East Perth cannot afford to stray from their trademark if they want to get back on the winner’s list against Swan Districts this weekend, according to Josh Rotham.
The Royals paid a hefty price for deviating from the system that netted them four straight wins from rounds two to six and barely fired a shot during their 68-point loss to South Fremantle on Saturday.
“I thought we just went away from what we’ve been doing most weeks when we’ve been getting four points on the board, which is simply playing our role and working together as a team,” Rotham said.
“I thought as the game went on they just controlled the ball way better than we did. They also controlled the tempo of the game. They had it on their terms whether it was slow or fast they found a way to get through us most of the day.”
Rotham said losing tall defender Will Schofield and forward-ruckman Asher Samelko before half-time was no excuse for the team’s lacklustre performance at Leederville Oval but he revealed East Perth had to structure up differently to compensate for their absence after half-time.
Key forward Matthew Allen moved to defence while half-back Jackson Nelson was pushed forward at times when the Royals needed a spark in the midfield.
Rotham said the Royals tried to embrace the challenge of the change-up rather than lament the fact they were playing two men short.
“We obviously threw a few magnets around,” he said.
“It gave us younger boys an opportunity to step up, which I thought we handled reasonably well.
“Schoey is probably one of the players we didn’t want going down, but it is what it is.
“He brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership down to East Perth. He’s a pretty valuable tool to have as a young fella in my second year. He’s been helping me out heaps. So it’s a shame we lost him in the first quarter.”
Rotham was one of the Royals’ shining lights in an otherwise gloomy day, collecting 12 disposals, eight spoils and five marks back on centre playing on the likes of Cory Dell’olio, Mason Shaw and two-time Bernie Naylor medallist Ben Saunders.
In fact, the second-year Eagle has been one of the team’s most consistent players throughout East Perth's 2018 WAFL campaign.
He travelled as an emergency player for West Coast’s round eight clash with Greater Western Sydney but is yet to make his debut for the blue and gold.
Rotham reckoned simplifying his approach to games had helped him become more consistent this year.
“I guess I’ve stripped things back this year,” Rotham said.
“I think I may have overcomplicated things last year. I was finding my way in my first year, whereas this year I think I’m a bit more prepared, know the structures and as a result I can focus on the little things on game day instead of having 100 things running through my head.
“That’s helped me a lot, in addition to a few little things I’m doing off-field. Hopefully I can keep this form up.”
West Coast has been backing its youth this season and Rotham felt he was ready to step up should a position become available in the senior team.
Until that time comes, the motivated 20-year-old said he would continue to work hard and pick the brains of his senior teammates at training.
“I’m probably learning off the best backline in the comp when you think about it. If I can keep sponging off them and working at my craft, then hopefully I’ll be in the ones soon,” he said.
