Bears strengthen top spot as Roosters turn the tables
Round 15 produced four clear winners and several major late-season developments.
The four games generated 206 points and 38 recorded tries. Three winning teams held their opponents to 12 points or fewer, while Kalamunda’s accuracy from the kicking tee proved decisive in the round’s highest-scoring contest.
Willagee Bears 38 defeated Ellenbrook Rabbitohs 6
Willagee reinforced their position at the top of the competition with another controlled performance.
Saimoni Qaranivalu scored a hat-trick, Tommy Fifita crossed twice, and Kobi Aiesi and Malakai Chan Boon added one try each. Matthew Lansdown kicked five goals.
Qaranivalu and Fifita accounted for five of Willagee’s seven tries, while the Bears’ defence restricted Ellenbrook to a single Riapo Jones try and Daniel Cyckoma conversion.
Willagee entered the match averaging more than 53 points per game, so the 38-point return was below their extraordinary season average. Their defensive work was arguably more significant, conceding only six points.
The Bears won the earlier meeting 56–14. Across the two games they outscored Ellenbrook 94–20, conceding only five tries in total while scoring 17 themselves.
Kalamunda Bulldogs 42 defeated Joondalup Giants 28
Kalamunda’s goal-kicking was the defining difference in a match that was much closer in tries than the final margin suggested.
The Bulldogs scored seven tries to Joondalup’s six. Tommy Etchells, Elijah Joe and Josh Ngapuhi each crossed twice, while another Bulldog added the seventh.
Joe then converted all seven tries, finishing with an outstanding 22-point individual haul from two tries and seven goals.
Joondalup’s six tries came through doubles to Lincoln Williams and Tiger Williams, plus a try to Fraser Masterton. Tiger Williams kicked two goals.
The try difference was worth only four points. The remaining 10 points of Kalamunda’s 14-point winning margin came through goal-kicking, with the Bulldogs scoring 14 points from goals compared with Joondalup’s four.
It was a textbook example of why converting tries can decide matches between relatively evenly matched attacks.
Fremantle Roosters 26 defeated South Perth Lions 6
Fremantle produced one of the most important defensive performances of the round, restricting South Perth to a single try.
Ishmael Leilua, Lleyton Cameron and Manson Carmody each crossed for the Roosters, while Harry Debique kicked five goals.
South Perth’s only try came through Luke-David Wells-Talamaivao, with Kade McDonald adding the conversion.
The result was especially striking when compared with the clubs’ earlier meeting. South Perth defeated Fremantle 66–16 in Round 6, but the Roosters reversed the result with a 26–6 victory in Round 15.
That represents a 70-point swing in the match margin, with Fremantle moving from losing by 50 to winning by 20.
Holding the Lions to six points was the clearest evidence of Fremantle’s improvement. The Roosters did not need a huge attacking total because their defensive effort continually denied South Perth the opportunity to build pressure.
North Beach Sea Eagles 48 defeated Kwinana Titans 12
North Beach delivered a nine-try performance to secure a convincing win over Kwinana.
Wyatt Rogers scored a hat-trick, Te Ra Hare Ahuriri crossed twice, and Riley Bradley, Bow Stein, George Hough and Jay Roa added one try each. Nicholas Prance kicked six goals.
Kwinana scored three tries through a Titans player double and Ben Russell but were unable to add any goals.
The Sea Eagles’ 9–3 try advantage created the 36-point margin, with six different North Beach players finding the line. Rogers’ three tries alone matched Kwinana’s entire team total.
Prance’s 12 points from the tee were also equivalent to Kwinana’s full match score.
For North Beach, the result provided a much-needed attacking boost and showed the damage they can cause when their finishing receives consistent service.