WAFL 2024: East Fremantle coach Bill Monaghan confident in premiership defence despite delays on return home

East Fremantle’s strange season has reached a new level of absurdity over the last month but coach Bill Monaghan is confident a continued wait to return home will not affect their premiership defence. Despite being forced to host their nominal home Fremantle derby at Fremantle Community Bank Oval due to ongoing issues over their return to East Fremantle Oval, the Sharks produced a dominant display against South Fremantle on Saturday, beating the Bulldogs by 66 points. The win was their fourth in a row, with the streak also including a grand final rematch with ladder-leaders Peel Thunder where they had to surrender home ground advantage and move the fixture to Mandurah. The WAFC confirmed in a statement on Friday long-running issues over the ground’s surface had been all-but resolved and training at the venue would be able to begin “immediately” but the club and Town of East Fremantle are still yet to sign a tenancy agreement, having been at loggerheads over several key issues. Monaghan said his message to his players on the issue had remained much the same as it had over the last three seasons. “We know that’s our lot, we’re not sure if it’ll change this year,” he said. “We’re still hoping our season lasts another six, seven, eight weeks. (Hopefully) we can get a base for that last portion and train on what looks like a good surface that has really improved over the last month or so.” With the fourth-placed Sharks now in control of their own destiny, sitting a game clear of sixth-placed Claremont inside the top five, Mongahan said improved continuity in selection had helped his side round into form. “We don’t make a lot of injuries and every side has injuries but our ability to consistently put the same side on the park has been a factor,” he said. “I think we’ve only had three or four guys play every game this season, that’s not a perfect world. “There’s probably a range of factors ... when you’re the reigning premiers, people look at what you do and ways to stop you.” Never afraid to spin the magnets, Monaghan produced an early derby surprise by starting Cam Eardley forward and he produced a best-afield 22-disposal, four-goal performance despite having come into the clash with only one goal on the season. Monaghan said he was trying to use the veteran’s ability to draw the ball to cause some damage forward of centre. “Whether he’s back or in the middle or now up forward, I think our players have got confidence in kicking the ball to him,” he said. “Not everything you do when you’re a coach pays off and works but today that clearly did.”