Jye just loves playing West Coast
PLUS 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.
G’day friends! We’re getting to the business end in most of the comps now, with finals spots on the line everywhere.
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.
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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.
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Catch you next week.