Falcons power to WAFL flag

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West Perth captain Jason Salecic and coach Bill Monaghan hold the WAFL premiership trophy aloft. Photo: Les Everett.

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Rohan Kerr and Aaron Black. Photo: Les Everett.

 

THERE are big moments in grand finals. In the 2013 WAFL grand final it came 11 minutes into the third quarter with East Perth leading by three points. Young Royals defender Blayne Wilson took a mark on the wing and West Perth captain Jason Salecic bashed into him late. A 50-metre penalty put Wilson inside 50 and ready for a shot at goal. As is the the modern way a few Royals were letting Salecic know about his mistake. It was all over when Jamie Cripps came from miles away and shoved Salecic who went to ground. The kick was reversed, the Falcons went forward and kicked a goal. Moments later they had another. The game had changed and West Perth didn’t lose their lead.

West Perth took an 11-point lead in to the last break, the same as the half time margin and then powered away in the last quarter kicking seven goals to one.

Mark Hutchings won the Simpson Medal for a tireless display that included three goals. Rohan Kerr found lots of space and kicked five goals, Shane Nelson and Matt Guadagnin put in typical hardworking efforts, Chris Keunen was competitive in the ruck and Salecic and Jay Van Berlo led from the front. Aaron Black, Steven Browne and Steve Potente also played well.

Brendan Lee battled away for the Royals, Aaron Sweet was creative, Paul Johnson was the best ruckman on the ground and Cripps kicked three goals but they did not compensate for his moment of idiocy.

A crowd of 20,008 showed up on a horrible day.

Earlier in the week East Fremantle’s Rory O’Brien won the Sandover Medal with 55 votes from Paul Johnson (East Perth) 43, Jake Murphy (Claremont) 41, Mark McGough (East Fremantle) 36 and Brendan Lee 32.

 

About Les Everett

A Footy Almanac veteran, Les Everett is the author of Gravel Rash: 100 Years of Goldfields Football and Fremantle Dockers: An Illustrated History. He is the footyalmanac.com WAFL correspondent and uses the money he makes from that role to pay for his expensive websites australianrules.com.au and talkingfrankie.com and fund the extravagant Vin Maskell at scoreboardpressure.com

Comments

  1. Malcolm Ashwood says

    Thanks Les Go West Perth Club of The Legend John Wynne Poor Discipline and stupidity cost Games ! I hope to catch up with Wynney at the SANFL GF in 2 Weeks when Norwood are Going 4 Back to Back

  2. Neil Belford says

    Club of Denis Cometti and all the Bewicks you can poke a stick at. Garlic Munchers get one.

  3. Thanks Les – so the Paul Mifkas got up – Craig Turley and Bill Dempsey will be pleased.

    Caaaarn Claremont

  4. West Perth are Stephen and Brandon Hill’s club, so no omen there.
    Zampatti 1; Everett 0.
    I saw a tweet from @Hayden ballas “yoo wuz robed Cripsy. Wood neva hapen @ MCG”. Omen??

  5. Soon to be Z 2 E 1

  6. LES …. I know it could all be to do with life in the most isolated and hard-to-get-to capital city on the planet, but I get all confused.
    There’s Perth, an East Perth and a West Perth. Toss in a couple of Fremantles — a South and an East if I’m not mistaken — and there’s more than half of your WAFL club structure right there.
    Didn’t the founding fathers have ny vision about suburb names back in the day?
    And I think the East Perth mob might be your favoured one among this mix
    We’ve got just North Melbourne left this side of the Nullabor. South Melb. Flew north in the early 80s and there was never an East Melbourne or a West Melbourne

  7. Don’t forget Melbourne.

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