Round 18 Men’s Recap

Subiaco have secured a well-earned victory over West Perth after a nail-biting four quarters ended with only a two-point margin last Saturday afternoon at HIF Health Insurance Oval, with the Lions coming out on top 11.10.76 to 11.8.74.

The two clubs could barely be separated. The lead changed 10 times on the day, and statistically were almost identical, with both the Falcons and Lions accumulating exactly 227 kicks apiece.

“The difference just came down to our intention I think,” Captain Greg Clark said of the game. “We’ve spoken all week about how we deserve to win after a few weeks straight of statistically winning games, except for where it matters on the scoreboard, so we had a lot of conviction going into the game we just deserved it.”

“We’ve only had a handful of wins this year, but most of them had really gutsy four-quarter efforts in bad conditions, which we can really build our future off of, knowing the resilience is there.”

“No single play of the day stands out in my mind. We had to withstand, as a group, constant pressure from West Perth, and we kept rising to the challenge each time.”

Clark had a good day out in the centre, garnering 24 disposals and landing 10 tackles. Follower Taj Schofield also racked up 25 disposals in a strong appearance.

Jack Mayo was also a stand-out, with 23 disposals and a game-high 7 i50 entries, in addition to an excellent performance in the ruck with 34 hitouts.

“Jack Mayo stood up again in his new dual role as both a forward and a ruck,” Clark made sure to point out. “He fights undersized week to week but does an amazing job.”

Charlie Burke proved to be a vital component of Subi’s offensive efforts on the day, with the 19-year-old creating 6 i50 entries from his position in the midfield.

“Burke is a future star for the club and just plays his role every week,” Clark added. “The boys love having him in our side.”

In the forward line, Richard Bartlett snagged three goals, while Jordan Snadden and Ryan Borchet both claimed 2 each. Galen Savigni, Jack Cooley, Joshua Robbins and Benjamin Golding all also added a goal each to the tally. Snadden in particular was crucial on the afternoon; sitting in half-forward and creating important scoring opportunities for the Lions with consistency.

The victory marks Subi’s first WAFL win since Round 12’s victory over 2025 finalists East Fremantle, and the first win since Senior Coach Beau Wardman stepped away from the club after six years and two senior premierships with Subiaco. Since then, Senior Assistant Coach and newly-inducted Life Member Nigel Hamilton has taken over coaching duties as the club searches for a new Senior Coach.

“The win is special. Special for us as a playing group, but also special for Nigel,” Clark said. “He is one of the most loyal servants to this football club and has absolutely stepped up when we needed him to.”

“He’s doing a great job under difficult circumstances and, with his knowledge of what this club looks like at the peaks of success, is really pushing the culture and little things that will get us back there into a position to win games.”

While the Lions may not be able to make finals this WAFL season, it doesn’t mean the Lions are slacking off. With two games remaining on the fixture, the squad intends to showcase what the future of the club could look like.

“We’re looking forward to the two home games to finish the season,” Clark explained. “We can take the momentum we’re building, put these performances on in front of our crowd at home and give them the same excitement that we’re building internally about the future of the men’s group.”

Subiaco’s next clash will be against Peel Thunder at Sullivan Logistics Stadium on Saturday, August 16 at 3:00 PM.

The final match of the season, against Perth and also at home, will follow the week after on Saturday, August 23 at 2:30 PM.

The Colts experienced similar success over West Perth later on in the evening, defeating West Perth by 21 points.