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A very tough assignment this Sunday against a Souths outfit which seems to have played back into form over the last couple of weeks.  Dela being unavailable is not ideal and Jacob Atkinson looked like he was shot in the leg on Saturday with what appeared to be a high grade hammy strain so 3-4 weeks at least if that's the case which is very bad luck for the big fella.  Haydn Kennedy should return but I think that'll be about it given there's no appetite to give guys like Golding a crack.  Interesting a report on the club's website indicated Jack Mayo did well in an intra-club game last weekend.  A couple more in the ressies and you'd think he'd be pushing up and putting pressure on a few borderline players like the Fullgrabes, Hickmott's and a couple of others who aren't performing as required.  Mayo would be very handy as he can play back or forward and is a nice height at 192cms. On current form Souths should win this which will make our position on the ladder very susceptible to dropping out of top 2 indeed with more tough games also coming up.  We need to play like we did against Claremont a few weeks ago as if we perform as we have been over the last month, we get towelled up for sure.

Hey BC, you and the other Subiaco supporters have been consistently calling for the inclusion of Golding for weeks. I don't see a lot of reserves footy so what in your opinion does Golding bring as far as his skills and attributes are concerned and why do you think they arent picking him, especially given the injury list you guys have had this year? Just interested because sometimes selectors and coaches form an negative opinion on a particular player and it can be hard for that player to get an opportunity in that situation.

Good question Mike. He's a very consistent midfielder who gets 20+ every week and hits the scoreboard as well. Golding is in and under but at only 19 years of age, it could be the selectors are letting him learn his craft in the ressies before giving him a taste of seniors if not this year then certainly next. My fear is that he goes elsewhere for lack of league opportunities if he doesn't get a crack very soon as I'm not sure what else he needs to do to get promoted.

We always struggle v you blokes up there at the best of times, be a good game regardless but I will not be surprised if we blow it.

Bazz I think I heard you will have a couple of key players out in Main & Strom, is that correct? If so it will go a long way to balancing the loss of Dela.

I see JT has taken up Golding's cause in his Wednesday WAFL column along with Harry Quartermaine from Perth. He's arguing why not take a chance with these guys and see what they can do at league level when SF and WP have done something similar with a couple of bolters in Hamish Free and Nathan Murray. Couldn't agree more JT...well said.

thewest.com.au/sport/wafl/wafl-2021-surp...all-virtue-c-3464219

WAFL 2021: Surprise selections in Hamish Free, Nathan Murray prove opportunity trumps every other football virtue
John TownsendThe West Australian
Wed, 21 July 2021 3:56PM
John Townsend
Nathan Murray celebrates with teammates after getting a win earlier this season.Credit:WAFL/TheWest
Hamish Free and Nathan Murray are perfect examples of opportunity trumping every other football virtue.

Free, the bullocking South Fremantle tall, and Murray, the speedy West Perth small, didn’t play in the WAFL last season when the COVID shutdown intersected with them putting aside their league ambitions and returning to their local clubs.

It is a different story this year in the duo’s second crack at league ranks.

Unexpected opportunities have presented themselves and both young men have grasped their chances with such relish and authority that they now own their places in their teams.

Results have helped. Both have started their careers with five wins from five matches and are members of teams that are certain to play finals and hold legitimate ambitions of doing better than that.

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But they have also paid their way with performances brimming with such impact that it should reinforce to all clubs and coaches that nothing beats an unexpected opportunity as a means to fast-tracking development.

What good, for instance, comes from the 192cm, 91kg and 19-year-old Harry Quartermaine continuing to languish in the hopeless and winless Perth colts team when the Demons are struggling to put a competitive senior side on the park?

What more does Ben Golding have to do to earn a league debut than average 21 disposals in the Subiaco reserves team?

Why not throw them in the deep end of league footy and see if they can swim?

Like Free and Murray, they might provide an unforeseen dividend from an unexpected investment.

Free started the season as an occasional sidekick to State and premiership ruckman Brock Higgins with little expectation other than he would learn his craft in the company of the Bulldogs veteran.

Higgins then hurt a pectoral muscle badly enough to be out of action for a month, Free was forced to take on greater responsibility and responded with such vigour that he has been a stand-out player in recent weeks and a key to South’s surging form.

And the stalwart Higgins? He is back in the reserves where he will have to bide his time and wait for Free’s form or fitness to fade if he is to get a late-season crack at a farewell flag.

In Murray’s case, his good fortune came from Connor West’s even better fortune.

Hamish Free has been impressive for South Fremantle this season.Credit:Jackson Flindell/The Sunday Times
When West was called up by West Coast at the mid-season rookie draft, it appeared that West Perth, for all their character and the influence of their stars Aaron Black and Shane Nelson, would struggle to reverse a slide that saw them fall to eighth place that week.

Yet West’s departure allowed Murray’s arrival and a West Perth revival that now extends to five unchanged teams and five consecutive victories.

Murray might have got a chance even with West at the Falcons but that sliding doors moment has proved to be as seamless as any selection transition this season.

He has averaged 23 touches a game, kicked a handful of goals and used his pace and game sense to contribute strongly to his team’s rise.

Mason Shaw is at the other end of the spectrum, a veteran player with a flag, Bernie Naylor Medal and time on an AFL list to his credit.

He was one of the beneficiaries of Free’s impact last week and identified the arrival of the ruckman and a group of other exuberant youngsters for South Fremantle’s recent resurgence after a pedestrian start to the season.

“The urgency from the young blokes has filtered out to the rest of us,” Shaw said. “A lot of them have had to bide their time for a long period but they have now got their opportunities and they are desperate when they get that chance.”

Opportunity. It is the golden ticket to success. Perhaps more clubs should buy one.

Wednesday Hero:It could be the heroic but anonymous club official who spotted and ejected a dangerous spectator armed with a chihuahua in a handbag at a recent match but instead it is South Fremantle’s Matthew Ward. The Bulldog last played in South’s 2019 losing grand final team but had to wait 666 days before his next league appearance. It was good one. He won the ball 21 times against Swan Districts, had eight clearances and is highly unlikely to spend the next two years in the reserves.

That's probably not a bad idea LH as having say Putt and Matthews in the same team won't work and we do need a back up to big O. I don't think there's too many alternatives and really does highlight just how important Dela is.

Yes I agree, not sure we can have both Putt and Matthews in the same team as they are very similar in style, lets see what Narkle can do, especially if it turns out to be a dry day. Plus ........GOLDING ffs.