Colts, reserves provide positives on tough day

SATURDAY proved a tough day for Swan Districts coming off the WAFL bye with an 85-point loss at the hands of South Fremantle at Fremantle Community Bank Oval but the news was better in the colts and reserves.

It didn’t turn out the day Swan Districts were hoping on Saturday at the port against the Bulldogs with the black-and-whites only managing goals at the 12-minute mark of the first quarter and the 25th of the last with South Fremantle ending up winning 15.17 (107) to 2.10 (22).

Swan Districts' lone goals came from Seb Bright and Aidan Clarke.

Tony Notte couldn’t have possibly done more for Swan Districts than he did at centre half-back than delivering 28 possessions, six marks and four tackles.

George Hampson worked hard once again for 27 disposals while Jesse Turner collected 24 touches, Aidan Clarke 19, Mitch Howlett 18, Matt Riggio 17, Alex Howard 16, Brayden Hackett 15 and ruckman Corey Gault 13 to go with 32 hit outs and six tackles.

The news was better to start the day at Fremantle Community Bank Oval, though, with Swan Districts' colts winning by 31 points and then it was a nail-biting draw in the reserves with Mitchell Bain not quite able to make the distance with a shot after the siren.

South Fremantle and Swan Districts came into Saturday's game at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on the two biggest losing streaks in the WAFL at present, but it was the Bulldogs who delivered a dominant performance to return to the winners list.

Coming off a seven-game winning run and then challenging Subiaco for top spot, South Fremantle was on a four-game losing slide while the increasingly youthful Swan Districts were anchored to bottom spot having lost its previous six matches.

It took seven minutes for the first goal of the game and that went the way of South Fremantle thanks to Zac Strom in his 99th WAFL appearance.

Captain Dylan Main then kicked one on the run too before Swan Districts got on the board courtesy of Aidan Clarke.

The Bulldogs managed another one just before quarter-time thanks to Caleb Datson and that saw the home team hold 17-point advantage at the first break.

Things were relatively quiet for the first 19 minutes of the second quarter even though South Fremantle had extended its lead with goals to Brandon Donaldson, Mason Shaw and Chad Pearson.

But once Zac Strom booted his second at the 19-minute mark, it sparked a scintillating run leading into half-time from the Bulldogs that blew the game right open.

Jake Florenca, Brock Higgins, Shaw and Shaun Bewick all kicked goals leading into half-time virtually one after another as South Fremantle finished up with eight goals to three behinds for the quarter to head into the half-time break with a match-winning 64-point lead.

After kicking 8.2 in the second quarter, South Fremantle only managed 1.7 in the third term and with Swan Districts adding seven behinds, the combined one goal and 14 points didn’t create for the most attractive of affairs.

It was more of the same for the first 20 minutes of the last quarter too until Higgins kicked a second goal for South Fremantle.

Kade Stewart and Haiden Schloithe also added goals in quick succession and a 100-point win was on the cards but Swan Districts would kick its second and last goal of the game at the 25-minute mark thanks to Seb Bright to leave the Bulldogs winning by 85 points.

It was quite the dominant showing from South Fremantle who ended up with 96 more possessions than Swan Districts, 72 extra marks, 27 more inside-50 entries and 32 scoring shots to 12 on the way to the 85-point triumph.

Swan Districts has now lost seven straight to remain two games clear in bottom place at 2-12.

The lone colts contest in Round 16 took place at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Saturday morning with Swan Districts prevailing by 31 points against South Fremantle.

Coming off last year's Grand Final appearance, Swan Districts' colts started the 2019 season on fire winning the opening seven matches. But when that winning run ended at the hands of Claremont, it sparked a run of five consecutive losses heading into Saturday's clash with South Fremantle.

That was a South Fremantle team on its own five-match losing streak having won just the two matches so far this season under new coach Luke Tedesco.

That meant both clubs came into Saturday's clash determined to return to the winners list and it was a tight opening term with two goals apiece and South Fremantle taking a three-point lead into quarter-time.

Swan Districts then took over the contest in the second quarter kicking three goals to nil with the Bulldogs managing just the one behind. That saw the black-and-whites go into the half-time break with a 17-point advantage over South Fremantle.

Swans continued to dominate the contest in the third quarter kicking another five goals and holding South Fremantle to just the three behinds as they opened up a match-winning 45-point lead at the last break.

South Fremantle did at least finish strongly with three goals to one in the last quarter but Swan Districts still won 11.6 (72) to 5.11 (41).

Atem Deng produced a tremendous performance for Swan Districts kicking four goals to go with 20 possessions. Thomas Edwards also kicked two goals for the black-and-whites.

Brenton Hilton racked up 31 possessions for Swans, Ethan Nordahl 30, Noah Hannah 23, Kade Screaigh 22, Hudson Babich 22, Ashley Brockbernd 22, Max Chipper 21 and Ben Taylor 21.

The reserves contest at Fremantle Community Bank Oval was then a thrilling affair which wasn’t decided until after the siren. With scores locked together with the siren sounding, the ball was in the hands of Mitchell Bain outside 50.

But in the end his shot from almost 60m out didn’t make the distance and the draw was secured with South Fremantle finishing on 10.4 (64) and Swan Districts 9.10 (64).

Patrick Farrant put his name back up for a league recall for Swan Districts with three goals to go with 15 possessions and six marks.

Nathan Blakely delivered 26 possessions, 14  hit outs and seven marks in the ruck with Mitchell Bain finishing with 21 disposals, Jiah Reidy 18, Jak Watson 17, Nathan Ireland 16 and Warrick Wilson 16.
 

SWAN DISTRICTS        1.0    1.3    1.10    2.10    (22)
SOUTH FREMANTLE        3.5    11.7    12.14    15.17    (107)

SWAN DISTRICTS – Goals: Bright, Clarke.
Best: Notte, Hampson, Turner, Howard, Howlett, Clarke.
SOUTH FREMANTLE – Goals: Z Strom, Higgins, Shaw 2; Schloithe, Florenca, Stewart, Bewick, Verrier, Pearson, Donaldson, Main, Datson.
Best: Main, Suban, Schloithe, Pearson, Higgins, Dragovich, Florenca, Verrier.