On a day when half the competition had a bye, several West Coast Eagles squad members made their claims for an opportunity at elite level.

Forwards Ben McKinley and Callum Wilson played strongly in winning games for East Perth and South Fremantle respectively, while defender Will Schofield was under notice in defence for Peel.

McKinley kicked five goals against fellow West Coast squad member Jordan Jones in a good battle while Wilson maintained his rich vein of form with another five goals for South Fremantle. Wilson is on the rookie list and at the moment, with no long term injuries at the club, he cannot be elevated, but he has averaged close to five goals a game for the last five weeks. 

The effort of McKinley has put East Perth just two points adrift of fourth-placed West Perth and gives the Royals hope of pushing towards finals action. 

Subiaco v South Fremantle

Callum Wilson: Played at full-forward opposed to Aiden Parker for most of the first half, with a short 10-minute stint on Darren Rumble.  In the second half he played on White. While he had only one possession in the first quarter his attack on the ball was good. Wilson kicked poorly from set shots until the last term when he was the difference, taking five marks and kicking four goals to be a match winner.

Adam Cockie: Played across half-forward and through the midfield, but did not really impact the game. He was solid and used the ball well, but was not involved often enough.  When he used his strength and pace and took the game on, he looked good, but was not consistently in the game.

Chad Fletcher: Started strongly in the midfield and continued to work hard, but did not manage the usual impact at WAFL level. He remained one of his team’s best players in a losing effort, but slightly short of the mark he has set in previous games.

Tyson Stenglein: Played at half-back and through the midfield in first half on Kris Miller and they had a good battle. In the second half he continued to work hard, but did not get the result of that hard work, although he did kick a good goal.

Peel v East Perth

Ashley Arrowsmith: Spent long periods on the bench and struggled to get into the game when on the ground.

Jordan Jones: Was opposed to Ben McKinley and they had an interesting duel. In the marking contests, Jones made some good spoils, but was out positioned a couple of times by McKinley and that cost him goals. He was prepared to run off to create options for his team mates and always offered support. 

Will Schofield: Schofield played a run with role on Merrington in defence.  Good closing speed in a contested mark and some timely spoils.  Schofield ran off when his team had possession, but was not used on many occasions.

Ben McKinley: Took some strong marks with good body positioning, using his experience to advantage. His defensive pressure was also noticeable, running with and picking up defenders when the opposition was attacking. He kicked five goals, including opportunistic snaps off either side of his body and took full advantage of his opportunities.