West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Monday 1 June 1936, page 9


HIGH MARKING IN THE RAIN. West Perth Wins Hard Game. Marking brilliantly, despite the unpleasant weather and slippery ball, kicking well to the man and for goal, and producing brilliant defensive work at critical stages of the game, West Perth defeated Swan Districts by 16 points at Leederville Oval on Saturday. Swan Districts, heavily handicapped through a glaring mistake in tactics in the second! quarter, played on gamely to the last,

at every stage outplayed by a superior combination, but at no stage an opponent to be taken lightly. An outstanding feature of the game was the excellent play of the veteran Flemming, who, in the closing stages of the game, held off a barrage of Swan Districts lone-handed. The teams were:WEST PERTH.-Backs: Fleming, Benton, Bonnor. Half-backs: Forbes, Buttsworth, Tetley. Centres: Coward, Jeasvons, Drew. Half-forwards: Marinko, McDiarmid, Anderson. Forwards: Pola. Tyson, Ford. Ruck: O'Keeffe, Beveridge, Rainoldi (rover). Nineteenth man: Screaigh (replaced Beveridge, injured instep, in the last quarter). sWAN DISTRICTS.-Backs: Zilko, Hunter, Easton. Half-backs: Hunt, Chandler Sinclair. Centres: Mosey, Krepp, Hall. Half-torwards: Sweet, Holdsworth, Forbes. Forwards: Randall, Darmody, Gorn. Buck: Murray, Penberthy, Park (rover). Nineteenth man: Mclnerney (replaced Murray, injured leg, in the last quarter). UMPIRE.--V. Sparrow. Handling and kicking surely in drizzling rain, West Perth quickly established a two-goal lead. Swan Districts were beaten for pace and in the air, and made heavy going of the unpleasant conditions. The team's first goal came from a beautiful foot-pass from Hall, who shot the ball to Chandler, and he, running forward, punted to Gorn, who goaled. O'Keeffe's excellent marking of the wet ball and Coward's clever play on the wing gave West Perth a vital advantage which added to its strength in the ruck, pinned Swan Districts down. West Perth missed several easy chances near the goal but led at quarter-time with 4.6 to 2.2 Swan Districts started the second quarter with great dash. The players held West Perth in the air for a time, and increased their pace, but, for some obscure reason, persisted in driving the ball on the wrong wing for scoring. Time and again the ball went into the pocket, into which a stiff cross-breeze was blowing. Tetley and Flemming did heroic work in defence for West Perth, and for most of the quarter held Swan Districts at bay unaided. Swan Districts gradually reduced the lead to seven points, but in the closing minutes of the term West Perth played excellent systematic football and still held a nine-point lead at half-time, with the scores:-West Perth, 5.8; Swan Districts, 4.5. West Perth made a paralysing burst in the third quarter, and in less than five minutes it had added three goals. Its pace was fast, it handled the ball well, and Marinko. Beveridge, and Pola dominated the ruck. Pola scored his third and the team's ninth goal and West Perth led by 31 points. Swan Districts fought back desperately, compensating for defeat in the air and indifferent kicking by sheer determination. Two goals were scored. Then Forbes started to out-mark the West Perth high-fliers, but goals by Tyson (the result of clever play by Pola) and Anderson eased the tension and re-established West Perth's commanding lead at three-quarter time, when the scores were:-West Perth, 11.12; Swan Districts, 7.8. Swan Districts monopolised the play at the start of the final quarter, but could not score. Beveridge left the field with an injured foot, and a few minutes later Murray was forced to retire. Swan Districts plugged away, finishing hard and still full of fight. Gorn and Darmody goaled, reducing the deficit to 21 points. In heavy rain the West Perth backs repulsed numerous attacks and, with Swan Districts playing desperately, the game resolved itself into a series of fierce scrimmages. A 50-yard goal by Chandler seven minutes from time reduced West Perth's lead to three goals. Swan Districts smashed their way forward again. Five times they got the ball to the goalline, only to be stopped by Flemming, and with West Perth still defending, the game ended with the scores:WEST PERTH 13.14 (92 pts.) SWAN DISTRICTS .. 10.16 (76 pts.) Goal-kickers.-West Perth: Ford (3), Pola (3), Tyson (3), Anderson (2), O'Keeffe and McDiarmid. Swan Districts: Holdsworth (3), Darmody (3), Gorn (3), and Chandler. Apart from his marking, which at times was amazing, Flemming played surely on the ground and kicked well. Ho was the finest player in the game. Little behind him were Pola (a new recruit to the team and an astute rover), and Coward, the wingman. O'Keeffe followed strongly and marked well, while Ford was the team's most effective forward. He also played well amidfield. Tetley, with Flemming and Benton, was rarely passed in defence, and Jeavons did well in his new position at centre. Anderson and Beveridge did a great deal of work. and did it well. Murray worked hard for Swan Districts and in a team whose strength was in its combined determination rather than in its individual ability, L. Bunter, in goal,

Hunt, at half-back, Forbes (in the second half), Hall and Krepp gave good service. Darmody, a country player who had been successful in the association team, and Gorn, were outstanding at times, and Penberthy and Holdsworth were solid.