Round 21 Recap

Subiaco’s 2024 League season officially came to an end on Sunday with a 49-point defeat at the hands of Claremont, but the result didn’t mar the festivities at all. Fans flocked to Sullivan Logistics Stadium not only to celebrate Maroon Match Day, but also to farewell three club greats as Angus Dewar, Leigh Kitchin and Ben Sokol all wore the maroon and gold for the final time.

Subi struggled to make an impact on the scoreboard all day; every goal originated from set shots up until the middle of the fourth term, with scoring from general play being a major weakness on the day.

Despite this, the golden trio all put in a great performance to close off their careers. Gus played a vital role in Subi’s ability to rebound from defence and push forwar. Kitchin accumulated 18 disposals and seemed to make certain his final game was not a quiet one. An aggressive centre bounce resulted in a knock that sent Kitchin off the ground momentarily, although he returned later in the quarter to wreak more havoc. Kitchin also collected a game-high total of 8 tackles as part of Subi’s defensive efforts.

Not to be outdone, 150-gamer Sokol topped the individual scoreboard of the day, booting 3 goals, 2 of which were in the final term and included one of the luckiest bounces Leederville has seen in a long time.

The future of Subi’s squad is bright, even without Gus, Kitchin and Sokol. Taj Schofield dazzled the crowd with his performance in the centre, finishing with 22 disposals, while wingman Judd Kelman was a pivotal force in keeping the ball up forward, landing 6 tackles and 3 inside-50 entries.

With the loss, Subiaco officially ends the season in 7th on the ladder with a record of 6 wins to 12 losses.

Earlier in the morning, the Reserves squad suffered a similar fate to Claremont in a tight game, falling by 19 points. A day earlier at East Fremantle Oval the Colts squad also lost to Claremont by 66 points.

Despite the losses, both the Reserves and Colts squads are set to represent the Lions in their respective finals series. Both of them will play in the first week of finals this coming Sunday at Revo Fitness Stadium, taking on West Perth in the Colts Qualifying Final at 8:50am and later East Fremantle in the Reserves Qualifying Final at 11:25am. Both teams are locked in for a double-chance, win or lose they will play again the following weekend. See the pathway to the grand finals below: