WRFL: Wyndhamvale overcomes Newport in heated clash

A soccer convert turned out to be the hero for Wyndhamvale in a thrilling WRFL clash which was marred by off-field violence.

You could hear the excitement in coach Luke Wenlock’s voice when he was asked about James Daly’s performance for Wyndhamvale.

The soccer convert produced a stunning display with four goals to steal the on-field headlines as the Falcons secured a 10.13 (73) to 9.12 (66) win over Newport.

Off the field, the game made headlines after crowd violence erupted during the WRFL Division 2 game with police still investigating.

But Daly’s performance ensured there were much better things to talk about according to Wenlock.

“He came down to the club in 2019 after playing soccer for his entire life,” he said.

“We call him twinkle toes because of some of the little moves he does. He’s not a traditional footballer and you’re able to see that by the way he moves.

James Daly finished with four goals for Wyndhamvale. Photo: George Sal

“But he has all the attributes to succeed in our game and has developed really nice over the last few years.

“He’s played stopping roles this year but he had a bit more freedom on the weekend and was able to take the most of his opportunities.

“I couldn’t be happier for him.”

Wyndhamvale threatened to blow the game open after an electric opening term where they kicked four goals to one but found themselves down by six points at the main change.

The Falcons were able to swing the game back in their favour in the third quarter before holding of for a thrilling win.

“It was a fantastic game of footy. I said to a couple of people it would have been great to watch if I wasn’t coaching,” Wenlock said.

“Newport’s small forwards really hurt us in the second quarter and were beating us to the fall of the ball then taking their chances. Because we’ve had a few players come back in the last few weeks we were able to make the necessary changes to stop their influence.

“We got back to playing our brand of footy after halftime and it certainly made a difference in the end result.”

Connor Yeoell of Wyndhamvale. Photo: George Sal

Big man Jesse Shell was named the best player on the ground for the Falcons continuing an impressive run of form after the bye.

Cam Morrison, Alex Hamilton, Liam Scarborough and Mackenzie Parker were also impressive.

“Jesse has been doing a bit of everything lately — whether it’s up forward or in the ruck,” Wenlock said.

“He’s been super in the last three games.”

Jesse Shell is in a fine run of form. Photo: George Sal

The win saw Wyndhamvale move one game clear of Newport in the top four and is now preparing for a clash with third placed North Footscray.

A win would see the Falcons move level with the Devils on points.

“It’s a huge game for us but that’s every week in this competition at the moment,” Wenlock said.

“It really feels like we’ve momentum going at the moment and it probably didn’t when we won three straight games earlier in the year.”

Mitch Taleb was named best for Newport with four goals while Mohamed Abdou and Osama Shahin also impressed.