Strong-bodied midfielder Brant Colledge continues to press for a recall to elite football with another stand-out display for East Perth at Medibank Stadium on Saturday.
Colledge, 20, was initially recruited to the club as a key forward, but has been transformed into a midfielder over the past 18 months, racking up big numbers for the third successive game when the Royals started well before falling away against Peel.
At 192cm and 90kg, he has the physical attributes required and will certainly be discussed at match committee this week as the club seeks to put out a team capable of winning against Brisbane at the Gabba on Sunday.
Against Peel, Colledge had 38 possessions and kicked two goals, offering a strong presence when pushing into the forward half. Had he executed his shots on a goal a little more clinically, he could easily have had four goals against his name.
Debutant Tom Barrass, whose entry to senior football at East Perth has been stymied by injury in the last two years, made an eye-catching introduction, taking nine marks and using the ball efficiently out of the back half.
While Barrass was recruited to the club as a key defender, two players not so familiar to the defensive role spent time at centre half-back.
Callum Sinclair and Fraser McInnes are better known as forwards who can offer a chop out in the ruck, but given the club’s diminishing stocks of key defensive talent, were used in that role by East Perth - each spending a half in that capacity.
Both showed adaptability and certainly did not look out of place. Sinclair played there in the first half before switching up with McInnes in the second.
Young midfielder Alec Waterman, who had virtually two weeks off because of a minor back injury and then the bye, enjoyed another productive day around the stoppages and had more than 20 possessions again, while Kane Lucas was particularly effective in the first half, but continued to chip away throughout.
Tom Lamb was on restricted game time, after being rested a week earlier. It was a tough introduction for him as he knew only his West Coast teammates and it was a difficult adjustment.
Defender Paddy Brophy continues to blossom and develop, offering some dash off half-back and continue to grow his defensive skills.
Midfielder Mark Hutchings, in his first competitive hit-out of the year, played 60 minutes and had 23 possessions. He was understandably rusty early, but was a class above all others and should this week increase his game time and play senior footy.
Rowen Powell kicked three goals and will look to enhance his defensive capacity up forward, while Dylan Main played half back and wing, kicked the ball well and was a strong contributor.
Corey Adamson, a former state schoolboy representative, is reacquainting himself with the game after spending several years in the American baseball system and is developing a deeper understanding each week.