RD 2 PREVIEW | V WEST COAST

SOUTH Fremantle hits the road for the first time in the 2024 WAFL season looking to get a first win on the board up against the West Coast Eagles at Lathlain on Saturday.

South Fremantle’s 2024 season began with a disappointing 39-point loss at the hands of East Perth last Saturday at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

The chance now presents to get on the board against the Eagles at Mineral Resources Park on Saturday with the game getting underway at 11.10am.

As a result of the Bulldogs taking on the Eagles in Round 2 of the WAFL, the colts and reserves will have the bye this weekend.

West Coast might not have won a WAFL game in the last 27 matches they have been part of, but that last victory the Eagles did have also happened to be at Mineral Resources Park and was against South Fremantle.

That was back in Round 10, 2022 so if any team knows the dangers of taking on West Coast this Saturday it’s the Bulldogs and as a result they will be anything but complacent going into the contest.

Since that loss back in 2022 the two teams played twice last year and the Bulldogs won on both occasions despite both teams ending up not taking part in finals.

South Fremantle beat West Coast in Round 1 last year by 43 points and then backed it up with an 89-point victory in Round 20 which also took place at the Lathlain venue.

Both teams suffered a Round 1 loss too to open the new season with South Fremantle losing at home last Saturday to the Royals while the Eagles went down to Swan Districts at Steel Blue Oval by 64 points despite being just two points down late in the third quarter.

From the South Fremantle team that lost to East Perth last week, there is just the one change and it’s to the forward-line with Chase Bourne coming into the line-up while last week’s debutant Connor McDonald goes out.

There are four changes to the West Coast team that lost to Swan Districts with Jai Culley, Harvey Johnston, Tyler Mouritz and Dom Sheed into the side.

Going out for the Eagles are Tyrell Dewar, Andrew Gaff, Loch Rawlinson and Josh Rotham.

One of five South Fremantle debutants last Saturday against East Perth was Lewis Rayson who has made the move from Glenelg in the SANFL.

He did well too with 18 possessions, four marks, three tackles and three entries inside the forward 50, and now looking forward to hopefully tasting his first WAFL victory this Saturday at home to the Eagles.

“Looking at their side last week and I obviously play on the wing, and there might be a chance of me lining up on someone like Andrew Gaff or someone like that this week so that’s pretty exciting,” Rayson said.

“It’s going to be a pretty good test this week and as a group we’ve got to bounce back and kind of brush off last week. I reckon we’ll be ready to do so.”