[poulaMahmah]

EP and CL got off to the perfect start. Though EP have recruited well it was a tough assignment first up against the reigning premiers on their home ground. There is no tougher test than that to open the new season and they passed with flying colours.

And what can you say about Claremont? What can't you say about them is more to the point. No Chad Jones yet and still smash the opposition that many rate a top four side on their home ground by 81 points!

If those 2 games don't serve as a wake up call to the rest of the comp then nothing will. Fortunately the game of the day was on ABC and that was a ripper of a match of the highest quality for 3 qtrs. You could see players were out on their feet when the 3qtr time siren went and it was no surprise to see probably 10 or more players cramp up in the last qtr and the standard to drop off a fair bit but it was a great game of football to watch and the perfect way to open the 2011 WAFL season.

As Satan said on the Perth thread, SD, EP and CL will do WA proud in the Foxtel Cup which might be a blessing in disguise for the sides that face them the following weekend as it will no doubt take the edge off them a bit.

Most of us had these 3 sides pencilled in as top 3 with 4th spot up for grabs and i see nothing yet to change that. WP have shown in pre season they are the front runners for 4th spot at this stage and you can raffle the rest.

I like to think my side Perth can be a top four contender but i have seen nothing in the pre season to suggest we are a serious top four contender but hopefully the coach and players have other plans and will surprise us and the competition.

[Mjxhnapi]

I was impressed with both EP & SD yesterday. It was a top class game in really hot conditions. The players deserve a medal for that. And normally the season opener is a little scratchy in terms of standard, but not this one. A real good, fast, free flowing game to watch. I was super confident EP could run over Swans. I dont know why but in the huddle you could sense they were not done with. Micale rammed home that point very well without going off his nut and it was great to listen too.

And players were cramping left,right & centre. Garry Moss was basically bench bound for the last quarter. He was the worst effected by cramp.

Top win by the Royals and credit to the team as a whole for getting behind the debutants. Great finish to run over the reining premiers in the last quarter... Some boys in the reserves will be putting pressure on. I was impressed with quite a few players there (Keath, DelBorello and few others), so spots will not be just given out, which is good. Big test next week against Souths who we have not beaten for ages. A must win game.

[iceleliewBync]

Gas i was impressed with Polak. To be honest i wasn't sure if he had fully recovered from his near fatal accident a few years ago and i wasn't sure he would have a big impact in the WAFL but he looks very imposing at WAFL level and Josh Smith looks very handy also. Pettifer showed he will have a big impact in the WAFL also so all in all EP are looking the goods for 2011.

[exiceJetLip]

Yeh DD, though hopefully injuries are limited. We already have Beeck, Glancy and Oakely-Nicholls out injured. But there seems to be a real hunger in the squad and a bit of revilalisation down there at the moment. And how this Champions Cup competition goes on the players themselves will be interesting.

Not looking forward to the weather next Saturday. Expecting 35 degrees !!! I have no doubt the seasons have shifted slightly over the past 30 years. I have been of the opinion the season should start around the middle of April, not March. This heat in the early rounds keeps getting worse & worse every year.

Anyway, how do you think your boys can go against the battered Sharks?? Could be an interesting game I reckon. EF will be hoping the heat hasnt sapped them too much, though Claremont didnt seem to bothered by it. They will be tough to crack again.

[soyclocky]

Yeh DD, though hopefully injuries are limited. We already have Beeck, Glancy and Oakely-Nicholls out injured. But there seems to be a real hunger in the squad and a bit of revilalisation down there at the moment. And how this Champions Cup competition goes on the players themselves will be interesting.

Not looking forward to the weather next Saturday. Expecting 35 degrees !!! I have no doubt the seasons have shifted slightly over the past 30 years. I have been of the opinion the season should start around the middle of April, not March. This heat in the early rounds keeps getting worse & worse every year.

Anyway, how do you think your boys can go against the battered Sharks?? Could be an interesting game I reckon. EF will be hoping the heat hasnt sapped them too much, though Claremont didnt seem to bothered by it. They will be tough to crack again.

The thing about East Perth yesterday was all your "gun" recruit fired,they all showed something.
You certainly have a forward line that will take some beating.

Perth against the Sharks????reckon E.F will be right pissed off with that hammering they got at home.
I think Perth minus our 1 and only "gun" recruit will struggle to get on top of the East Freo midfield and i reckon they have a little bit more class in the key positions,also our lack of goal kickers could be telling if more than 14 goals is required for victory.
My opinion is a low scoring affair is our only chance.

[ROYMANgo]

The thing about East Perth yesterday was all your "gun" recruit fired,they all showed something.
You certainly have a forward line that will take some beating.

Perth against the Sharks????reckon E.F will be right pissed off with that hammering they got at home.
I think Perth minus our 1 and only "gun" recruit will struggle to get on top of the East Freo midfield and i reckon they have a little bit more class in the key positions,also our lack of goal kickers could be telling if more than 14 goals is required for victory.
My opinion is a low scoring affair is our only chance.

Agree, failing to score a goal in both first halfs two weeks in a row will be a telling factor EF easily in my opinion.

[G8whlTAe]

EP and CL got off to the perfect start. Though EP have recruited well it was a tough assignment first up against the reigning premiers on their home ground. There is no tougher test than that to open the new season and they passed with flying colours.

And what can you say about Claremont? What can't you say about them is more to the point. No Chad Jones yet and still smash the opposition that many rate a top four side on their home ground by 81 points!

If those 2 games don't serve as a wake up call to the rest of the comp then nothing will. Fortunately the game of the day was on ABC and that was a ripper of a match of the highest quality for 3 qtrs. You could see players were out on their feet when the 3qtr time siren went and it was no surprise to see probably 10 or more players cramp up in the last qtr and the standard to drop off a fair bit but it was a great game of football to watch and the perfect way to open the 2011 WAFL season.

As Satan said on the Perth thread, SD, EP and CL will do WA proud in the Foxtel Cup which might be a blessing in disguise for the sides that face them the following weekend as it will no doubt take the edge off them a bit.

Most of us had these 3 sides pencilled in as top 3 with 4th spot up for grabs and i see nothing yet to change that. WP have shown in pre season they are the front runners for 4th spot at this stage and you can raffle the rest.

I like to think my side Perth can be a top four contender but i have seen nothing in the pre season to suggest we are a serious top four contender but hopefully the coach and players have other plans and will surprise us and the competition.

Lets see who out of this lot take it seriously,pick there best 22!
4 points or a win in the Foxtel cup,i reckon i know which way Micale will go.


As for Polak and Smith new recruits for East Perth it just shows how much worth the big blokes are and not forgeting Pettifer,knows where the goals are and i reckon against weak opposition he will have a few bags of 6 or more coming his way.

All in all East Perth showed on Saturday the worth of top notch recruiting!!