West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Monday 14 June 1937, page 17


PERTH'S STRONG RALLY. East Perth Loses by Five Points. By more systematic methods and greater efficiency in its forward lines, East Perth had established a substantial lead at half-time in the game against Perth at the Perth Oval on Saturday. Refreshed, and full of determination, Perth thereafter closed up the game, and, unruffled by East Perth's vigour, steadily reduced their deficit, and in an exciting and strenuously contested finish staved off a last-minute rally by East Perth to win by five points. Perth's main trouble in the early stages could be attributed in the main to slow-moving and slowerthinking forwards. East Perth was handicapped by the absence of Guhl, who was suffering from influenza, Graham. Garnet and Fogarty. The two Ryans, Campbell and Ward went into the side. Influenza also deprived Perth of the services of Oliphant, while a facial injury prevented Wormald from participating. The teams were:PERTH.-Backs: P. Fitzgerald, Love, Williams. Hal-backs: Toobey, A. Brown, Harold. Centre: H. Davey, Puddey, Traineor. Half-forwards: Reightley, Dewar, C. Ransom. Forwards: Harbison, Gook, Whittaker. Ruck: Hetherington. Carrington, A. Grigg (rover): Nineteenth man: Burton. EAST PERTH.-Backs: H. Smith. Crow, M. Ryan. Half-backs: Thomas, Starr, Withell. Centres: Campbell, Miller, Hall. Half-forwards: Cronin, Lockyer. Ward. Forwards: Brown, Rowland, Parry. Ruck: B. Ryan. Mussman, H. Screaiag (rover). Nineteenth man: Dook. UMPIRE.-T. Oliver. Thirty seconds from the bounce Gook had the ill-luck to strike a post with his shot; Scresigh came into prominence and to him went the credit of East Perth's first two goals. Although hampered by the slippery conditions, East Perth was handling the ball better than Perth, while its steadiness in attack enabled it to make better use of scoring opportunities. Crow and M. Ryan broke up many of Perth's advances. With an open goal confronting him, Rowland missed the easiest of chances, but shortly afterwards marked directly in front to score East Perth's fourth goal. The solidity of East Perth's defence was a feature of the quarter, which ended with the scores 4.3 to 2.3. in East Perth's favour. Relentlessly launching attack after attack, East Perth went further ahead when

Screaigh luckily intercepted a miskick from B. Ryan, whose form had been well below his best. Cronin was another, finding it difficult to provide his expected effective game. Perth at last found its feet, and several moves were rendered futile through the brilliance of Starr at centre-half-back; once past him Crow and Smith invariably stepped into the breach With Puddey and H. Davey winning across the centre, Perth had control for a time, but received a setback when Grigg, awarded a penalty, ran on to score a goal, which was denied him. Recalled and compelled to kick again, he could manage only a point. Fitzgerald intercepted a wonderful overhead attempt by Rowland, who, however, marked spectacularly and made no mistake later on. Gook, who was wandering far afield in his quest of the ball, Carrington and Grigg were among Perth's most useful players. Half-time scores were: East Perth, 11.5; Perth, 6.6. East Perth's defence was sorely -tried for a period, during which M. Ryan. Crow and Starr were frequently called upon to save. The going was hard, and, with the closing up of the game, Perth began to come into its own. Toohey, out of touch in the first half, was now prominent, and East Perth found its way barred by him at half-back. The vigour of East Perth's backs and Crow's phenomenal marking temporarily nonplussed Perth. whose forwards were repeatedly passed to by Davey and Grigg. Gook was still doing invaluable work, but was invariably forced beyond scoring distance. A. Hall began many East Perth moves which failed near the goal East Perth was winning in the air, but Perth outmatched it in ground play. By threeQuarter time Perth's prospects had brightened considerably with the scores at 8.11 to 11.10. It had restricted East Perth's scoring to five points, which was an excellent achievement.A A magnificent mark by Gook and a goal acted as a tonic to Perth. Handling the ball with remarkable certainty, it maintained an attack. East Perth's lead was reduced to four points. Miller and Parry figured in a passage of play which ultimately broke on Fitzgerald; in conjunction with Love he was rendering great service in defence. Disorganised and with many of its players below form, East Perth made a brave effort to shake off its persistent opponent. Scenting victory, Perth was resolute. A freakish mark by Crow was a highlight in Perth's tense struggle to gain the lead; a penalty to Gook and Perth was in front with ten minutes to go. Cronin at last came into his own, and in tense silence Parry missed a chance to put his side ahead. Then Screaigh, a match-winner on previous oc-I casions, failed. With the watches ticking off the final seconds, Mussman gained possession, and with several leads offering, inexplicably essayed an almost impossible angle shot. Perth deserved its win. The final scores were:PERTH ...... .. 11.16 (82pts.) EAST PERTH .. .. 11.11 (77pts.) Scorers.-Perth: Gook, 5.4; Grigg, 2.2; Whittaker, 1.3; Harbison, 1.1; Keightley, 1.0; Carrington, 1.0; Hetherington, 0.2; Trainor, 0.1; Ransom, 0.1; Dewar, 0.2. East Perth: Screaigh, 4.2; Rowlands, 4.1; Mussman, 2.1; Broom, 1.2; Cronin, 0.2; Parry, 0.2; B. Ryan, 0.1. Perth had few passengers, and it is difficult to differentiate. In Grigg it had a clever and cool player who, in addition to roving skilfully, gave a brainy display when "resting" in the forward area. H. Davey was responsible for many offensives. Gook was again in the limelight, and, alternating between half and full forward, worked extremely hard to counter-balance the weakness of his assocdates. His marking and kicking were up to his best standard. Carrington and Fitzgerald had an arduous task and did it admirably. Toohey (second half) and Puddey are deserving of mention. H. Screaigh was East Perth's best performer, and it was no fault of his that victory did not come the way of his side. He was particularly active in the first half, and played a prominent part in East Perth's early dominance. Starr, M. Ryan and Crow were soundness personified, and their work in defence had a disconcerting effect on Perth's forwards. Miller was sighted at times, but on the day had to acknowledge defeat. Mussman, Parry and Smith stood out above the balance of their indifferent team-mates.