Perth 7.14 (56) def by. East Perth 8.12 (60)

Round 4 opened up with a couple nail biters, with East Perth defeating the Demons by four points at Mineral Resources Park to earn their second win of the season.

Perth compensated for a slow start by kicking three goals in the second term to lead at half time by eight points.

A four goal haul in the third saw the Royals climb their way back into the contest and take the lead going into the fourth, and it was the Demons’ inability to convert despite recording more entries than East Perth that saw them walk away with a loss.

Charlie Constable is back in form after a quiet game last weekend racking up 32 touches, but the Royals’ midfield were too good on the day with Hamish Brayshaw (26 disposals, 7 tackles, 6 inside 50s, 4 marks) standing out.

It was a tough day for Joshua Edwards in the ruck, finding more use with his body on the ground and recording 8 tackles – East Perth’s Scott Jones dominating with 36 hitouts.

Subiaco 10.8 (68) def. Peel Thunder 10.7 (67)

Subiaco and Peel Thunder produced the second thriller of the day on Saturday, the Lions coming away with the four points at the final siren.

Deadly accuracy from the Lions in the first half saw them put up eight goals straight without a miss, but a five-goal surge from Peel in the fourth quarter brought them within striking distance.

Subiaco shared the footy around well with no major ball winners, but it was Greg Clark and Stefan Giro who dominated the midfield for the Lions with 24 and 22 disposals each, both combining for 10 entries. 

Mason Cox’s absence wasn’t a problem for Peel’s ruck work yesterday, recording 25 more hit outs than their opponents – Toby Cossor and Aiden Riddle splitting the job and hitting 33 and 23 respectively.

Sandover front runner Jeremy Sharp’s presence however was missed on the weekend as he got a late call up to play for Fremantle with Patrick Voss out due to illness.

Claremont 21.11 (137) def. East Fremantle 3.8 (26)

The Tigers continue their undefeated start to 2026, victorious over East Fremantle in a 21 goal demolition.

The Sharks were competitive in the first kicking 3 goals and going into the second term down by seven points, but they were unable to kick another major for the remainder or the match.

Kicking eight goals in the second quarter, Claremont began to pull away and booted another seven in the third – Jaiden Hunter leading the tally with five for the day, Kieran Gowdie and Talon Delacey both kicking four.

It was co-captains Bailey Rodgers (33 disposals, 7 marks, 7 inside 50s, 3 tackles, 2 goals) and Callan England (33 disposals, 6 tackles, 5 inside 50s) who led by example for the Tigers helping them to control possession for the majority of the match.

East Fremantle simply couldn’t get the cogs turning on the day, requiring 111 disposals per goal and playing a very inefficient game of football.

West Coast 14.10 (94) def. Swan Districts 13.15 (93)

The Eagles prevailed in a one-point Sunday arvo thriller at Mineral Resources Park over Swan Districts, jumping up to third on the ladder after four rounds.

A seven goal first quarter left the Swans playing catch up for the rest of the match, edging closer toward the end of the fourth and falling just short at the final siren.

Clint Hinchliffe was best on ground for the Swans, producing nine entries from 29 disposals, with Jackson McLachlan kicking four majors.

West Coast’s forward line found strong form with Matthew Owies booting five – Tom Gross and Caleb Datson walking away with three each.

Matt Flynn controlled the ruck once again, recording 41 hit outs to help his rovers get around the footy and get the Eagles over the line.

West Perth 7.5 (47) def by. South Fremantle 11.11 (77)

South Fremantle wrapped up round 4 with a 30-point victory over West Perth on the road.

A comeback looked like a chance after Tyler Keitel kicked three straight for the Falcons, but constant scoreboard pressure from the Dogs left West Perth behind.

South Fremantle were the more efficient side on the day, requiring far less effort to produce goals than their opponents and playing a team game with few standout performances

Aiden Harvey and Samuel Otto were left to do the ruckwork in the absence of Hamish Free after he suffered a high ankle injury in last week’s clash against the Tigers – expecting to miss up to eight weeks on the sidelines – and West Perth’s Riley Sprigg was able to capitalise with 31 hitouts.

Isaiah Winder controlled the midfield on Sunday with 28 disposals. 7 marks, 6 tackles, 3 entries and a goal.

IMAGE: Michael Farnell / Sports Imagery