WAFL 2025: East Perth defender Ethan Regan says Royals still have point to prove against competition’s best

Royals defender Ethan Regan says East Perth still have plenty to prove against the competition’s top sides as they move into a crucial final six games of the WAFL season. And his side will get their chance in spades, set to play Perth next week before a daunting final three fixtures against South Fremantle, East Fremantle and Claremont. Last year’s minor premiers sit just two points behind Claremont in third after dismissing Peel Thunder by 28 points in Mandurah on Saturday and sit a healthy percentage above the Demons in fourth. If Regan and his side can knock off Perth on Saturday at home, they can create a handy buffer with matches against West Perth and West Coast after that a chance to cement top three. “It’s been a really good year so far, we’ve been building,” Regan told The West Australian. “But we’ve still got a lot more to prove. We still probably need to win against top-five teams, but we’re holding our own at the moment. “We’ve been building on trying to work our way into games, and our ball movement has been pretty average the last few weeks. “Hopefully, we’ll make a pretty good charge into finals and secure top three.” The Royals’ forward line will likely have a big say on the outcome of the side’s season, Sam van Dieman, Tom Medhat, Ben Middleton and Sebit Kuek beginning to gel into a dangerous unit and drawing high praise from Regan. “Sammy van Dieman is a really polished small forward and Tom Medhat and Benny Middleton who’s come from Peel is really good so we’ve got a pretty tight gel in our forward line,” he said. “(Kuek) is a pretty good player, man. He does things you don’t see, like his work rate and contest, which is unbelievable. He kicks a few bags here and there, so he’s a really good player to watch.” Regan then threw ruck behemoth Scott Jones into the Sandover Medal discussion. “Scott Jones is unbelievable and maybe up there in contention for the Sandover,” he said. “Kudos to him, he works so hard.” Regan was a pivotal part of East Perth’s defence at Lane Group Stadium, helping keep Peel to one goal per quarter after the home side kicked three in the opening term. “They’re a pretty good side. A few Fremantle-listed players help them out quite a bit, but our defence was really solid,” he said. “Just the way we remained calm under pressure and stayed composed and see it through because the wind was pretty heavy in a few of those quarters. “It was a great game overall to come back and win.”