PFNL 2018: Report cards for each team at the season’s halfway point | photos

So with 50 per cent of 2018’s home-and-away behind us, we thought it was a prudent time to take a look at how each side is shaping up through the opening half.

The Mustangs opened with what looked like a statement that they were ready to play some competitive footy when they bounced Waroona off the wall to the tune of 122 points, but since then things have been tough for the red and white. No doubt they’ve been more competitive than what we’re accustomed to seeing at times, and first-year coach Mat Aitchison has a solid plan in place, but it was always going to take time for Mandurah to haul themselves off the canvas. Thankfully, it hasn’t all been doom and gloom. Turns out Michael Stevens and Stuart Puls can form a pretty deadly forward duo when they’re both on, and Mitch White’s start to the season has been great. It’s tough to judge a team that’s so young, under a new coach and looking for a new direction, but seven straight losses is a harsh reality.

Highlights

Grade: D+

Again, not an easy team to grade. By Waroona’s lofty standards you’d say their year has been dismal, but outside of a couple terrible showings things haven’t been a total disaster for the Demons. Admittedly they were grounded by Mandurah in round one, and then again in round six when Rockingham put up more than 200 points on them, but they’ve also shown glimpses of the Waroona the league has grown to know so well. They opened their account in round five, erasing four straight losses with a victory over South Mandurah, and they’ve just gotten off the bottom of the ladder with a revenge win on Mandurah. There’s still a lot left to be desired, and I doubt the Demons fans are used to losing, but you can’t be on top forever. 

Highlights

Grade: D+

The Falcons have produced pretty much what you’d expect out of a team bringing its back-to-back premiership colts up to a league system. They’ve been great in patches, and not-so-great in others. They suffered a loss to the bottom side when Waroona bested them in round five, but on the complete flip side to that they’re also the only team to have beaten the league-leading Brumbies. The roller-coaster that is their form was highlighted in a round six loss to Pinjarra, a game they should have won considering they led by almost 40 points at one stage. But I reckon if you told coach Paul Pannell his side would knock off an undefeated team and be in the running for a finals spot before the season, he’d be pretty content with that.

Highlights

Grade: C+

Much like South Mandurah, the Blues have seen some highs and some lows, but they seem to be getting better as the season drags on. I’m guessing they didn’t envision suffering five losses through the opening nine weeks, but if you look at their most recent form Centrals have been impressive. Their last two weeks have seen them push Baldivis to the limit before upsetting Rockingham with a seven-goal drubbing. Toby Gianatti leads the way in individual form, with Thomas Bennett, Jacob Martinez and many others having shown strong performances. 

Highlights

Grade: C+

One of the better stories of the season has been how good Halls Head is when they’re at their best. They haven’t been able to beat a top-three side yet (they might have on Sunday if the game wasn’t called off) but you feel they’re not far away from causing a boil over. We were only eight rounds into the season when the Lightning doubled their win tally from last year, and new coach Adam Boone seems to have them on the right path. Guys like Mitch Royal and Luke Humphries have come into the team and done a fantastic job, while Robert Falkstrom, Jake Lally, Cory Fish, Michael Beeton and Tyson Phillips all make a big impact on games. It’s hard to say if Halls Head keeps their strong form up all year round, but here’s hoping they do given how entertaining they are to watch.

Highlights

Grade: B+

A combination of speed, contested ball winners and a knack for scoring in bunches has Rockingham in the top three on the back of a hot start to the year. Going 2-1 through the first three rounds gave fans an inkling that this Rams outfit had improved since 2017, but a 35-point win over the reigning premiers in round four stamped them down as a top-three contender. Mitchel Curnow could be leading the Ross Elliot medal count at this point, and having guys like Luke Dowling, Tyler Sutton and Travis Naughton doesn’t hurt your cause, either. They’ve got youth on their side with a lot of their players just in their early 20s, and it’s going to be very interesting to see just how far they go this season.

Highlights

Grade: A

The Tigers are probably feeling a little irked with the first half of their season, with several factors restricting their ability to play a regular team. They’re probably particularly ticked off that new boom recruit Leroy Jetta’s first game was called off just 17 minutes in, but outside of those frustrations, it’s the same old Pinjarra with the same old success. Sitting in second with a 6-2-1 record sums up where they’re at pretty accurately, and they seem to just be biding their time until they can get a hold of their best 22 and absolutely throttle some sides. They did the same last year when they won their final six games to clinch top spot and home field advantage through the finals, and I seem to remember that working out pretty well for them. Their only two losses have come against fellow top sides in Rockingham and Baldivis.

Highlights

Grade: A

Before this weekend just gone, you couldn’t fault the Brumbies. And even then, it took 10 Brad Holmes goals and an outstanding performance from every Falcon to knock them off their unbeaten perch. They opened their year with a win over the new-look Rockingham Rams, and went on to win their next seven in a row including impressive victories over Pinjarra, Halls Head and another over Rockingham. Brendan Tingey and Emmanuel Collard have been the catalysts for their midfield success, but the likes of Jacob Brownley, Eddy Dann, Sam Eccles, Sam Barndon and a whole heap more can be thanked for their 8-1 record. If you wanted to nit pick, you could argue that Baldivis has had the luxury of facing their toughest opponents on a home deck. We’ll see if they’re the real deal when they travel to Rockingham or Pinjarra, but for now, it’s hard to knock a team that’s playing as well as they are.

Highlights

Grade: A+