Preliminary Finals Review

COLTS
Last Sunday saw Subiaco and East Fremantle take on one another in a clash that would determine who would meet Claremont in the 2020 WAFL Colts Grand Final. In overcast conditions at Fremantle Community Bank Oval; Subiaco started with a bang, piling on five goals to none in the opening quarter as they gained the early ascendancy in this Preliminary Final encounter. The second quarter saw the Lions continue to dominate the contest at they went into the half-time break with a 46-point buffer and an eye to next week thanks to slick ball movement and supreme accuracy in front of goal.

The usual suspects in Lachlan Vanirsen and Jed Kemp once again put their hands up in the midfield, leading from the front as they have done all year. Vanirsen was absolutely supreme all morning, racking up 29 disposals, taking four marks, laying seven tackles and even kicking two goals as he provided headaches for the Sharks across the four quarters. The ever-consistent Jed Kemp found the ball 21 times, bringing those around him into the game as he drove the ball inside 50 on multiple occasions. The Sharks did their best to stem the bleeding in the second half, but the Lions were on a rampage, booting five more goals to three. If it wasn’t for some inaccuracy in front of goal the Lions could’ve buried the Sharks even further, but their seven behinds for the half did not prove costly as they ran out 62-point winners, 13.12.90 to 4.4.28. 

The Lions heaped on 25 scoring shots to eight for the match with double majors from the aforementioned Vanirsen, Jacob Evitt and Lachlan McKay, with seven others booting singles as Subiaco consistently piled on the pain throughout the contest.

The win now sees Subiaco take on Claremont next weekend for a chance at Premiership glory in what will be a fantastic way to cap off a stellar season. The Lions will be brimming with confidence after this weekend’s dominant display and will use their previous encounters with the Tigers this season to fuel their plan of attack. 

The Grand Final will be held at Fremantle Community Bank Oval, with bouncedown at 12:10pm this Sunday, October 4.

SUBIACO                    5.3    8.5    12.6    13.12   (90)
EAST FREMANTLE    0.0    1.1      2.3      4.4     (28)

SUBIACO BEST: L. Vanirsen, M. Johnson, J. McGowan, J. Evitt, L. Henderson.
SUBIACO GOALS: 2 – L. Vanirsen, J. Evitt, L McKay 1 – C. Patterson, J. McGowan, C. Faraone, M. Johnson, E. Bolton, J. Gouge, J. Bilchuris.
REPORTS: Nil.

RESERVES
Subiaco and Claremont did battle at Fremantle Community Bank Oval in the WAFL Reserves Preliminary Final last Sunday, with both teams vying for an opportunity to take on East Perth who had already secured their place in the Grand Final. Both teams started cautiously after the first whistle, as the entire first quarter saw both sides combine for just three majors, with Claremont registering two of those. Claremont powered ahead in the second as the kicked 4.3 to the Lions measly three behinds, opening up a 30-point buffer at the main break.

The Lions needed a big second half if they were to have any chance of winning this contest and while they did win the third quarter, they were still left needing to eclipse a 23-point deficit heading into the last quarter. Unfortunately, the Lions only managed to score two behinds in the final term as the Tigers added 31 more points to an already sizeable three-quarter time margin, to run out 52-point winners, 12.5.77 to 3.7.25.

In a day where goals were hard to come by, the Lions only had three individual goal-scorers, with Wil Hickmott, Mitchell Hughes and Jordan Adams all registering a single major each for the match. 
The loss sees the Subiaco Reserves season come to an end, in what can still be considered a very successful season given the difficulties the club has been forced to face. The squeeze on player availability in the League side has caused a flow-on effect through the senior grades, with players being forced to come in and out of the side for the greater good of the club.

Given the uncertainty surrounding the season and the topsy-turvy nature of player selections; the Lions ability to place second on the ladder at the end of the home-and-away season with just the one loss to their name highlights the great success of the side. The team will no doubt be disappointed not to feature in this season’s Grand Final but can hold their head high with their efforts and endeavour this season, as they continued to grow and develop younger players who will no doubt come to play a key role for the club going forward.   

SUBIACO          1.0    1.3    3.5      3.7    (25)
CLAREMONT    2.0    6.3    7.4    12.5    (77)

SUBIACO BEST: B. Golding, M. Lawrence, J. Borchet, J. Robbins.
SUBIACO GOALS: 1 – W. Hickmott, M. Hughes, J. Adams.
REPORTS: Nil.