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The Bulldogs’ 12-point win at the WACA Ground on Monday moved their run of derby wins into an eighth year, with the Sharks last tasting success over their arch-rivals in round 12, 2016.
East Fremantle coach Bill Monaghan says he understands the frustration of the club’s supporters after South Fremantle extended their derby winning streak to fifteen.
Monaghan told Sports Breakfast he did not think his side produced a poor performance.
“I don’t think the result on Monday has any relevance to the fourteen games we lost before,” Monaghan said.
“There’s a lot of interest in it and it’s a streak and streaks are real and we have to deal with it, but I didn’t think the players went into it with a poor attitude.
“I thought it was a game we were in, so I don’t think it was a mental thing.”
Stormy weather - including a thirty-minute break for lightning in the third term - proved challenging for both sides, but Monaghan said the Sharks’ tally of 2.11 (23) would not prove a winning score in any conditions.
“We won the contested ball, we won the clearances, we lost slightly on inside-50’s, we had more scoring shots. If I start reeling off the statistics, you’re not going to make a case that South Fremantle were better than us,” he said.
“What clearly was the difference was they took their opportunities when they were inside forward 50 and we didn’t … when the conditions are like that, you need to take your opportunities.
“I’m not here to make excuses, but when we went off for the lightning, it was belting down with rain. When we came back out it was dry and South had 10 minutes of kicking with the breeze and kicked two goals, and that’s the difference in the game.”
The Sharks’ attention has quickly turned to a clash with East Perth on Sunday, with Monoghan saying there would be no excuses with both sides coming off playing on Monday.
“There was a long period of time where you’d play a derby on a Monday, have a five-day break (and play) against someone who’d had a seven-day break,” he said.
“I’m really proud of our players in terms of their professionalism. It’s really difficult for, you sit through a Monday game, they get whacked around, it’s a slog, and they’re up at 6 o’clock on Tuesday morning back at work. It’s a really difficult process.
“Tuesday they were a bit flat, disappointed, which is understandable. We got in the pools, we got in the sauna and spa and last night we had our team debrief and a bit of a runaround. They’ll be fine, we’ll train well on Friday and then we’ll get down to Leederville Oval on Sunday.”
The clash between East Fremantle and East Perth gets underway at 2:10 pm, with the two sides both coming in with 5-3 records and looking to keep pace with Claremont, Peel Thunder, and Subiaco at the top of the WAFL ladder.
IMAGE: EFFC