West Australian Football

Young Gun stars in WA Victory

A five-goal haul earned WA forward Ian Richardson the Simpson Medal and helped guide the Carlton Draught State team to a 73-point victory over Queensland in Townsville on June7. Richardson’s four-goal second quarter turned the tide WA’s way and once they had the momentum they didn’t let the Queenslanders back into the game, winning 24.20 (164) to 14.7 (91). WA was put under pressure early by the Queenslanders who have never beaten WA in a State clash. The second term was “Young Gun” territory as Richardson kicked four and fellow exciting young forward Hayden Ballantyne kicked two to give WA a 27-point lead at the main break. With Scott Siekierka, Jarrod Kayler-Thomson and Shaun Hildebrandt all running hard, the forwards had plentiful supply. Richardson was a clear winner in the Simpson Medal voting as WA’s best player. Matthew Payne kicked five goals for the Queensland side.