Forwards Ben McKinley and Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls did much to propel East Perth into this week’s WAFL preliminary final with eye-catching performances against East Fremantle in Sunday’s first semi-final at East Fremantle Oval.

The Royals, who had been in a cut-throat battle to make the finals for about two months leading into September, recovered from a slow start to endure by 14 points, with McKinley and Oakley-Nicholls at the forefront of the challenge.

McKinley kicked six goals to provide a focal point up forward, while Oakley-Nicholls was always lively and contributed three goals of his own - the last of them coming after the siren following a great chase and tackle.

Pivotal in Claremont’s victory over Swan Districts, which has propelled the Tigers into the grand final, were the performances of rising stars Tom Swift, Ryan Neates and Lewis Stevenson, while the ever-reliable Beau Wilkes was also at the top of his game.

This week, Swan Districts play East Perth in the preliminary final at Bassendean Oval in what looms as an outstanding contest.       

East Fremantle v East Perth

Tim Houlihan
A year that started badly ended the same way when Houlihan strained a hamstring in the third quarter. To that stage he had played largely on a wing, worked hard and a couple of his runs from defence in clearing ball were excellent. His run was missed when the Sharks needed something in the final term. 

Ben McKinley
A solid match-winning effort to kick six goals, five of them coming in the first half which kept the Royals in the game. Took some strong marks and attracted a crowd of East Fremantke defenders in marking contests, which assisted his team.

Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls
After a slow start, Oakley-Nicholls kicked a good goal which helped him to work his way into game. He took some strong marks, made some excellent tackles and completed his game with three goals. In the last quarter, he took a strong contested mark deep in defence just as East Fremantle were starting to surge.

Claremont v Swan Districts

Tom Swift
Swift played mainly at half-forward with the occasional run on-ball. He played with good intensity and generally used the ball well. At stoppages he was efficient, ran well throughout the game and was not used on several occasions after running hard to position. 

Lewis Stevenson
Set the standard, both personally and for his team, with a strong contested effort and that set the scene for remainder of the match. He impacted contests and played with physicality and poise in traffic. His run and ball use were very good and he was pivotal to Claremont’s victory.

Beau Wilkes
A typically efficient performance from Wilkes in defence where he was customarily strong in the air and provided his team with very good run. His vision and ball use were top class coming out of defensive zone and he set up many of Claremont’s forward thrusts.

Ryan Neates
Was brilliant early on a wing when he collected 11 possessions in the opening term - he was getting to contests, finding space and looked composed in traffic. He had five possessions in the second quarter after starting on the interchange and staying there for almost half the quarter. He had a quieter second half but did show his ability to run and carry. 

Ashley Hansen
Hansen finished with two goals playing deep in attack and was unable to exert any a genuine influence on the game. He presented well, but he was not helped by a dominant opposition midfield and at times, poor delivery into Swans forward line.

Tony Notte
Used as a ruckman who then went forward, Notte was unable to have any influence on the match. He struggled to get his hands on the ball and would be disappointed with his performance.

Lewis Broome (Reserves)
The lively small forward played deep in attack and on-ball where his skills were under notice.  His ball handling was good, he applied great forward line pressure on the opposition and caused a lot of disputed ball situations. He ran 40 metres and put pressure on one player, then another and then put on a tackle to the third player, to cause a ball-up.

Gerrick Weedon (Reserves)
Started on-ball and then played at half-forward where he lively, gathering eight possessions and three marks in the opening term.  Like Broome, he put good forward line pressure when resting on the flank, his ball handling in traffic was special and he was a good performer for Claremont.