WAFL: Lions resilience on show in top-five fight

Sitting at a three-game losing streak after round 14, Subiaco’s season was at a crossroads.

By no means out of the race in fifth spot, but after being on the wrong end of a couple of close results, the Lions were on the verge of losing touch with the top of the ladder.

However, head coach Beau Wardman saw things differently.

“I didn’t think our football was too bad, we just had to fix a couple of positional things and how we wanted to move the ball,” he said.

“Our contest and our effort has been strong right throughout the season.

“That was something we spoke about in preseason, to ensure we’ve got a really resilient mindset to work hard to finish our games.”

It was resilience the side showed early on when they announced themselves as a threat early in season 2023.

The same motivation has allowed them to recapture their early form, winning three games in a row heading into the final rounds of the year.

Their 11-5 record has them in second spot on percentage, one win behind East Fremantle.

A trademark of the Lions this year is the ability to prevent scores.

Just once has the side conceded more than 100 points: when the side lost to East Perth in round two.

Wardman said while the back six has an important role, every player has a role in defence.

“We’ve probably had a few weeks there where we didn’t quite value our one-on-ones as much as we would like,” he said.

“To the boys’ credit, they’ve buckled down and that’s been a focus for them.”

“What we worked on in the early part of the season was to ensure that we used the numbers and if the ball did go down there, we were getting it out and playing it in our front half again.”

While the mindset was key, some positional changes have also made a difference.

Tall forward Jack Mayo has spent more time on the wing, young tall Luker Kentfield has provided a chop out in the ruck.

According to Wardman, the change has helped the side across the ground.

“Something we really wanted was that pressure inside 50, and we probably found ourselves a little bit tall at different stages,” he said.

“Luker has come in and averages five or six tackles per game, he’s playing a different role to what Jack would have and has different strengths.”

“Something that we’ve lacked is that connection from the back half, and Jack is a really good contested mark, he sees the game well, and he’s a long kick of the footy.

“Freeing him up the ground to run a little bit has certainly helped our game.”

Health at times can be your best friend in football.

During 2022, the Lions struggled at times due to their injury list, testing the depth of the senior squad.

However, as we head into the pointy end of the season, some players could be pressing for a return.

Defenders Aaron Heal and Jordan Lockyer look set to play in the reserves this week, while young gun Koltyn Tholstrup has returned to full training.

Midfield bull Jaimon Alone is tracking well in rehab, but Max Walters remains in doubt for the weekend, after he was a late out on Sunday due to an injury in the warm up.

The team is in a different position than it was 12 months ago, but Wardman said moves last year helped the side in 2023.

“We had a number of different guys roll through the team, we debuted a number of guys who got some opportunity,” he said.

“We recognised that was going to set us up more for this year than having success last year.

“We’re probably a bit fitter in terms of availability, so I think the group is buoyed by that.”

Wardman credited the coaching staff for their efforts in getting the side playing good football at the right time.

Coming up against the Bulldogs and the Sharks to finish the year, he said they will need every bit of their experience.

“The competition is pretty even, and you’ve got to be on your game every week,” Wardman said.

“We hope our previous experience in playing in finals will hold us in good stead over the next two weeks, and whatever comes after that.”