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FALCONS FOCUS ON GETTING CRUCIAL FOUR POINTS AGAINST LIONS

Saturday, April 11, 2015 - 10:30 AM by Chris Pike

DESPITE the added attention on the clash, West Perth is firmly focused on trying to beat Subiaco on Saturday at Medibank Stadium to record a third straight victory to head into next week's bye with.

West Perth has now strung together good wins over Peel Thunder and Perth at HBF Arena the past two weeks following the Round 1 loss to South Fremantle to be building some strong momentum heading into Saturday's clash with the reigning premiers at Leederville.

Subiaco had won its first two games of the season in style over Claremont and East Fremantle before losing to East Perth by 64 points on Good Friday so West Perth has every reason to expect a fired up Lions outfit this Saturday.

There might be focus on the outside on the clash because of the early morning incident involving players from both clubs two weeks ago, but for West Perth the focus is entirely on getting a win that would improve them to a 3-1 record heading into the bye next weekend.

Coach Bill Monaghan had a chat to his players about exactly that following last Saturday's 79-point win over Perth.

"It's a really good opportunity for us to test ourselves against what I still think is one of, if not the best, sides in the competition even though they weren’t great against East Perth," Monaghan said.

"Probably with what's gone on over the last week or so there might be a little extra interest in the game, but as I said to the players after the game we can't control what people say, do or write about the game. Our focus is to play our very best footy and we'll be trying to do that against a quality outfit who will be on the rebound from a poor performance."

Reigning Sandover Medallist Aaron Black is also confident that the Falcons players will only have one thing on their minds as they run out on to Medibank Stadium, and that's to get the four points.

"With a lot of external issues faced by both clubs this past week we know that our focus must stay on the task at hand. There has been a lot of speculation and media attention surrounding the incident so remaining focused and concentrating on having the right attitude and intent," Black said.

"We have spoken internally about the matter and remain focused on this week and this week only. It has been business as usual this week at training as we look to solidify ourselves as a premier team in the competition this year. Our confidence is high as we look to win our third game in a row against a quality opposition who are looking to get back on track. It's going to be an exciting game this week."

Small defender, vice-captain and premiership player Laine Rasmussen has missed training this week with West Perth due his work placement in Bunbury, but has heard plenty about what has been happening and has no doubt the focus is firmly on getting the four points against Subiaco.

"Speaking to the boys, training has been good all week and there is a good feeling among the group. This week’s game is the most important game of our season, for no other reason than it’s our next game," Rasmussen said.

"We’ll focus on what we can control, that is the manner in which we play. What better way to prove we’re one of the best sides in the competition than playing against last year’s premiers coming off a loss.

"Getting a win coming into the bye is the only statement we need to make regarding our relations with the Subiaco Football Club, and anything else would be an injustice."