ROUND 12 PREVIEW V PERTH

SOUTH Fremantle has had a week to stew over a shock loss to East Perth and now turn attention to finally snapping the recent losing run against Perth with the Bulldogs hosting the Demons on Saturday afternoon.

South Fremantle and Perth are two finalists from 2020 needing to get back to winning when they meet at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Saturday in Round 12.

Both the Bulldogs and Demons are looking to return to the winner’s list on Saturday as well and have a fascinating recent history against one another on top of that.

Before the bye last week, South Fremantle suffered a shock loss to East Perth at Leederville Oval but the reigning premiers do remain in third position on the WAFL ladder with a 6-3 record coming into Round 12.

Meanwhile, Perth suffered a disappointing loss at home last week to East Fremantle despite the return of a host of key players and that was on the back of kicking just one goal in a 98-point defeat also at home at the hands of Subiaco.

However, it remains quite a quirk that Perth has had the wood over South Fremantle in recent times despite the Bulldogs winning the 2020 premiership, reaching the 2019 Grand Final and playing in preliminary finals in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Perth has actually now won its last four matches against South Fremantle including earlier this year at Mineral Resources Park when the Demons held the Bulldogs to one goal after quarter-time to win by 20 points.

There was also of course the last round of last year when Perth needed to beat South Fremantle to play finals for the first time since 1997, and despite trailing at three quarter-time, the Demons overran the Bulldogs to break that finals drought.

Perth also beat South Fremantle twice back in 2019 even if it was only by a combined nine points despite the Demons missing the finals and the Bulldogs ending up facing Subiaco in the Grand Final.

While Perth has enjoyed things over the last four meetings, it wasn’t long ago when South Fremantle was on its own eight-game winning streak over the Demons, and winning nine of 10 between 2014 and a 78-point win in Round 20, 2018.

South Fremantle has one forced changed from the loss to East Perth two weeks ago with premiership ruckman Brock Higgins out injured with Hamish Free coming in to take his place.

Jaxon Bellchambers, Aiden Hall, Trent Newton and Matthew Ward are the other players in the selection mix for the Bulldogs to take on the Demons at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Saturday afternoon.

From the Perth team that lost to East Fremantle last Saturday, Oscar Bird, Austin Davis, Clayton Giblett, Simon Hayward, Corey Hitchcock, Jayden Quill and Jordon Reid all come into the squad.

Haydn Busher, Christian Eyres and Matthew Rogers are three significant losses for the Demons who just started to get some key players back last week.

ROUND 12 – 2021 OPTUS WAFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON
SOUTH FREMANTLE v PERTH – FREMANTLE COMMUNITY BANK OVAL, SATURDAY 2.10PM

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