Cody gives Demons a leg up

A best-on-ground performance from Perth youngster Cody Leggett inspired the Demons to their fourth win of the season, as the home side prevailed over East Fremantle 15.14 (104) to 14.9 (93).

Leggett, playing just his 24^th league game for the club, kicked a personal best seven-goal haul, six of which coming in the first half, setting the Demons up for a hard-fought 11-point win.

Leggett was instrumental in setting a platform for his teammates in the first half, more so in the second quarter where the Demons kicked six goals to four after trailing at quarter-time.

The win is the club’s fourth for the season, doubling the amount of wins recorded in 2015, moving past Claremont into seventh position on the ladder in the process.

Perth’s victory was even more remarkable on the back of the finger injury to Angus Graham in the first five minutes of the contest, forcing him to sit out the rest of the match.

And the Demons were dealt an even harsher blow again in the first quarter when Dene White struggled to get off the ground with a back injury that also saw him sit out the rest of the contest.

The Sharks got the early break with the opening two goals of the game and moved the ball freely to lead at quarter-time by six points.

Fraser Perry got the first goal of the second quarter for the Sharks but Leggett responded with two goals of his own a matter of minutes later.

Tempers boiled over after Leggett’s fourth goal with both sides involved in a hostile melee on Perth’s forward 50m arc.

The hostilities quickly died down as Brett Peake kicked two quick goals for the Sharks. However the Demons wrestled back momentum with three successive goals late in the quarter to hit the lead, until East Fremantle ruckman Jason Bristow goaled on the half-time siren to bring Perth’s lead back to seven points.

The game opened up more in the third as both sides played with more freedom through the middle of the ground.

Leggett kicked his seventh goal at the sixteenth minute mark followed by Brennan Stack’s first for the game, to push Perth’s margin to a game-high 22 points.

The Demons’ only kicked 3.6 for the quarter, as their lead could have been higher throughout the contest but didn’t make the most of their opportunities.

Perry and Brock O’Brien kicked crucial goals in time-on for East Fremantle to give their supporters hope heading into the final term.

Lewis Krakour kicked the first goal of the final quarter for the Sharks, bringing the margin to just five points.

However Perth’s response was impressive, as Lachlan Dennis and Stack both kicked set shot goals from the 50 metre arc on tight angles to push the home side’s margin out once again.

But the Sharks refused the lie down, as O’Brien kicked two more goals from set shots for the away side, to bring the margin to just six points once again.

Perth’s remarkable victory was sealed at the 26^th minuted when Brennan Stack took a mark of the year contender in the goal square and converted the goal, putting the finishing touches on the 11-point win.

Leggett’s bag of seven led the way for the Demons, with the midfield brigade of Aidan Tropiano (33 disposals including 14 tackles), Clint Jones (30 including nine tackles), Liam KcKenna and Julian Jacobs (both with 27 and eight marks) all having a profound impact for the home side.

Samuel Garstone was left to shoulder the ruck work in the absence of the injured Graham, and performed admirably against East Fremantle’s imposing ruck duo of Bristow and Jake Solomon on debut.

Lennon Marlin’s stocks continued to rise with another impressive outing off the half-back line, using the ball with precision throughout the afternoon to expose the holes in East Fremantle’s defence.

Jayden Schofield and Jamie McNamara were both prominent for the visitors with 25 disposals apiece, while O’Brien kicked four goals.

The result capped off a successful day for Perth, with the colts recording their eleventh win of the season with a 35-point win, whilst the reserves came back from more than two goals down at three-quarter-time to kick six goals in the final quarter to win by 13 points.

Perth take on Claremont at the Showgrounds next Saturday afternoon, with bounce down at 2.15pm.

TOTAL

PERTH                         3.3       9.5       12.11   15.14 (104)

EAST FREMANTLE      4.3       8.4       11.7     14.9 (93)

GOALS

PERTH: C Leggett 7, B Stack 3, K Cary 1, L Dennis 1, L Wilkins 1, C Jones 1, L McKenna 1.

EAST FREMANTLE: B O’Brien 4, B Peake 3, F Perry 2, L Krakour 2, J Solomon 1, J Bristow 1, M Boyle 1.

BEST

PERTH: C Leggett, J Jacobs, S Garstone, A Tropiano, M Sinclair, L McKenna, C Jones

EAST FREMANTLE: J McNamara, S Henson, B O’Brien, B Peake,

INJURIES

PERTH: A Graham (finger), D White (lower back)

UMPIRES: R McCaw, L Jago, J Power.

CROWD: 2000 (approx) at Lathlain Park