FOR A player of 203cm, young ruckman Zac Clarke boasts exceptional athleticism, and it was that strength of his game that stood out in one of his finest WAFL performance since joining Fremantle.  

Clarke, who was drafted with pick No.37 at the 2008 NAB AFL Draft, booted five goals for East Perth and was effective in the ruck, winning Fremantle’s WAFL player of the round award. 

Nick Suban, who has been sidelined with an elbow injury, returned to Claremont in round 15 of the WAFL and made a bright start across half-back.

If selected this week, the 20-year-old is one of a number of young midfielders that will have to step up against Richmond to cover for the crushing loss of Michael Barlow.

Ahead of this week’s fixtures, senior development coach Simon Lloyd shared his WAFL notes with fremantlefc.com.au. 

Subiaco 16.5 (101) d East Fremantle 10.11 (71)
Steven Dodd
Steven started at centre half-forward and had a spell at full-forward before moving into defence on Blake Broadhurst. He’s been playing some consistent football and he started this game well, kicking the opener, but his overall game wasn’t as good as last week. His ball use was good and I’d expect Doddy to bounce back this week. 

West Perth 13.10 (88) d Perth 10.9 (69)
Joel Houghton
Joel played mainly as a tall forward and pinch-hit in the ruck, working hard to provide a target in a solid game. Although he only had 14 possessions, a lot of repeat efforts went into getting them and he made them count. His leading patterns were very good and he gets his possessions because of the hard work he does before the ball is in his area. He’s progressing when used as a back-up ruckman.

Tim Ruffles
Tim played across half-forward and half-back and had a much better game than in recent weeks, playing an even four quarters. He was back to hunting the ball and winning it in contested situations, and his forward pressure was also up. He played with a lot more energy, laid some strong tackles and took 10 marks.

Casey Sibosado
Casey played in defence for half a game and was also used at full-forward, but his overall performance was down on the high standard he has set through the first half of the year. He did show some leadership organising Perth’s match-ups in the backline, but his kicking, which is normally a strength, was a bit off.   

Justin Bollenhagen
Justin was used as a forward all day, playing deep at times and also pushing up the ground in that high half-forward role. He showed that his pace is going to be a real asset once he’s able to find more of the footy. In the last quarter he curled in a terrific goal running towards the boundary line, so he’s got some tricks and is very good on the left side.  

Claremont 16.9 (105) d South Fremantle 12.6 (78)
Nick Suban
Nick played mainly across half-back with the odd run onball and Claremont coach Simon McPhee was very happy with his game. He often took the more attacking option and brought the ball back through the corridor effectively on a number of occasions.   

Byron Schammer
Byron’s spread and his reaction time was a feature of his play and he showed a really high level of work-rate to be one of his side’s best players. He had 13 kicks, 16 handballs and five tackles in a very dangerous game.

Ryan Murphy
Ryan played mainly as a key forward and pinch-hit in the ruck, which he’s been doing for several weeks now. Although it wasn’t his best game he was still able to finish with three goals and he looked dangerous. He was able to kick two of his goals through second efforts at ground level.

Swan Districts 16.12 (108) d East Perth 13.9 (87)
Clayton Hinkley
Clayton played at half-forward and also on the wing and showed good run and carry, which has been a focus for him. He’s starting to take the game on and showed some good strong-bodied efforts in contested situations. Clayton would rate the game below his standards, but only because he didn’t get involved in as many passages as he’d like.   

Clancee Pearce
Clancee started at half-forward and rotated between there and the wing all day. A couple of his contested efforts in the first quarter were very good and he led up at the right times and was a good outlet for his teammates coming off half-back. He kicked two goals and didn’t make many mistakes, but he’s still getting used to playing that half-forward position. 

Michael Walters
Michael played mostly half-forward and on a wing, moving into the centre square for a couple of centre bounces. He had four inside 50s, which all resulted in shots on goal, and he roved the ball off the pack in the fourth quarter to kick a goal. He was desperate, worked hard and spread well from stoppages, but he didn’t always get rewarded.  

Hamish Shepheard
Hamish started at centre half-forward and he only played 10 minutes before injuring his right hand. He had four touches and kicked a goal in that short period and looked to be in for a good game. The injury isn’t as bad as first thought.  

Zac Clarke
Zac started in the ruck but moved forward after 10 minutes where he spent 60 per cent of the game. He won plenty of clean taps in the centre square and his ruck work in the forward line was very good. He showed his athleticism on a number of occasions and took a strong contested mark in the forward line. He finished with five goals in one of the best games of football he’s played.