WAFL Player of the Round Jack Hannath was excellent in the ruck against quality Swans’ big man Wes Lammie, collecting 14 disposals and 33 hitouts.
Viv Miche’s comeback after two years on the sidelines because of a foot injury continues to gather momentum.
The solidly built Victorian was close to being the most influential midfielder on the ground, with 27 hard-won and efficiently used disposals and 11 tackles.
Youngsters Alex Forster and Matt Taberner were also solid in their league debuts for the Thunder.
Freo assistant and senior development coach Simon Lloyd said the WAFL partnering model with Peel was already beginning to show benefits for both the AFL and WAFL club.
“Both the Fremantle and Peel players worked well together in tough wet conditions, gave great effort and controlled the game for the most part,” he said.
“The partnership between the Fremantle Dockers and Peel Thunder makes the bond closer when you have a hard-fought win based on trademark effort.”
Lloyd shared his notes on all Fremantle Dockers who played in the WAFL last weekend
Max Duffy (EF) – 10 disposals (8 kicks, 2 handballs) 1 goal
Max played forward. We’re happy with Max’s fourth quarter, particularly the start, where he showed good intensity and work rate. There was an early patch in the term where he kicked a good goal and was involved in another two. He didn’t show enough intensity throughout the game so we just need him to have greater involvement around contested situations.
Garrick Ibbotson (EF) – 14 disposals (8 kicks, 6 handballs)
Played the majority of the game on the wing opposed to Matt Rosa where he played a defensive role and did a good job. He worked hard throughout the game. Garrick went to half-back in the fourth quarter to settle East Fremantle’s defence and gave them some bounce with his rebound.
Haiden Schloithe (SF) – 23 disposals (8 kicks 15 handballs) 11 tackles
Played as an inside-mid for the majority of the game. He played on Bristow in the first quarter and on Kayler-Thompson in the second, where he broke even. We felt that in the second and third terms he lifted his aggression with several strong tackles. He won first possessions and used his quick hands to positive effect. Haiden ended up with 11 tackles and began to run harder and use his leg speed to good effect as the game went on. Overall, his effort was positive.
Alex Forster (PT) – 8 disposals (6 kicks, 2 handballs)
Returned to league this week and played in defence, taking Swan Districts rotating talls and playing deep on their key forwards as well. He positioned well at bounces and presented in some good contests in the final term. He’ll get more of it as the week’s progress, but several of the possessions he did have, he used really well and set up a couple of attacking passages of play.
Hayden Crozier (PT) – 17 disposals (13 kicks, 4 handballs) 5 marks, 1 goal
Played on the wing the majority of the game. He was quiet in the first half but increased his involvement at the contest in the second half, where he presented a lot more around congestion and managed to get some quick kicks out on a wet sloppy day. He worked deeper defensively where he covered for his teammates and received the outlet kicks to give Peel rebound and he executed effectively on most occasions. Kicked two nice goals and, overall, competed better in the second half.
Matt Taberner (PT) – 9 disposals (6 kicks, 3 handballs) 1 goal
Matt showed promising signs as a key forward. He attracted the ball and presented with long leads into usable positions and was a constant hit-up target for Peel Thunder. He ended up covering close to 15km and his sprint distance was very high. In the second quarter the timing of his leading patterns were very good and he took a good strong mark and converted a difficult set-shot just before half-time. Positive signs in his League debut.
Viv Michie (PT) – 25 disposals (18 kicks, 7 handballs) 5 tackles
Viv played inside-mid and had nine clearances, five from centre-square bounces in the third quarter. He had a lot of time with the ball and of his 27 possessions, all of his kicks were effective, bar one. He had a really good kick-to-handball ratio with 20 kicks and seven handballs in wet conditions. He also had five tackles that had intent and aggression and he had a great smother in the final term when Swan Districts were having a shot on goal inside 50. A strong game from Viv that was highlighted by strong contested ball and very efficient use.
Tom Sheridan – 18 disposals (12 kicks, 6 handballs) 5 marks
Tom was consistent in the role he had to play on the wing, where he had an impact with his tackling and a couple of really good clearances. He contributed throughout the game and provided a good outlet from defensive 50 at times and he improved after the first quarter.
WAFL Player of the Round - Jack Hannath – 14 disposals (11 kicks, 3 handballs) 33 hitouts
Jack’s game was full of character and effort. He consistently positioned into big-man positions where he created some strong contests. He had four inside 50 entries by working hard to the open side and making his opponent Wes Lammie accountable. Wes is one of the better ruckmen in the WAFL. Jack had four clearances, which reflected his bullocking approach post-contest and overall, used his physical assets to the team’s benefit.
WAFL Round 6 Results - League
West Perth 13.8 (86) defeated by East Perth 14.12 (96)
South Fremantle 10.12 (72) defeated by Subiaco 16.17 (113)
Claremont 13.9 (87) defeated West Perth 10.8 (68)
Peel Thunder 15.8 (96) defeated Swan Districts 12.12 (84)
