Swans put Falcons finals bid in jeopardy
Swan Districts bounced back to form with a determined 29-point win against defending WAFL premiers West Perth at HBF Arena today.
The 16.9 (105) to 11.10 (76) result virtually guaranteed their own spot in the finals and all but ended the Falcons’ hopes of qualifying for the playoffs.
West Perth have already booked a spot in the Foxtel Cup grand final against Williamstown later this month but find themselves three games out of the WAFL top four with eight rounds remaining.
Ryan Davis led the way for the winners with five goals in another dominant display. Fellow forward Matt Rogers was also lively with midfielder Aaron Elari, ruckman Nathan Blakely and defenders Justin Simpson and Graham Jetta all doing well for the black and whites.
Swan Districts key forward Tim Geappen failed to gain a possession in the first two quarters but responded with three goals in the second half.
Running half-back Andrew Strijk, midfielder Aaron Black and key defender Jordan Jones did best for the Falcons.
Swans, in stark contrast to their 26-point loss to Claremont seven days earlier, were quick out of the blocks.
The black and whites had two of the first three goals of the opening quarter and rattled on the next three to be 13 points up at quarter time.
The Falcons hit back in the second term and hit the front when luck favoured Anthony Tsalikis in the dying minutes.
Sharpshooter Tsalikis seized the ball when it spilled free after a collision between Swans teammates Tallan Ames and Tony Notte.
Swans regained the initiative with the first two goals of the third quarter, Matt Jukes and Matt Rogers finishing accurately.
The black and whites booted five of six goals for the quarter and turned for home with a 23-point advantage.
Swans won both minor games, taking out the reserves by 22 points and the colts by 13 points.
Nathan Broad, Josh Kirkup and Brent Latch did well in the reserves for Swans to improve their chances of a league recall.
Trent Manzone and Brayden Antonio were prominent for the Falcons in the early game, Antonio finishing with 29 possessions, five marks, four inside 50s and two goals.
SWAN DISTRICTS | 5.4 | 7.4 | 12.8 | 16.9 | 105 |
WEST PERTH | 3.3 | 7.8 | 8.9 | 11.10 | 76 |
GOALS – SWAN DISTRICTS: Davis 5; Geappen 3; Rogers, Jukes, Cary 2; Burnham, Anderson. WEST PERTH: Rodda, Johnson 2; Black, Brown, Tsalikis, Nelson, vanBerlo, Manning, Martin. | |||||
Swans came from 15 points down at three-quarter time to claim the reserves match.
