Eagle Newman injured in Royals win
East Perth answered their poor start to the season today by holding off a fast-finishing Swan Districts to record a 13-point win at Medibank Stadium.
But last season’s runners up didn’t come out of the match unscathed, with Paul Johnson leaving the field with concussion before three quarter-time and West Coast forward Murray Newman injuring his left ankle in the first half.
The Royals looked lost at times in last week’s loss to East Fremantle, but hit today’s contest with plenty of intent, racking up a 46-point lead through the first three quarters.
The Swans mounted a comeback in the last quarter, kicking six of the first seven goals of the quarter to peg the lead back to just 13 points, but couldn’t quite bridge the gap.
A Malcolm Karpany snap in the dying minutes stopped the Swans’ run and helped the home side escape with a 16.13 (109) to 15.6 (96) win.
Brant Colledge (30 disposals, one goal) and Alec Waterman (26 disposals, two goals) were amongst the Royals’ best, with Liam Duggan (22 disposals, two goals) hugely influential in the opening half.
Aaron Elari (27 disposals) and Matt Riggio (26 disposals, one goal) toiled hard for the Swans, with captain Tallan Ames standing tall in defence.
The Royals were faced with a barrage of Swans pressure at the opening bounce, with the visitors claiming the first goal of the game through Matthew Rogers.
The Royals responded by lifting their physicality around the ball, and whenever it found its way out of a pack it seemed to be Duggan who was on the end of it.
The first-round draft pick was everywhere, gathering nine first-quarter touches and kicking a goal while being rested in the forward line.
His influence was key as the Royals kicked unanswered goals to go into the first break with a 25-point lead.
Swans lifted a gear in the second term, with former Perth player Joel Houghton kicking the first goal after four minutes.
Tim Geappen, celebrating his 150th game, and Ricky Cary chipped in as well to help bring the lead back to less than three goals after a promising 10 minutes from the black and whites.
But again the Royals responded, with a one-handed screamer from Josh Hill and the resulting goal lifting the crowd and his team, who extended their lead to 30 points at the main break despite some wayward goal-kicking.
They kicked away again in the third, controlling possession of the ball.
However the Swans came with a vengeance late, taking advantage of Johnson’s absence to dominate the stoppages and get the ball forward.
Swans kicked seven goals to two in the final quarter before the siren halted their hopes of a comeback win.
