FootyGoss :: Club News - Peel [WAFL Winners & Losers - Round 12]

WAFL Winners & Losers - Round 12

BIG WINNERS - PEEL THUNDER
The Thunder were in danger of falling off the pace after losing four of their last five matches but rose to the occasion against the third-placed Bulldogs to claim a valuable victory.

The win moves Peel to within a game of the top four and, with games against the bottom two teams (East Fremantle and Claremont) to come in the next fortnight, they have a very real opportunity to stake a claim for a berth in the finals if they can maintain the form they showed on Saturday.

BIG LOSERS - PERTH
While many Perth fans were daring to dream of finals and even Grand Finals, many Demon die-hards knew the game against East Perth had neon danger signs flashing all over it - and they were right.

The Royals set themselves for a big one and delivered while the Demons floundered under intense pressure and now the questions about Perth’s place in the top four will be raised again.

They have a bye this week which gives them two weeks to prepare for a hat-trick of tough matches against fellow finals aspirants, Subiaco, Swan Districts and South Fremantle.

We should know a lot more about Perth, and where they are heading in 2008, in four weeks time.

PLAYER OF THE ROUND - ROSS YOUNG (P)
At half time on Saturday many were reaching for the record books as the classy Perth midfielder racked up 27 disposals before the main break.

While Young’s pace slowed in the second half he still finished with 40 possessions, many of which were creative and effective, and his price for the Sandover Medal firmed once more.

There’s no doubt that Young is the recruit of the year.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON...THE WA UNDER 18s
Over the weekend the members of the WA Under 18s squad were surprisingly given permission to play with their WAFL clubs and those fans that headed to the various venues on Saturday, or braved the hazzardous conditions on Sunday, were treated to an exciting glimpse into the future.

At Medibank Stadium it was the hard-as-nails midfielder Daniel Rich who was on show, terrorising East Fremantle and displaying all of the skills that has him currently rated as a near certainty to be snapped up in the first couple of picks in this year’s AFL draft.

While his apparent rival for the number one position in the draft Nicholas Naitanui has been receiving plenty of media attention, it was two of his WA team mates that stole the limelight in the Claremont/Swan Districts clash on Sunday.

Clever goalsneak Chris Yarran kicked five goals in conditions more suited to snorkling than football including a brilliant ‘steal’ in the goal square and a remarkable bouncing effort that was a carbon copy of the Goal of the Year contender from Collingwood’s Dale Thomas a couple of weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Claremont’s Matt DeBoer was outstanding in defence and the midfield, winning plenty of ‘hard balls’, and was prepared to mix it in the physical stakes with far more experienced and solid combatants such as Adam Lange and Josh Roberts.

These boys and the rest of the WA Under 18s will be in action at Subiaco Oval on Saturday against Vic Country as a curtain raiser to the AFL matches between West Coast and Geelong and, barring the upset of the decade, their efforts with put more smiles on local faces than the main game will.

DAVID LINDSAY