that way on a rocket. Finished with 34 possessions, 20 contested, eight score involvements, 658 metres gained and nine clearances.

FREMANTLE

Dockers 11.12 (78) def Bulldogs 5.11 (41)

• Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says his side didn’t deliberately park the bus. So it must have just been an accident that their wing started as close to the D50 as possible, then sprinted there at first opportunity at every centre bounce.

• When you’re trying to pick out a target amid a sea of defenders, it’s a blessing to have Josh Treacy. He was enormous in his 100th game. He kicked three goals and left a couple out there as well, and his mark against four Dogs defenders was crazy good.

• At the other end of the field, the likes of Karl Worner and Oscar McDonald weren’t letting anything get past them. Freo have now conceded an average of 67.3 points per game. The next best is Adelaide with 79.1.

AFLW

• It’s not even round one and Mim Strom is already mounting a case for a third consecutive All-Australian nod. She starred for the Aussies v Ireland with 19 disposals, 26 hit-outs, six clearances and six inside-50s.

Fremantle and West Coast also faced off in their final pre-season hit-out, with the Dockers 28-point winners. CODE Sports’ Eliza Reilly was there and let us know a few of her stand-outs:

DOCKERS

• Gabby Newton looks set to go up a gear again after a breakout 2025. She was so clean, especially under pressure, and elite by hand and foot.

• Logic says eventually time must catch up with Kiara Bowers. But logic doesn’t win every argument. Turbo is still outstanding even in third gear, and turned back the clock with a run and bounce down the wing.

• Keep an eye on Tilly Banfield. She’s been a bolter this pre-season and played as a key target on the weekend. She took some nice marks and used her speed and endurance to sneak out the back on a few occasions.

EAGLES

• It must suck to have the ball and see Jess Rentsch running at you. The hard-tackling Eagle laid a few bone-rattlers and looks to have developed the strength and power to match her physicality in year three.

• Charlotte Riggs is owning the No.1 ruck role. She kicked a jaw-dropping banana goal from 40m out early and offers a strong aerial presence around the ground.

• She’s not the finished product yet, but Sienna Gerardi is going to be bloody fun to watch this year. The pre-season draftee has pace, pressure and plenty of X-factor.

WAFL

• Things are getting tighter than expected in the finals race. Perth (third) and South Fremantle (fourth) both lost, loosening their grip at the top. Meanwhile Subiaco (fifth), East Perth (sixth) and West Coast (seventh) all nabbed crucial wins. There’s only four points between third and seventh now.

• Key defender Jacob Blight was huge for Subiaco - keeping Demons forward Aaron Clarke goalless to help the Lions win by one point. Subi didn’t score in the first term, but slowly chipped away.

• The way East Perth are staying in the finals race despite missing almost all of their starting midfield needs to be studied.

• A Harper Banfield goal after the half-time siren was one of the highlights as the Eagles saw off the Dogs. His U18 teammate Cam Maynard kicked a goal on the other end in his league debut for Souths too.

• Huge game from Alec Waterman at Claremont - 4.2 from 16 disposals.

• Could the Tigers give Benji van Rooyen a debut soon? He had a huge game in the twos, with three goals, 22 disposals and 17 hit-outs.

WAFLW

The regular season is done. The finals are set. Here’s how week one of the finals looks:

• First Semi-Final: Swan Districts v Claremont

• Second Semi-Final (elimination): East Fremantle v South Fremantle

Winner of the first semi goes straight to the grand final. Loser faces the winner of the second semi for the other spot in the decider. Let’s do it!

• Swans knocked Perth out of contention with a 21-point win. Jaime Henry wrapped a bow on her dominant H&A season with 35 disposals and two goals.

• East Fremantle claimed third spot thanks to a three-point win over West Perth. Mackenzie Webb has been a crucial signing for the Sharks this year and was best-on again.

• Claremont sent a pre-finals message by demolishing South Fremantle 60-16. Hayley Bullas had her best game since returning to the Tigers with 34 disposals and two goals and draft prospect India Bonadeo starred with her 26 touches.

• Lucy Gilbey had 21 disposals on debut for the Tigers. She had a really good U18s tournament on the wing, but I wasn’t expecting such a big entry to seniors.

WAFL COLTS

• Just relax, Thatcher Simmons. He kicked 5.4 from 26 disposals for Subiaco. He’s kicked 19 from eight colts games while averaging 24 disposals. What a beast.

• U16 All-Australian Jayke Taylor kicked two goals and had 18 touches in his second colts game for East Fremantle. They beat East Perth 139-18 and will be a problem come finals.

• Noah Braun rolls on for Claremont with 33 disposals and a goal this time to help beat West Perth.

• Wanted to give another shout-out to Campbell Creyk, a bottom-aged mid having a great season across colts and school footy. He had 26 disposals and a goal for the Falcons. Clears the ball, breaks lines, scores. Plenty to like.

SCHOOL FOOTY

• Scotch College (9-1) remain on top with two games remaining. Aquinas College (8-2) are the most likely to upset the order. Those two schools face each other next weekend in a massive fixture.

• Scotch knocked off Trinity on the weekend 90-69. Aquinas defeated Wesley by 60 points, and Christ Church enjoyed a win over Guildford 137-57.

That’s us all caught up.

Jumper Punches is produced by Playbookx. We’re a sports marketing company that unites brands, sports and community. If you’re a brand looking to grow your business, or a sport looking for help with commercial strategy, content or marketing, let’s have a chat.

Catch you next week.

Hello to all the new faces around here - there’s a lot of you over the past couple of weeks. We’re building a community of WA footy tragics and we’re glad to have you along for the ride.

If there’s anything you’d like to see from us, hit me up at nick@jumperpunches.com with suggestions, tips, and any good yarns you reckon we should check out.

In today’s newsletter: Jye loves playing the Eagles, another ordinary derby, the Ella show is back, a big weekend for Eagles-linked draftees, the finals formula in the WAFLW and a Heath Mellody-led school upset.

Let’s get stuck in.

Jumper Punches is proudly supported by Sullivan Logistics, WA’s most reliable overnight freight partner. For more than 30 years, Sullivan Logistics has delivered at scale and speed for regional communities and primary industries across the state. Through freight, logistics, and warehousing, they keep Western Australia moving. Get in touch today.

THE WESTERN DERBY

Dockers 16.16 (112) def Eagles 6.6 (42)

• The Western Derby remains a very average AFL fixture. Fremantle have won 10 of the past 11. West Coast won the 10 before that. The two sides are stuck on two different timelines.

• Murphy Reid won his first Glendinning-Allan Medal. He probably won it for two moments. First, the checkside inside-50 to perfectly find an Isaiah Dudley who was between two defenders when the kick left Reid’s boot. Soon after, Dudley found Reid at the top of the 50, where he drilled a goal from range. He just roams around looking like he’s playing a different game to the other 35 players on the field sometimes.

• If anyone else deserved to win the medal, it was probably Jye Amiss. He’s having a good season anyway but he loves playing West Coast. His five majors made it 25 goals against the Eagles in eight games. His next-best strike rate is 10 in four games against Melbourne.

• There remains too much talk about the non-footy stuff with Harley Reid. How he’s umpired, his propensity for unneeded retaliation etc. Look past that and he’s playing at a seriously high level. His 30 disposals and 12 clearances were a lone hand at times.

AFLW PRE-SEASON

• The Ella Roberts show is back. The Eagles had a tight loss to Collingwood, but Roberts was a star. She had 33 disposals, five clearances, eight score involvements and a goal.

• Lauren Wakfer has been getting some buzz this pre-season, but her sister Zoe might be ready for as big a leap as well. The key defender had eight marks and 15 intercepts.

• The Dockers went down to Richmond in East Fremantle. They managed to possess plenty of the ball, but struggled to turn that into scores.

• I’m expecting good things from Bella Smith this year. The recruit from Sydney didn’t get much of a look last year but has been impressing over pre-season. She kicked a goal from 15 touches as a forward-ruck.

WAFL

• With four games remaining, it looks like a fight between Subiaco, East Perth and West Coast for the final spot in the five. They’re all on a 7-7 record. Claremont, Perth and South Freo (9-5) are jostling for spots above them.

• There were two debutants on the field in the West Coast-West Perth game and both enhanced their reputations. Harper Banfield played for the Eagles as a potential father-son pick. He had 22 disposals and four inside-50s on a wing. For the Falcons it was Harvey Spawton-Guy kicking two goals as a key forward.

• The story of that game was Eagles tall Cooper Duff-Tytler, who returned from a calf injury to kick four goals from 18 disposals. Won’t be in the WAFL for long.

• Peel have now won 10 in a row and sit two games clear in first spot on the ladder. Subiaco were the victims on this occasion.

• Samuel Alvarez had a career game to help Claremont stay in second spot. The 24-year-old kicked two goals from 30 disposals in a complete performance.

WAFLW

• Swan Districts and Claremont are locked in as the top two with one game remaining. South Fremantle and East Fremantle are three and four currently, with Perth half a win out of the four. Those last two spots will come down to the final game. If the Dogs and Sharks both win, they’re in. If Perth win and one of the others drops their game, the Demons play finals.

• The Dogs got in that position thanks to another massive game from late-season recruit Kiana Lee against Subiaco. She kicked four goals from 16 disposals and eight marks. That’s 12 goals from three games now.

• On the other side of that fixture, bottom-age draft prospect Marley Kelman had her best senior game for the Lions with two goals from 13 disposals.

• Demons stalwart Natalie House had a game out of the box with 3.5 and 16 disposals. It helped the Demons thump the Sharks 47-17 and get within striking distance of finals.

• Big game from top-10 chance Cara Dziegielewski in West Perth’s win over East Perth. She finished with 20 disposals, 24 hit-outs and a goal.

WAFL COLTS

• Noah Braun’s rise continues this season. He had 27 and two goals in his return to Claremont after the U18 Champs and suggestions are he may get a run in the West Coast WAFL seniors at some point too.

• The Tigers beat the Royals in that fixture and it was another Eagles-linked teenager - half-back Garrison Kehn - doing the damage for East Perth. He had 25 disposals and five inside-50s.

• Thatcher Simmons continues producing at the level, this time with 18 disposals and 2.3 for Subi in a win over Peel.

SCHOOL FOOTY

• The race for the Alcock Cup is back on after Larke medallist Heath Mellody inspired Hale to a 112-61 win over ladder leaders Scotch, who suffered their first defeat of the season.

• That result means Hale and Aquinas - who beat a competitive Guildford - are now within one win of Scotch with three games remaining.

• Trinity easily accounted for Christ Church in the other fixture.

That’s us all caught up.

Jumper Punches is produced by Playbookx. We’re a sports marketing company that unites brands, sports and community. If you’re a brand looking to grow your business, or a sport looking for help with commercial strategy, content or marketing, let’s have a chat.

Catch you next week.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a LOT of water to go under the bridge, and the development of kids from the U16s to the U18s can vary wildly, but there’s plenty of excitement around the WA squad which last week claimed the national title on the Gold Coast.

WA took out the championships after comfortably beating Vic Metro, Vic Country and South Australia.

They were barely challenged despite leaving the door open by kicking a combined 25.52 across the three games.

In 2008 WA produced four top-10 picks in Nic Naitanui, Stephen Hill, Chris Yarran and Daniel Rich, plus the likes of Neville Jetta and Michael Walters later in the draft.

This group won’t get the same numbers - but that’s because Tasmania will likely have plucked a couple as priority 17-year-old signings at the end of next year.

We surveyed a number of recruiters, agents and talent staff to pull together the following list of the most impressive players from the champs. Some of them project as high-end draft prospects, some just had a ripping carnival.

But whatever happens over the next two years, this is going to be an exciting group to watch.

This newsletter is for paid Jumper Punches subscribers. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has jumped on board and supported this project - we have some big things still to come this season.

Alright, let’s get stuck in.

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After some tough years, WA footy is in a pretty good spot across the board.

Thanks as always to everyone who takes the time to read these bulletins on the Monday.

If you haven’t yet joined up as a paid subscriber, now’s the time to do it, with a full U16 deep dive later this week and a host of features to come over the next month.

Subscribe now

In today’s newsletter: The Andy Brayshaw streak, an Eagles tall who is impressive and uncontracted, the new Warner on the block, Mim moves forward, Boorloo make a claim and Cam Maynard backflips.

Let’s get stuck in. Oh, and happy Derby week!

Jumper Punches is proudly supported by Sullivan Logistics, WA’s most reliable overnight freight partner. For decades, Sullivan Logistics has delivered at scale and speed for regional communities and primary industries across the state. Through freight, logistics, and warehousing, they keep Western Australia moving. Get in touch today.

FREMANTLE

Dockers 15.13 (103) def Power 11.9 (75)

• This stat (courtesy of our man Robbo) is cool. Probably easier if you start better though…

• Here is a snapshot of Andrew Brayshaw’s current run: 30 disposals and five tackles against the Power; 25 and nine inside-50s against the Swans; 22 and eight tackles against the Giants; 29 and eight inside-50s against the Suns; 35 and seven tackles against the Cats; 30 and nine clearances against the Kangaroos. He can sometimes be forgotten, but Brayshaw has been their best mid these past couple of months.

• Hasn’t Jye Amiss grown as a player this season? The sharp improvement in his contested marking and one-on-one contests means he can play that deepest forward role to perfection. He blew past his previous best haul for a season (41 goals) on the weekend and is sitting sixth in the Coleman with 43 goals.

WEST COAST

Lions 13.15 (93) def Eagles 10.9 (69)

• Harley Reid doing his ankle by tripping on the bench is one of the great what-ifs of West Coast’s season. If he was out there, could they have stretched the lead far enough to hang on? Unlikely, but people are allowed to dream. They’ll need him out there against Freo on Friday, particularly given Liam Baker’s suspension.

• Officially joining the Rhett Bazzo fan club. Nobody could point a finger at him amid the late-game fade out. He held Logan Morris to one goal for the first time since round 12, and finished with eight intercept possessions to his name. Still out of contract at the end of the year unless I’ve missed something.

• We mentioned Amiss earlier, and in checking his stats realised that somehow Jake Waterman - despite his issues in front of goal - has sneaked into the top 10 goal-kickers in the comp. His 40 goals are equal with Jack Gunston in eighth spot. Shows just how lethal he’s been this season in all but one aspect, which is now coming good. If kicking behinds had a medal, he’s winning that with 43 - three ahead of fellow Marist Junior Football Club product Mitch Georgiades. Might need a new goal-kicking coach in Churchlands.

UNDER 16 CHAMPIONSHIPS

• WA are the AFL U16 Boys National Champions for the first time in almost a decade. They went undefeated through three games. In fact they were so dominant that they were barely challenged despite kicking a total of 25.52 for the championships - that’s a 32.4% conversion rate not counting complete misses.

• Troy Warner - youngest brother of Chad - took home the Kevin Sheehan Medal as player of the championships. A skilled, creative and balanced player who will likely be speaking Tasmanian late next year.

• Fremantle NGA prospect Aiden Martignago was another who had a brilliant champs, racking up clearances and bursting away from stoppages. Jayke Taylor’s radar in front of goals was off a bit but you can see why he’s considered a high-level forward prospect.

• Later this week we’ll drop a full 16s wrap for our paid subscribers. Keep an eye on your inboxes and if you haven’t upgraded yet, there’s no time like the present.

Subscribe now

AFLW PRE-SEASON

• Fremantle are two from two this pre-season after a 15-point win over Port Adelaide in South Australia at the weekend.

• Mim Strom kicked two goals and appeared to spend a decent amount of time forward. Freo needed more firepower, and traded for it in Eden Zanker, but adding their AA ruck to the mix could be interesting.

• West Coast went down to Adelaide by 18 points. There’s not much info from these games outside club media and the Eagles haven’t posted anything yet so that’s all I got for you.

WAFL

• Perth (known as Boorloo for NAIDOC Week) are second on the ladder thanks to Oscar Hine-Bastion kicking a late goal in the final minute of the game. East Fremantle were in front all day until a late Demons surge had them in striking distance. Hine-Bastion won a holding the ball free kick about 45m out and nailed it.

• South Fremantle also jumped up to third in similar circumstances against Swan Districts. They looked shot at the final break before kicking four goals to one in the final term for a win. Will cross their fingers that Matty Parker recovers quickly after missing with a hamstring injury.

• Claremont have dropped from second to fourth without even playing. They’re on a bye so have a game in hand, but it would have stung regardless.

• Four goals and 16 touches from Jack Mayo helped Subiaco sneak into fifth spot - essentially the ‘best of the rest’ spot this year.

WAFLW

• Subiaco pulled off one of the upsets of the season with a one-point win over Claremont. The Lions’ big three all racked up the footy, but now they are complemented by U18 and U16 guns like Caitlin Boss, Bea Crane, Macy Fair and Marley Kelman. Still a chance to play finals if they keep the three-game win streak going.

• Perth/Boorloo also made the most of their returning U18 talent with newly-crowned All-Australian Mia Carlshausen (20 disposals) named best-on in a win over West Perth. Isabella Shannon’s Dhara Kerr push continued too, with 24 and two goals.

• Lexi Strachan had 26 and a goal in that game for the Falcons, continuing her great U18s form.

WAFL COLTS

• The backflip king Cam Maynard pulled one out again in his first game since the U18 champs - he kicked 3.4 from 15 disposals for South Freo in a big win over Swan Districts. Chace Vanderhoek had 29 and two goals for the Dogs too.

• Thatcher Simmons kicked four goals from 19 disposals for Subiaco in his first colts fixture after a four-game reserves stint.

• Likely future Tasmanian James Artemis is still a bottom-ager but was one of East Fremantle’s best with 20 disposals, 11 tackles, six inside-50s and a goal. The Sharks beat Boorloo to hold onto second spot on the ladder.

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That’s us all caught up.

Jumper Punches is produced by Playbookx. We’re a sports marketing company that unites brands, sports and community. If you’re a brand looking to grow your business, or a sport looking for help with commercial strategy, content or marketing, let’s have a chat.

Catch you next week.

Yesterday was another in a long line of games West Coast have been up to their eyeballs in this season, only to let it slip late. It’s a long road back to contention, just take solace in the fact they’re a lot better than they have been in years.

Meanwhile the Dockers rolled off their best half of the season to put daylight between themselves and the chasing pack.

In today’s newsletter: The young back reaping rewards, Matt Johnson’s changing role, sweet Mellody, the WA ruck named MVP, Souths sign a W star and the bottom-ager doing nice things in the colts.

Also a reminder if you’re keen, the WA U16s are in action on the Gold Coast this week for the final two games of the AFL U16 Champs. You can watch both games on YouTube.

Let’s get stuck in.

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WEST COAST

Bulldogs 13.8 (86) def Eagles 9.16 (70)

• Given the circumstances, this was one of the Eagles’ best few performances this year, they just couldn’t hold the lead. Good enough to get to the line, not yet good enough to finish the job.

• Now that he has some match fitness you can see how good Brandon Starcevich will be for West Coast. Super influential against the Bulldogs and thankfully returned from an ankle complaint to finish out the game.

• Speaking of defenders, that Rhett Bazzo spoil going back with the flight to deny Aaron Naughton a certain goal was unreal. Key position players - most of them anyway - take time to develop. Bazzo has shown in recent weeks that he’s worth persisting with.

• Willem Duursma faded in the final term, but he was such a key part of why West Coast were in the lead for plenty of the game. I think Jagga will have him covered for the Rising Star by the end of the season but more games like Sunday will make it a good race to the finish line.

FREMANTLE

Dockers 15.12 (111) def Swans 10.13 (73)

• You could mount a case that the fourth quarter was Freo’s most impressive quarter this season.

• Sean Darcy was rested and would have played if it was a longer break, according to Justin Longmuir. But after Mason Cox played his best game for the club, does Darcy come straight back in? Feel like the balance shifted on Thursday night.

• They both took a bit of a backseat early in the season, but the influence of Caleb Serong and Andrew Brayshaw has shone through in the past couple of weeks. Brayshaw in particular helped change the game when he found space in the second half.

• In the absence of Hayden Young, Matt Johnson’s centre-bounce attendance went from an average of five this past month to 17. He lifted a gear with the increased role too, with five clearances and 10 score involvements - behind only Murphy Reid for the latter.

WA U18 BOYS

Allies 12.12 (84) def WA 11.12 (78)

• Covered a lot of this in the post for paid subscribers last week, but here’s a couple of headlines.

• Heath Mellody had another best-on-ground performance despite fading late. He played in the middle from the start and was dynamic and effective. Will be on the podium for the Larke Medal if he doesn’t win it.

• Finlay Yeo and Harvey Spawton-Guy both stood up in the forward line against the Allies. Yeo once again was given some time on the ball and used his creativity to put his teammates in great positions.

WA UNDER 18 GIRLS

Allies 8.12 (60) def WA 4.7 (31)

• I think the player that surpassed expectation the most this champs was Charli Bassett. Not a lot of hype coming into it but was in WA’s best every game. Has pace, great in congestion. Keen to see how she finishes the year at East Perth.

• Cara Dziegielewski was deservedly named the WA MVP and should have another All-Australian nod to come. She was consistently in the best handful of players on the ground, controlled the ruck and got to work around the ground. Potential top-10 pick at the end of the year.

• Small forward Shaya Yarran had a really impressive game to round out the champs. Two goals, eight tackles. She was in everything in the forward 50 and showed some terrific speed.

AFLW

• Preseason games began last week, with Fremantle beating Adelaide by 15 points at Fremantle Oval, and West Coast losing to Port Adelaide by 27 points.

• For the Dockers, courtesy of Eliza Reilly, Emma O’Driscoll was getting some inside mid minutes, which is a very interesting move for one of the comp’s best defenders.

• Young forward Georgie Brisbane had some great moments in year one and shapes as a Freo player to watch this season.

• Over at West Coast there was another forward doing good things in Amy Franklin. She’s got plenty of talent but has been hit or miss in terms of performance. Kicked three against the Power and hoping we see a really good season ahead. Her combination with Lauren Wakfer - who dominated early - looks really exciting.

WAFL

• All of the Perth Demons’s big guns had a day out against West Coast. Charlie Constable had 37, Brandan Parfitt had 32 and eight inside-50s, and Aaron Clarke kicked six goals to win by 62 points.

• Leigh Kohlmann told The West’s Aaron Kirby that Swan Districts’ win over East Perth was their best in years. Caleb Ernst sealed the deal with a tough kick late, but Swans had held the Royals at arm’s length for much of the day. Hopefully things turn for the Basso boys soon.

• Kohlmann’s kicked nine goals in his past two games btw.

• Claremont lost to South Fremantle and also lost Callan England in a massive blow to their season. He had his leg trapped in a tackle late. Fingers crossed it’s not too serious for a player who has been in excellent touch this season.

• Everyone might still be playing for second, after Peel Thunder dispatched the Sharks to be undefeated in their past nine games. Hugh Davies continues to be the best key back in the comp with 23 disposals and 15 marks.

WAFLW

• Swan Districts and Claremont have both sewn up a top-two berth now, it’s just a matter of who finishes on top. With three rounds remaining they are both on 12 wins, with Swans ahead on percentage.

• Jaime Henry had 41 disposals in a win over West Perth.

• Tash Entwistle’s replacement goes alright at South Fremantle. After losing Entwistle to an AFLW call-up, Souths were able to bring in SANFL gun Kiana Lee. She kicked 6.4 from 14 disposals in game one. Wowee.

• Claremont came from behind to beat Perth, with Hayley Bullas continuing her excellent form since returning with 22 disposals.

• East Freo continue to hold third place thanks to an 11-point win over East Perth in skipper Tiani Teakle’s 50th game.

WAFL COLTS

• Bottom-ager Taj Allan was a train-on with the 18s this year and has been firing at colts level, leading Swan Districts to a thrilling one-point win over the Royals with 27 disposals and five inside-50s.

• Ethan Turner was a star for the Royals with 30 and a goal - he had some nice moments at the national champs off half-back.

• Meanwhile Souths keep getting ample production from Chace Vanderhoek, whose Jack Clarke Medal claims got better again with 25 and a goal in a win over fellow premiership contenders Claremont.

• Jett Abbott had probably his best game at colts level for East Fremantle. The Aquinas captain picked up 30 disposals and a goal through the middle as the Sharks saw off Peel.

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That’s us all caught up.

Jumper Punches is produced by Playbookx. We’re a sports marketing company that unites brands, sports and community. If you’re a brand looking to grow your business, or a sport looking for help with commercial strategy, content or marketing, let’s have a chat.

Catch you next week.