RD 1 PREVIEW | v EAST FREMANTLE

SOUTH Fremantle has a chance to make a statement to open the 2025 WAFLW season when they play host to East Fremantle in a derby on Saturday afternoon at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

The WAFL Women’s season begins this weekend and for South Fremantle that means a derby match up with East Fremantle on home turf which gets underway at 2.10pm on Saturday afternoon.

The day will get underway also with a derby contest in the Rogers Cup with the Bulldogs and Sharks locking horns with that getting underway at midday.

South Fremantle is looking to hit back in 2025 in the WAFLW competition on the back of missing out on playing finals in 2024 having broken through for the first time in 2023 with a second place finish, and making it all the way to the preliminary final.

It’s the beginning of a new era with the Bulldogs as well with Pia Faletti on board for the first time as a coach after the commendable job done by Craig McNaughton including leading the team to that breakthrough finals appearance.

While South Fremantle has lost some exciting young talent from last year including Noa McNaughton, Molly O’Hehir and Indi Strom, but there’s plenty to like about the group that has come together for 2025 season.

That includes the recruitment of AFLW premiership player from the Western Bulldogs, Bailey Hunt, with former Fremantle Dockers trio Makaela Tuhakaraina, Tahleah Mulder and Tara Stribley all on board with South Fremantle once more.

Now the first challenge for the Bulldogs is taking on the Sharks this Saturday at Fremantle Community Bank Oval in what will be the 12th derby match up in the WAFLW competition.

Since the Bulldogs joined the WAFLW ranks in 2020, the Sharks won the first six derbies before South Fremantle broke through for the first time in Round 7, 2023, on the way to their finals appearance that same season.

However, East Fremantle has again won the four matches since including the preliminary final that year with the Sharks having now won 10 of the 11 derbies in the WAFLW over the past five seasons.

New South Fremantle coach Faletti is fully aware of that record in the past, but having not been part of that herself, she comes into Saturday’s game with a clean slate and can’t wait to coach her first game in charge of the Bulldogs.

“There’s definitely fire there and a will, but the ledger is probably heavily slated in East Fremantle’s favour from the past, but I know the girls are really keen on our home deck to put in a good show,” Faletti told 91.3 SportFM.

“We’ve got great members, it should be a beautiful weekend in Freo and we’re keen to put on some really good footy for people to watch that come down, and hopefully come away with the win.”

Faletti can’t help but he feeling good about South Fremantle’s chances not only on Saturday but for the entire WAFLW season and a lot of that is on the back of the work she’s put in with the playing group ever since taking on the role.

“I’m a bit of an eternal optimist so keeping my emotions in check is the big one for me for this week as it is for a lot of the players, but I’m really excited to crack in,” Faletti said.

“It’s been a pre-season that’s about the same length as our season so the girls are just ready to hit the park and start playing.

“Looking at the list late last year, there’s definitely a lot of raw talent and in terms of the WAFLW, it’s the teams that are able to adapt in game quickly that are the ones that are quite successful.

“So really my philosophy was around building what we call the footy intelligence or IQ of the players so they feel confident to try things even if they make mistakes, to learn on the fly and be adaptable.

“That’s been a really big focus over the pre-season to put them in situations that challenge them and see them work through that.”