WRAP: Round 15 v Swan Districts

IT was a familiar story at Lathlain Park on Saturday with Perth unable to hold on to a 33-point lead with Swan Districts kicking six goals to two after half-time to win by seven points and remain in fourth position on the WAFL ladder.

 

Perth had a disastrous second half in each of the past two games, but the starts hadn’t been the problem and that was again the case on Saturday. In fact, the Demons started on fire with three goals in the opening 10 minutes from McFarlane, Byrne and Scotney.

 

Swans eventually got on the board at the 21-minute mark with a goal to Stewart, but the Demons responded with two of the last three goals of the first term to be on top by 23 points at quarter-time.

 

Perth again kicked the first two goals of the second term to lead by 33 points after Johnson and Colledge kicked truly. Swans did manage to steady before half-time with the last three goals thanks to Bennell, Stewart and Noble to cut the deficit at the long break to 15 points.

 

Having been horrific the past two weeks after half-time, the last thing Perth needed was to concede the first goal but that's what happened when Cary kicked truly for the black-and-whites. By the time he added a second and Nuich another, Swans were in front.

 

It didn’t take long for Perth to regain the lead, though, with a goal to Papertalk and the Demons remains five points up at three quarter-time.

 

Swan Districts regained the lead with Cary's third goal to open the last quarter and the visitors never looked back there with three goals to one in the final term to end up winning by seven points.

 

Swan Districts is back to Steel Blue Oval on Saturday to take on East Fremantle while Perth has the sizeable challenge of taking on the league-leading Subiaco on a 12-game winning streak at Leederville Oval.

 

 

SWAN DISTRICTS – Goals: Cary 3; Bennell, Stewart, Noble 2; Banfield, Nuich.

Best: Gault, Ellard, Faulkner, Ugle, Howard, Crowley, Banfield, Slater.

PERTH – Goals: Papertalk, Byrne 2; Johnson, Scotney, McFarlane, Colledge, Tropiano.

Best: Jones, Byrne, Papertalk, Sinclair, McFarlane, Narrier.