Acting Subiaco chief executive, Kristian Dicton, says the weekend’s win was a reward for the hard yards put in by the side during a difficult start to the season. 

Subiaco’s upset 10-point win against stadium co-tenants and finals contenders East Perth snapped a seven-game losing streak, with their last win falling in round two against West Coast. 

This win also crucially sees them jump four points clear of last place on the ladder, as they look to avoid winning the wooden spoon for the first time in almost three decades. 

Since Subiaco a 103-point thrashing against South Fremantle – the largest loss since 2022, the Lions have noticeably improved, cutting their average losing margin from 49 to eight points.

Speaking to SportFM, Dicton said these rough results triggered some soul searching, which inspired a changed approach from the side. 

“We definitely didn’t expect to be where we were early in the year,” he said.

“There were some core performances and some looking inside and a bit of soul searching. We had a nice meeting at the beach after the Swan Districts game. 

“We were disappointed in our output, and the players and coaches owned that.  Without having a massive review, we got back to basics, led by Beau Wardman and his coaching staff. 

“The players were good, they knew what they had to do. We went back to the drawing board. It seems like we’re slowly building. It was good to get a win. Reward for effort for the players and staff.” 

He has also backed in coach Beau Wardman, who has one year left on his contract at Subiaco, praising his hard work and effort to help Subiaco improve. 

“We know that we are probably better than what we’ve shown, so he’s been disappointed at times like the rest of us,” he said.

“Beau goes back to the drawing board and works harder than most of the coaches in the WAFL, I’d say. The default is, let’s roll the sleeves up and get back to work.

“It’s not ideal, he’s human, we all ride the highs and lows. We’ve had plenty of highs, so you have to take the lows when they come. 

“We’re not going to sit idle. We’ve had some deep, robust discussions throughout the coaching panel, but everyone’s aligned and wants what’s best. It’s just making sure we’re all seeing it from the same view.” 

Subiaco’s list has experienced a high turnover rate in recent years, losing several key veterans who were instrumental in the club’s dominance over the last decade. 

Since round one, Subiaco has named 11 debutants – both league and club, a sign of the transitional period the club is in. 

Just this weekend, debutant Sonny Siano made a strong impression and contributed to the win,  providing spark up forward and snagging two goals. 

Dicton says he didn’t expect the turnover rate to have as much influence as it has, but is pleased with the output from the youth. 

“There’s always been an active decision to get more youth and especially local products through the door,” he said. 

“The people who have been here for a long time, we knew their time was going to come to an end. It’s been an active decision (to play more youth), but we didn’t think that that would affect our performance as much as it has. 

“The positive sign is these young boys who have jumped in. They’ve earned their spot through the twos, and all seemed to adapt to the level and perform well. So exciting times going forward.”

IMAGE: Nick Cambridge