
WA Player Watch: Chad Warner, Jesse Hogan, Willie Rioli, Angus Sheldrick & more
West Coast aren't giving up their pursuit of Chad Warner, but the Sydney gun's new two-year contract has helped his form go through the roof.
Here is The West Australian's WA Player Watch for round 13.
Just days after West Coast chief executive Don Pyke declared he wouldn't give up in his club's pursuit of Chad Warner, the West Aussie gun starred again for Sydney.
Warner had 22 touches and kicked 2.2 in the Swans' commanding bounce-back victory over the Tigers. 15 of those touches were kicks in a damaging display.
Another WA Swan, Angus Sheldrick is beginning to nail down his own spot. The Claremont product had 19 disposals and 84 per cent disposal efficiency in the MCG victory.
In their first-ever home game in Western Australia, North Melbourne brought six locals with them to Bunbury.
Riley Hardeman, Jack Darling, Griffin Logue, Zac Fisher, Robert Hansen Jr and Cam Zurhaar all featured for the Roos in their 10-point win over West Coast in Bunbury.
Hardeman continued in his role across half-back, where he has had the best run in the side of his fledgling career. He had 10 touches on a flank.
It was Zurhaar and the far less likely Fisher that tore the game open in the final term.
Zurhaar kicked two goals in the final quarter of the victory, while Fisher himself could have been the difference. He kicked three behinds as North played with their food in the dying stages.
Darling was held goalless by an impressive Eagles backline.
Greater Western Sydney's star forward has kept in touch with the league's top goalkickers, despite a frustrating night for his Giants in Canberra.
Hogan kicked 2.1 in the 9.12 (66) to 7.8 (50) loss on Saturday night. He also laid five tackles.
Port Adelaide's Willie Rioli kicked two goals of his own in the same game, which relieves the mounting pressure on the Power and coach Ken Hinkley.
But his night will be remembered for a comical moment post-match where he spent minutes celebrating the victory with fans and taking selfies with the crowd as teammates waited to sing the team song.
Power players had huddled for the song, then separated again as they chased him up.
It was a lean day otherwise for Rioli, who finished with just six high-impact touches.

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The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Kangaroos keen to muscle in on footy-mad WA
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"To get an opportunity to play some home games here - it has been such a fertile football state in terms of their passion for AFL footy. "It seems for the state two teams aren't enough, so we've provided them with the third team, and we're happy to do so." The Kangaroos will host one game a year in Bunbury and the other one at Optus Stadium. Sunday's match at Hands Oval attracted a sell-out crowd of 12,715 fans and was the first time an AFL regular-season game had been played in regional WA. The deal appears to create a win-win situation, with North Melbourne receiving vital funds, and West Coast and Fremantle being able to play an extra game in WA, without their usual rigours of travelling to eastern states. "With Tassie (the new club in Tasmania) coming in, we had to find another base to provide us with the opportunity to have a nice, happy marriage," Clarkson said. "We get paid some money to play games here, but we love coming here and fostering relationships with people in the south west. "There are a lot of locals here and a lot came from Perth - Eagles fans - and there are a stack that have jumped on planes that must please Tourism WA, who made the significant investment in getting North to come here and play games of footy." The Kangaroos trailed by 18 points in the last quarter before kicking the final four goals of the match to snatch the 9.8 (62) to 6.16 (52) win. It means North Melbourne, with three wins and a draw to their name, are now two-and-a-half wins clear of wooden spoon favourites West Coast (1-12). Kangaroos defender Charlie Comben was sent off for scans after sustaining a knee to the back in the third quarter. North Melbourne want to become Western Australia's third-favourite team, and coach Alastair Clarkson hopes the club's rich Sandgroper history will help make it a happy marriage with fans. The Kangaroos' three-year deal to sell two games a season to WA got off to the perfect start on Sunday when they beat West Coast by 10 points in Bunbury. North Melbourne will "host" Fremantle at Optus Stadium on Saturday night, with each game the club has sold to WA worth a reported $1m. The contract helps replace the deal North Melbourne previously had with Tasmania, and coach Alastair Clarkson says WA is a good fit for his club. "We have seven or eight West Australians on our list," Clarkson said. "Historically our club has had a strong link - Brownlow medallist in Ross Glendinning, the Krakouer magic of Jimmy and Phil and many others. "Our connection to the west has been strong. "To get an opportunity to play some home games here - it has been such a fertile football state in terms of their passion for AFL footy. "It seems for the state two teams aren't enough, so we've provided them with the third team, and we're happy to do so." The Kangaroos will host one game a year in Bunbury and the other one at Optus Stadium. Sunday's match at Hands Oval attracted a sell-out crowd of 12,715 fans and was the first time an AFL regular-season game had been played in regional WA. The deal appears to create a win-win situation, with North Melbourne receiving vital funds, and West Coast and Fremantle being able to play an extra game in WA, without their usual rigours of travelling to eastern states. "With Tassie (the new club in Tasmania) coming in, we had to find another base to provide us with the opportunity to have a nice, happy marriage," Clarkson said. "We get paid some money to play games here, but we love coming here and fostering relationships with people in the south west. "There are a lot of locals here and a lot came from Perth - Eagles fans - and there are a stack that have jumped on planes that must please Tourism WA, who made the significant investment in getting North to come here and play games of footy." The Kangaroos trailed by 18 points in the last quarter before kicking the final four goals of the match to snatch the 9.8 (62) to 6.16 (52) win. It means North Melbourne, with three wins and a draw to their name, are now two-and-a-half wins clear of wooden spoon favourites West Coast (1-12). Kangaroos defender Charlie Comben was sent off for scans after sustaining a knee to the back in the third quarter. North Melbourne want to become Western Australia's third-favourite team, and coach Alastair Clarkson hopes the club's rich Sandgroper history will help make it a happy marriage with fans. The Kangaroos' three-year deal to sell two games a season to WA got off to the perfect start on Sunday when they beat West Coast by 10 points in Bunbury. North Melbourne will "host" Fremantle at Optus Stadium on Saturday night, with each game the club has sold to WA worth a reported $1m. The contract helps replace the deal North Melbourne previously had with Tasmania, and coach Alastair Clarkson says WA is a good fit for his club. "We have seven or eight West Australians on our list," Clarkson said. "Historically our club has had a strong link - Brownlow medallist in Ross Glendinning, the Krakouer magic of Jimmy and Phil and many others. "Our connection to the west has been strong. "To get an opportunity to play some home games here - it has been such a fertile football state in terms of their passion for AFL footy. "It seems for the state two teams aren't enough, so we've provided them with the third team, and we're happy to do so." The Kangaroos will host one game a year in Bunbury and the other one at Optus Stadium. Sunday's match at Hands Oval attracted a sell-out crowd of 12,715 fans and was the first time an AFL regular-season game had been played in regional WA. The deal appears to create a win-win situation, with North Melbourne receiving vital funds, and West Coast and Fremantle being able to play an extra game in WA, without their usual rigours of travelling to eastern states. "With Tassie (the new club in Tasmania) coming in, we had to find another base to provide us with the opportunity to have a nice, happy marriage," Clarkson said. "We get paid some money to play games here, but we love coming here and fostering relationships with people in the south west. "There are a lot of locals here and a lot came from Perth - Eagles fans - and there are a stack that have jumped on planes that must please Tourism WA, who made the significant investment in getting North to come here and play games of footy." The Kangaroos trailed by 18 points in the last quarter before kicking the final four goals of the match to snatch the 9.8 (62) to 6.16 (52) win. It means North Melbourne, with three wins and a draw to their name, are now two-and-a-half wins clear of wooden spoon favourites West Coast (1-12). Kangaroos defender Charlie Comben was sent off for scans after sustaining a knee to the back in the third quarter.


West Australian
5 hours ago
- West Australian
Staying or going? The status of out-of-contract Fremantle Dockers at midway point of the season
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West Australian
5 hours ago
- West Australian
WA Player Watch: Chad Warner, Jesse Hogan, Willie Rioli, Angus Sheldrick & more
West Coast aren't giving up their pursuit of Chad Warner, but the Sydney gun's new two-year contract has helped his form go through the roof. Here is The West Australian's WA Player Watch for round 13. Just days after West Coast chief executive Don Pyke declared he wouldn't give up in his club's pursuit of Chad Warner, the West Aussie gun starred again for Sydney. Warner had 22 touches and kicked 2.2 in the Swans' commanding bounce-back victory over the Tigers. 15 of those touches were kicks in a damaging display. Another WA Swan, Angus Sheldrick is beginning to nail down his own spot. The Claremont product had 19 disposals and 84 per cent disposal efficiency in the MCG victory. In their first-ever home game in Western Australia, North Melbourne brought six locals with them to Bunbury. Riley Hardeman, Jack Darling, Griffin Logue, Zac Fisher, Robert Hansen Jr and Cam Zurhaar all featured for the Roos in their 10-point win over West Coast in Bunbury. Hardeman continued in his role across half-back, where he has had the best run in the side of his fledgling career. He had 10 touches on a flank. It was Zurhaar and the far less likely Fisher that tore the game open in the final term. Zurhaar kicked two goals in the final quarter of the victory, while Fisher himself could have been the difference. He kicked three behinds as North played with their food in the dying stages. Darling was held goalless by an impressive Eagles backline. Greater Western Sydney's star forward has kept in touch with the league's top goalkickers, despite a frustrating night for his Giants in Canberra. Hogan kicked 2.1 in the 9.12 (66) to 7.8 (50) loss on Saturday night. He also laid five tackles. Port Adelaide's Willie Rioli kicked two goals of his own in the same game, which relieves the mounting pressure on the Power and coach Ken Hinkley. But his night will be remembered for a comical moment post-match where he spent minutes celebrating the victory with fans and taking selfies with the crowd as teammates waited to sing the team song. Power players had huddled for the song, then separated again as they chased him up. It was a lean day otherwise for Rioli, who finished with just six high-impact touches.