With 11 Eagles playing in the senior side, the Royals led for most of the day in a spirited display against Peel Thunder – the Fremantle-aligned club.
Putting aside the disappointment of being on the emergency list for AFL duty, defender Brad Sheppard and ruckman-forward Scott Lycett were both solid contributors. Sheppard was close to best afield while Lycett did his best work on ball.
Will Schofield would also fall under the category of those who pushed up after missing out on AFL action and took a leadership role within the team, also setting a shining example of attacking creativity off half-back.
Midfielder Brant Colledge and defenders Jeremy McGovern, Sam Butler and Ashley Smith were also prominent, with Colledge continuing to build on his pre-season momentum. McGovern, who played his earlier football as a forward, continues his evolution as a defender and was under notice in the last line of defence.
Butler had a few niggles in the lead-up games, but showed his class and Smith used the ball efficiently in an 80-minute hit-out which was part of his carefully managed program of working back into match hardness.
Several of the younger players were also under notice, with Adam Carter gaining plenty of football in the back half and Fraser McInnes working hard, but not getting the return on his desire to will his way into the contest.
Jacob Brennan was another who played with enterprise in the back half, his dash out of the defensive zone a feature of the match.
Three of the club’s developing players – utility player Dylan Main, forward Malcolm Karpany and midfielder Will Maginness – played in the reserves and will be looking to push into the senior team in the near future. For Karpany it was his first hit-out after a managed preparation since being drafted last November.
