The WAFL Eagles were aiming for their first-ever triumph at Bassendean, but the Swans stood firm, securing a 11.10 (76) to 7.7 (49) victory.

Senior coach Kyal Horsley said Swan Districts stood up in the critical moments and were too strong over the course of four quarters.

“There were some pleasing elements to our game that the players have gone after over the last few weeks, and we are starting to see the reward.” Horsley said.

 “Hopefully we can keep building on these while tidying up some other areas that are costing us at the moment.”

Top Performers:

Clay Hall

Clay had a dominant performance, clean and strong in the contest, worked hard when we had the ball and even harder when Swans had it. Great to see him get back to his damaging best with two goals.

Tom McCarthy

The mid-season draftee was embraced by his teammates and showed his weapons. He gave us some serious bounce out of the back half and was able to link up multiple times to get us inside 50.

Jack Eastough

It was Jack’s second game back for the year and as one of our skippers, he showed his leadership all game. He played outside of himself, organised others and always focussed on the team.

AFL LISTED PLAYERS:

Campbell Chesser

An impressive return for Chess. He looked dynamic on the wing and gave us strong drive for the four quarters. The contest element to his game was noteworthy with seven tackles and six clearances, they are big numbers for his position. His impact in his first game back is a credit to himself and the rehab team.

Coen Livingstone

Coen split his time evenly between ruck and forward and was a presence in both. Finishing with 26 hit outs, four clearances in the ruck and three contested marks (most on the ground), six inside 50’s and one goal. As a forward it’s a big day out and great reward for the work he has been putting in.

Harry Barnett

Harry split his time evenly between ruck and forward and like Coen, had real presence in both. He set the standard for the group early with his attack on the contest in the ruck. This flowed into other parts of his game which was highlighted by some crunching tackles, and a spectacular mark on the last line of defence.

Hamish Davis

Hamish was the emergency for the AFL game on Sunday so he only played three quarters. He set the standard with his usual high work rate and high speed and complimented that with some elite contest work. His handballs in the contest were elite and he set up some of our best plays for the game.

Harvey Johnston

Harvey showed his versatility by playing multiple positions due to some injuries to other players throughout the game. Whether he was on the wing or down back, he attacked the game with his usual intensity and voice to help others and was able to link the game with ball in hand.

Loch Rawlison

Loch led the way for the group with his transition both defensively and offensively. He was recognised by the players post-game and was rewarded with 16 possessions and a goal. He was a standout in the small forwards.  

Jobe Shanahan

Jobe played the first three quarters down back and was moved to the forward line in the final quarter in the hope of winning the game. He competed well down back in what was an open game. He had multiple moments where he was in isolated contest and either won or halved all of them, was rarely beaten all game.

Lucca Grego

Lucca played down back for the game with his ball use and decision making on show. He went at 100% efficiency from his 16 disposals which helped us retain and build the ball up from our back half.

Rhett Bazzo

Another strong defensive performance from Rhett. He has strung an impressive block together at WAFL level and is putting pressure on the players in the AFL.

Tom Gross

An inconsistent game from Grossy. He had some moments where his weapons were on display and he blew the game apart, but at other times he lacked his usual ferocity in the contest. No doubt he will close the gap this week and be back to the explosive and energetic player he is.

Malakai Champion

Malakai had one of those days as the runner. His patterns were good, he found good positions, but the big boys kept catching the ball so he couldn’t get to work at ground level. No doubt he will get rewarded this week with the patterns he is running.