Falcons do it easy in Foxtel Cup
West Perth romped into their first Foxtel Cup grand final with a crushing 74-point win over Tasmanian side Western Storm at Patersons Stadium last night.
The Falcons were never challenged after taking the lead inside the opening minute of the game, strolling to a 15.7 (97) to 3.5 (23) victory.
They will now meet the winner of next week's semifinal between East Perth and Williamstown in the grand final on July 22.
West Perth fielded a blend of youth and experience and received good service from both.
Seva Martin and youngster Mitch McPhee announced themselves as potential league regulars with three goals each.
Four players were handed their senior debuts, including Aidan Lynch, who was one of the best afield with 24 possessions.
Martin started deep in attack in the absence of key targets Marcus Adams and Nick Rodda.
He spent time in the ruck as a back-up to Chris Keunen and finished with 11 possessions, five marks, three goals and 11 hit-outs.
West Perth coach Bill Monaghan praised the performance of his less experienced players.
"All the kids we picked played their part," Monaghan said.
"Some of our young kids were outstanding and I thought Seva Martin up forward did a really good job as well."
West Perth had the first six scoring shots inside the opening 10 minutes, with midfielder Matt Guadagnin finding space and Martin providing a target.
The Storm managed to stop the bleeding before quarter time and stayed in the contest until half-way through the second term, when West Perth blew the game open.
Quick goals to McPhee, Marc Crisp, Brayden Antonio and Ray Bartholomew gave the Falcons a 44-point lead at half-time.
The Storm had to wait until nearly 10 minutes into the third quarter to kick their first goal.
Monaghan hoped his side's strong performance would provide some momentum for the WAFL season.
The Falcons won last year's premiership, but have a 5-6 record this season and will slip out of finals contention if they don't rediscover their best form.
They meet South Fremantle at Fremantle Oval on Sunday.
"Our season hasn't been poor, we just haven't been able to consistently be at our best over four quarters," Monaghan said.
"We've been defending really hard and keeping sides to low scores, but we haven't been kicking many up the other end."
