East Perth vs Perth Match Preview

Tale of the Tape – The Royals claimed their biggest scalp sincebreaking away from the West Coast Alignment beating flag favourites Claremont last week. A more consistent four-quarter effort combined with a high pressure ‘Royals’ game style lead East Perth to a seven point win. The Royals have now won four of their last six matches.

After a solid start to the 2021 season, injuries to key players have curtailed Perth’s season. Still missing several senior personnel, Perth will be keen to beat the Royals particularly after their last quarter fightback a couple of weeks ago.

This week’s sunshine has meant the ground has recovered reasonably well, leading to a fierce contest between two old rivals

The Ins and Outs – With a clean bill of health from the Claremont rounds, the Royals have only added four to an extended bench for the weekend. Adam Boules, Ben McGuire and Stan Wright have been added to the squad after impressive performances in the Reserves, whilst Brad Fullgrabe has recovered from his niggle and is available for selection.

Perth have named two outs with Kristian Cary accepting a one match ban for a dangerous tackle against West Coast last week. Recruit Doulton Langlands will miss this week due to concussion protocols

Last time they met – The Royals kicked four goals in ten minutes to finish the first half in what would be a game defining period of play. A goal to Aiden Lynch early in the last saw the Royals stretch their lead to 36 points before a stunning comeback from Perth saw them close to be within 7 points. East Perth steadied with the last two scores of the match to eventually win by nine points. The Royals midfield found plenty of the ball.
 
Stat of the Week – The 1981 Reserves team recorded the 2nd highest Reserves team score against Perth during Round 15 of 1981 scoring 39.19 (253). In 1981 the Reserves scored 200 or more points on four occasions including in the Grand Final where they registered 32.15 (207) to Swans’ 9.5 (59) 

Broadcast – This week’s match is not broadcast

Teams, Stats and Live Scores https://www.wafl.com.au/match/league-east-perth-v-perth-round-18-2021