After a dismal second quarter, when Keegan Knott (I’d love to have him in a blue and black jumper) tore our defence apart, including kicking one of the most freakish goals I’ve ever seen, I feared that we were rapidly going down the gurgler.
Things looked even worse when Hamish Brayshaw was done for the day late in the second quarter and Scott Jones didn’t resume after the long interval.
However, the boys dug deep and I thought our second half (despite Sam van Diemen and Stan Wright spending extended time off the ground due to injury) was some of our best footy for the year.
It helped that the midfield sprung to life after the woes of the second quarter, while Corey Watts had the better of Tyler Keitel, who (thankfully) missed a few shots he’d normally convert.
Remarkably, it was the first Royal flush (clean sweep) of the Falcons since 1997, though there are only two head-to-head meetings these days compared to three in the good old days.
As for the upcoming game against West Coast, whom we would do well not to underestimate, there are bound to be a few enforced changes due to injury.
Hopefully, Nick Robertson got through last Saturday’s reserves match unscathed and is selected for the Eagles game, setting himself up for a meeting with his “old mate” Jono Marsh the following Saturday.
After losing Brayshaw in the second quarter,and then seeing Jonesy walking the boundary,while Medhat was bouncing around in the centre square,looking for all the world to be our apparent designated ruckman before the siren was about to sound for the commencement of the 2nd half,I honestly thought we were in deep deep trouble.To go on to win that game,after we were 16 points down was a really gutsy effort,and the ferocious attack on the ball and their Joondalup falconi opponents,under the circumstances stamped the game as our best win of the year.although when I look at the firepower of the Peel and Shark teams forward lines compared to ours,I’m not sure we have the potency to go all the way,but fingers crossed hopefully I’m wrong.
Tipped you guys to be premiers at the start of the season RL and don’t have any reason to change my mind.As we all know finals are a different ball game and if you guys produce your early season form that’s exactly what finals footy is like. I think McQueen is smart operator and can get the team peaking at the right time.An apprehension of the side is where the goals will come from but I really can’t remember when a forward kicked a bag in finals.You guys have an even spread of goal kickers and in finals that’s gold.If you can stay clear on the injury front you should make the GF and give it a damn good shake.
[quote=“TheFeds post=237129 userid=3849”]Tipped you guys to be premiers at the start of the season RL and don’t have any reason to change my mind.As we all know finals are a different ball game and if you guys produce your early season form that’s exactly what finals footy is like. I think McQueen is smart operator and can get the team peaking at the right time.An apprehension of the side is where the goals will come from but I really can’t remember when a forward kicked a bag in finals.You guys have an even spread of goal kickers and in finals that’s gold.If you can stay clear on the injury front you should make the GF and give it a damn good shake.
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I hope your right Mr Ness but as you well know,flags are not easy to win,and my gut feeling is we don’t have all the pieces required for our side to solve the premiership puzzle,and we’ll get a good guide to see where we’re at when we play the Sharks and Peel in our last 2 qualifying round games,in matches which are essentially mini finals,which will decide who finishes top 3.
My old mate Macreedie is the swing man we’ve been looking for,and it would be nice if we had the luxury of playing him predominantly more forward more often,and a special mention for our man mountain Jonesy today,who was absolutely magnificent.
The whole team were sensational in that last quarter, Lucky.
Remarkably, it was our fifth win by exactly three points this season.
East Fremantle controlled the game from midway through the second quarter and I just assumed that they’d do enough to keep their top-three hopes alive, particularly with Angus Schumacher gone for the day from midway through the second quarter.
However, Ross McQueen rolled the dice and, as you say, the move of swingman Harry Macreadie to centre-half-forward was match-winning.
Alas, we can’t take a trick in terms of injuries, but fingers crossed that Schuey’s injury isn’t season-ending.
Jonesy was sensational, along with Stan Wright. Mitch Crowden, Micky Randall and Liam Tedesco, who all thrived in the heavy conditions.
The ground was like a swimming pool and the reported tackle count (both teams had 130) would have to be a record, although I see from wafl.com.au that both Claremont and West Coast also had 100-plus tackles.
[quote=“Archie Duda Goal Machine post=237303 userid=2436”]The whole team were sensational in that last quarter, Lucky.
Remarkably, it was our fifth win by exactly three points this season.
East Fremantle controlled the game from midway through the second quarter and I just assumed that they’d do enough to keep their top-three hopes alive, particularly with Angus Schumacher gone for the day from midway through the second quarter.
However, Ross McQueen rolled the dice and, as you say, the move of swingman Harry Macreadie to centre-half-forward was match-winning.
Alas, we can’t take a trick in terms of injuries, but fingers crossed that Schuey’s injury isn’t season-ending.
Jonesy was sensational, as was Stan Wright, apart from the free kick and 50m penalty that saw the Sharks kick their third and final goal in Q3.
The ground was like a swimming pool and the tackle count (EF 127, EP 125) would have to be a record, though I see from wafl.com.au that both Claremont and West Coast also had 100-plus tackles.
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Shades of ‘78 today Archie,although I’m still not confident about beating the blue and whites on a fast track,particularly with the injuries to Scott,Brayshaw and now Schumacher,but I suppose you’ve got to be in it to win it,so here’s hoping.
Hopefully we get more of the same weather in September to nullify the “fast deck” that might benefit the Sharks, should we meet them again, Lucky.
Win next week and we have a bye in the first week of the finals, giving a few of our worn bodies and niggly injuries to recover.
I believe that Tom Medhat will be right to return next week, but let’s hope that Hamish Brayshaw has fully recovered to cover Angus Schumacher’s likely absence.
Zach Raykos will hopefully have shaken his illness, while I’ve heard that Angus Scott might be right for the finals.
A bonus will be if Nick Robertson negotiated today’s reserves games unscathed, as his experience will be invaluable if we manage to go deep into September.
Of course, Mitch Schofield is gone for the year, but wouldn’t he be very handy because he’s a genuine match-winner on his day?
Great gutsy, all be it sodden, victory by the boy’s in Blue n Black yesterday at Lake Leedy…congrats on the 4 points and a top 2 finish…been a tough season for you boy’s, especially injury wise.
Going to be an interesting set of matches next week between EP and Peel. The colts are playing off for a spoon, and the league for a minor premiership…talk about a tale of two extremes.
[quote=“Freezin post=237313 userid=945”]Great gutsy, all be it sodden, victory by the boy’s in Blue n Black yesterday at Lake Leedy…congrats on the 4 points and a top 2 finish…been a tough season for you boy’s, especially injury wise.
Going to be an interesting set of matches next week between EP and Peel. The colts are playing off for a spoon, and the league for a minor premiership…talk about a tale of two extremes.
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No surprise there Mr Freeze,by the contrasting fortunes between the senior side and the colts,who cannot be propped up by imports.We have for the most part of the season,played on average only 8 to 9 “homegrown players”and yesterday was I believe,only the first time we have had 11 lineup from our zones,and 6 were from our strong Coastal S.W zone which has over the years,been our only saving grace.
Good to see someone acknowledge that zones DO MATTER.
[quote=“DD post=237323 userid=1749”]Good to see someone acknowledge that zones DO MATTER.
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Anyone who doesn’t believe that is living in cloud cuckoo land DD.The EPFC junior council zone is not a shadow of the strength it once was in the 70s and early eighties when we used to play, although a club like the Sharks,do not seem to have been affected by the changing demographics of our metro area.They still enjoy a powerful metro and Coastal country zone,and ironically have been victims of the strength of their own zone,where they’ve had an Avalanche of players taken through the draft,but had the old WANFL rules still been in place,where you had to be 24 and had to play a 100 games,there is no way on Gods green earth,the Sharks would’ve experienced a 25 year drought if they had access to players like Black,Kennedy,Cousins,Jackson and Co.although they are currently benefiting from the return of some quality delisted AFL players.,but the bottom line is only 5 of our 11 homegrown players yesterday were from our metro zone,which is pitiful and unsustainable particularly with this new points cap,where we will probably be docked another 10 or more points at the end of the season.
Good to know now RL, why I never got picked for under age rep squads for EP as a youngster…it was when EP metro zone was at its powerful peak back in the 70’s & 80’s…We can ignore the fact that I was a slow ungainly left footer, plodding off a half back flank then…far from Stanley Wrightesque like.
[quote=“Freezin post=237328 userid=945”]Good to know now RL, why I never got picked for under age rep squads for EP as a youngster…it was when EP metro zone was at its powerful peak back in the 70’s & 80’s…We can ignore the fact that I was a slow ungainly left footer, plodding off a half back flank then…far from Stanley Wrightesque like.
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Don’t worry Freez,i was no world beater my only claim to fame was getting a best player trophy for Coolbinia Yokine when we lost the 1977 under 14s GF to Morley Police Boys,although receiving the trophy from my hero Peter Spencer was a great highlight,although I had to look sombre collecting it in front of my dejected teammates,and playing at the magnificent Perth oval arena will always be a fond memory.I also recall the fiery under17s grand final between your old side Maylands and East Perth highgate in 1982 which was a fiery and spiteful game,and both of those teams are now defunct which highlights the changing demographics of our city which I highlighted before.
Morley Police boys won everything back then…and they played in the old Footscray jumper from memory, who used to get flogged week in week out back in the VFL.
i played at Maylands initially, then found the bike ride down Peninsula Rd to De Lacey oval a pain, so moved to EP Highate for a few years, before going to Mt Lawley Inglewood, where most of my Mt Lawley high school mates played at.
Morley, Bayswater, Bedford and St Mark’s were the EP strongholds back then…one of my best mates older brother played in that EPH v Maylands GF in 82…Ben Tripp, played colts for EP to from memory. EP junior zone was full of talent back then…lots of talented indigenous boys to…Ninyette and McGuire were talented footballing families back then.
[quote=“Freezin post=237330 userid=945”]Morley Police boys won everything back then…and they played in the old Footscray jumper from memory, who used to get flogged week in week out back in the VFL.
i played at Maylands initially, then found the bike ride down Peninsula Rd to De Lacey oval a pain, so moved to EP Highate for a few years, before going to Mt Lawley Inglewood, where most of my Mt Lawley high school mates played at.
Morley, Bayswater, Bedford and St Mark’s were the EP strongholds back then…one of my best mates older brother played in that EPH v Maylands GF in 82…Ben Tripp, played colts for EP to from memory. EP junior zone was full of talent back then…lots of talented indigenous boys to…Ninyette and McGuire were talented footballing families back then.
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Well when and if you speak to Mr Tripp again,ask him about the incident which caused all hell to break loose after the game,which was caused by a set shot by an East Perth Highgate player which clearly missed,but was signalled a goal by the officiating goal umpire,who was a shifty prick I knew very well,and who happened to be the cousin of theEP Highgate player who clearly missed(I was right behind the goals)and the irate Maylands players chased him into the changerooms where he barricaded himself,while someone had to find the nearest red phone and order a bit of police protection,and the same bloke,unsurprisingly did a bit of time in the can for embezzlement,about a decade later.
Sadly I can’t mate. Ben died a few years back, taken way too young. His brother Raph, who is my mate, lives in Melbourne and every year to raise a glass in Ben’s memory, Raph catches up with the big Russian, Alex Ischenko for a beer. Apparently Ben and Ischenko were best mates in EP colts team.
I will ask Raph about that GF, he has a great memory for stuff like that. I wonder if David Bain and Richard Dennis played for Maylands that day?
[quote=“Freezin post=237333 userid=945”]Sadly I can’t mate. Ben died a few years back, taken way too young. His brother Raph, who is my mate, lives in Melbourne and every year to raise a glass in Ben’s memory, Raph catches up with the big Russian, Alex Ischenko for a beer. Apparently Ben and Ischenko were best mates in EP colts team.
I will ask Raph about that GF, he has a great memory for stuff like that. I wonder if David Bain and Richard Dennis played for Maylands that day?
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That’s sad to hear,but Bain and Dennis were a year younger than me,but they could’ve possibly played,although you’d be surprised that a couple of future VFL players would get involved with an angry mob,especially when my recollection of them playing for the Royals and VFL was that they both had mild temperaments.
Was told by someone in the know at EP a few years ago RL that you’ve got a rich vein of talent coming through Coolbinia Yokine so there’s a bit of a rejuvenation of a couple of your old junior zones and he said your south west zone was booming. Yokine was probably West Perth’s zone previously but I know Coolbinia was part of the EP zone in my junior days.
Wish we could say that about the Avon Valley. Heard from Perth sources that Lathlain primary school was heaving so maybe some of our old zones might start bearing fruit in the near future.
[quote=“DD post=237335 userid=1749”]Was told by someone in the know at EP a few years ago RL that you’ve got a rich vein of talent coming through Coolbinia Yokine so there’s a bit of a rejuvenation of a couple of your old junior zones and he said your south west zone was booming. Yokine was probably West Perth’s zone previously but I know Coolbinia was part of the EP zone in my junior days.
Wish we could say that about the Avon Valley. Heard from Perth sources that Lathlain primary school was heaving so maybe some of our old zones might start bearing fruit in the near future.
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I am not surprised that lathlain is heaving.With a cafe strip nearby.
Build cafes and young families will come.