In a pivotal win, the East Fremantle Sharks snapped shut its losing streak with a 27-point victory against the West Coast Eagles (WAFL) at The Good Grocer Park this weekend.
East Fremantle head coach Bill Monaghan reflected on the 102 – 75 victory by emphasising the importance of team structure in success.
“It’s about repeatable effort and executing the fundamentals well,” Monaghan said.
“We stripped it back a little bit and just talked about effort and committing to the structure, so it’s really, really good to see the players get some reward for that.”
The match up was an even one.
East Fremantle had won four of their last five matches against the Eagles, however were sitting ninth on the ladder after a three-game losing streak.
West Coast weren’t fairing much better, lingering down in seventh but were welcoming dual premiership AFL player Brandon Starcevich into their side for the match.
The first quarter saw the Eagles take an early lead with a goal by Harry Barnett, via a beautifully choreographed play down the wing leading to a set shot.
The Sharks stumbled out of the blocks but found their feet thereafter, kicking four consecutive goals in the first quarter, extending their advantage with a dominant second quarter to comfortably lead for the rest of the match.
West Coast responded with their strongest quarter in the third, kicking five goals but ultimately could not displace the solidly structured Sharks come full time.
Jack Cleaver was instrumental for victory, clocking 30 disposals and 13 tackles working as a tag for West Coast’s Elijah Hewitt in the midfield.
Lachlan Bailey and Oskar Smartt delivered notable performances with three goals apiece, with Tom Joyce and Luke Strnadica proving equally vital with 27 disposals and 27 hit outs respectively.
Whilst kicking accuracy, free kicks and handballs were nip and tuck between the two sides, East Fremantle lead the way on the scorecard with disposals, kicks and inside 50’s.
The Sharks now face the reigning premier Bulldogs in the Fremantle derby next weekend.