YOUNG defender Casey Sibosado has so far fallen short of the high standard he set for himself in the second half of 2010, but a clash against his former WAFL team may have provided the spark he needed to reignite his season.

Sibosado, who is in his third season on Fremantle's rookie list, transferred from Claremont to Perth early last season in order to get more opportunities at senior WAFL level.

The move paid off and he became an important part of the Demons' back six last year. On Saturday, he was sent forward and he kicked the winning goal against his old side from 50m.
 
"That was from a contested mark and he really played with spirit and attitude," assistant coach Simon Lloyd said.  

Siboado, who was Fremantle's WAFL player of the round, is yet to rediscover the attacking game that made him a valuable player off half-back last year.

However, Lloyd said the 20-year-old would draw confidence from his game at the weekend and playing with the same level of spirit every week would be his focus. 

"The better players in the competition are the ones that hate being beaten," Lloyd said.

"Alex Silvagni is an example - you can see that he's bitterly disappointed after every contest he's beaten in.

"It was a big step for Casey on the weekend."

Ahead of Saturday's clash with Gold Coast at Patersons Stadium, Lloyd shared his WAFL notes with fremantlefc.com.au. 

Swan Districts 7.13 (55) lost to West Perth 15.14 (104)

Jay van Berlo
Jay started the game on the wing for West Perth and played a run-with role opposed to Tom Roach, a quality accumulator. He kept his man to six touches in the first half, so he did a really good job. He got more involved in the second half and had nine possessions in the third term, also kicking a long goal from a set shot. It was a good game from Jay.     

Michael Walters
It was Michael's first game back from injury for Swan Districts and he came on about 10 minutes into the first quarter and stumbled, damaging the posterior cruciate ligament in a knee, which will sideline him for eight weeks. It was obviously disappointing, but Michael is now focused on his rehab program and his football education.

Peter Faulks (reserves)
Peter had his first hit-out for four weeks and started really well with an early intercept. He took several strong contested marks and laid eight tackles, so they were both features of his game. The big positive for us was that Peter got through four quarters, given he hasn't played a lot of footy this year.

Subiaco 16.8 (104) d East Fremantle 11.15 (81)

Jack Anthony
Jack played as a key forward for Subiaco and was opposed to Mitch Brown for the majority of the game. His effort and intent was at a really high level, and he continually led up to the footy and went hard at the contest. There was one passage of play in the third quarter where he tackled with aggression on the wing and that directly resulted with a shot on goal and got Subiaco going. He kicked 2.2 and made a contribution.

Ben Bucovaz
Ben played half-forward for East Fremantle and also had a brief stint at half-back when his side was under siege in the third quarter. He had a positive start to the game, taking a strong mark and converting, and he looked a lot better when he got the ball in space. He kicked a really good goal from a set shot on the boundary in the last quarter, so his conversion and some strong marks were the positives for Ben.

Claremont 8.12 (60) lost to Perth 10.6 (66)

Casey Sibosado
Casey started in the backline for Perth and he played with desperation and intensity right from the start of the game. He showed real physicality on his opponent as a defender and was assertive in spreading and demanding the football when his team won possession. He went forward in the second half, presenting hard at the ball and creating a contest, and was one of the better players on the ground.   

Jayden Pitt
We've been working with Jayden on how he covers the ground and his running patterns, and that was one thing that noticeably improved for Perth - he tracked the ball a lot better. His use of handball was good, he used the first option, and his positioning at stoppages improved. One of Jayden's strengths is his long kicking, and that's going to be a continued focus. 

Byron Schammer
Byron kicked the ball very well, in particular on his left side, and he had two inside 50s that resulted in goals for Claremont. He moved really well at stoppages and his tackling and chasing efforts were major positives. His hard-ball gets were high and he had 29 possessions, so he had a good game and has played consistent footy for a period of time now.  

Joel Houghton (reserves)
Joel played his first WAFL game back from injury and his forward pressure, intent and positioning were all very good. He pushed hard up and back and the work we've been doing on his leading patterns was evident. His two goals were from really positive pieces of play and he had some stints in the ruck in the second half. He's worked hard through his time on the sidelines and you can see the benefits. 

South Fremantle 20.10 (130) d East Perth 12.12 (84)

Hamish Shepheard
Hamish started at centre half-back on Ryan Murphy and followed him into the ruck, competing well at the centre bounces for East Perth. He won his fair share of hit-outs and provided good opportunities for the midfielders, but he probably needed to get a bit more of the ball himself throughout the game. Something we're working on with Hamish is getting involved in the game once the ball leaves his area - that's his focus.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs