The Eagles were most appreciative that three clubs – West Perth, East Fremantle and East Perth – were sympathetic to a six-day turnaround, which meant some key players could not play full games.
The Eagles have to back up from the Friday night fixture against Hawthorn to play Essendon on Thursday night. Brad Sheppard and Jacob Brennan (East Fremantle), Mark Hutchings (West Perth) and Jamie Cripps and Will Schofield (East Perth) are all on the selection short-list and needed to be specifically managed with that in mind.
That sense of co-operation was greatly appreciated.
It created a unique management issue, both for the clubs and the players involved, with perhaps the most successful implementation coming from West Perth, who sat Hutchings out for the first term as Subiaco opened up a 29-point lead at quarter-time.
Hutchings was then introduced as the Falcons chipped away at that advantage before clawing their way to a nail-biting one-point win. Hutchings had 22 possessions and was a key influence in the run home.
Brennan and Sheppard found it difficult to impact the game against East Perth, though Sheppard did finish strongly with16 possessions and two tackles.
Similarly, Cripps and Schofield struggled to get into the rhythm of the game, but still produced a positive output for the Royals. Cripps had 16 possessions and seven tackles, while Schofield was solid defensively and had 10 disposals.
Cale Morton probably produced the performance of the round from West Coast-listed players, with 23 possessions and six marks playing across half-back. Ruckman-forward Scott Lycett was also a strong contributor with 17 possessions and eight marks, although his personal highlight was the chase and tackle on Brett Peake during the crucial stages of the final term.
Another positive was the return of ruckman-forward Callum Sinclair for Subiaco, who had 10 possessions, five marks and kicked a goal while Mark Nicoski was lively with 13 touches, five marks and a goal.
Perth pair Simon Tunbridge and Fraser McInnes were prominent in the Demons victory over Peel – Tunbridge had 22 possessions, seven marks and seven inside 50 entries while McInnes complemented 15 touches and four marks with 15 hit outs.
Another encouraging performance was delivered by Jamie Bennell, who had 16 disposals and five marks for Swan Districts in a comprehensive victory over South Fremantle. He provided strong rebound and is growing in confidence each week.
Small forward Murray Newman (11 possessions), did not impact as he would have liked while small South defender Adam Carter had a tough assignment against Dayle Garlett, who kicked five goals.
Ashton Hams, who is ultra-consistent when going back to South, was again one of his team’s better contributors, with 22 touches, five marks and two goals.
