RD 11 PREVIEW | v PEEL THUNDER

South Fremantle do need to continue winning to maintain their hold on top spot in the WAFL and the next challenge is Peel Thunder on Saturday in Mandurah.

Not only do the South Fremantle league team come into Round 11 of the 2025 season in top spot, but so do the Bulldogs’ colts and reserves as they look to maintain those positions this Saturday.

South Fremantle travels to Lane Group Stadium to take on Peel with the colts match up first on the agenda at 9:15am before the reserves follows at 11:45am before the league gets underway at 2:30pm.

South Fremantle comes into the Round 11 match up sitting a game and percentage clear on top of the WAFL ladder on the back of last Saturday’s 10-point win against East Perth at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

Peel, meanwhile, is in a fight just to keep their finals hopes alive currently sitting in sixth place with four wins, four losses and a draw so there’s plenty on the line coming into Saturday’s clash in Mandurah.

The two teams already met earlier this season in Round 2 at Fremantle Community Bank Oval with South Fremantle dominating that game for the 49-point win.

However, prior to that and the Thunder had won three straight against the Bulldogs including five of the previous six.

And in Mandurah, Peel has also won the last three times when hosting South Fremantle with the Bulldogs’ last win at Lane Group Stadium coming in Round 17, 2021, in what was a 116-point hammering.

South Fremantle spearhead Trey Ruscoe kicked a career-best seven goals in last Saturday’s win against East Perth to now be leading the Bernie Naylor Medal Race with 33 goals in his nine matches this season with the Bulldogs.

But what he is most impressed with so far from joining South Fremantle is how connected the entire club is, and that’s a big reason why all of the league, reserves and colts teams are sitting in top spot right now.

“We’re going really well obviously and the whole club is really with happy with how we’re going at all levels,” Ruscoe told 91.3 SportFM.

“Our WAFLW team are also doing really well, our reserves and colts are doing well too so it’s awesome to see and be part of it.

“We all try to get around each other as much as possible with some little fun nights together so we stay connected as a whole entire football club, and not individuals. So that’s really good and it’s something we’re really priding ourselves on this year.”

There are no changes to the South Fremantle team from the side that beat East Perth last week just with Toby Dodds, Ashton Ferreira, Hudson Pivac and Nick Stuhldreier added to the extended squad.

Peel is coming off a 52-point win last week against the West Coast Eagles and from that team, Jaren Carr, Oscar McDonald, Jaegar O’Meara, Austin Polmear, Deian Roberts, Brandon Walker and Michael Walters all come into the team.

Going out for the Thunder are Nathan O’Driscoll, James Aish and Aiden Riddle.

The day will begin on Saturday in Mandurah with the colts contest with South Fremantle putting top spot on the line also against Peel.

The Bulldogs colts currently sit percentage ahead of East Fremantle with both teams sitting on 6-2 records with South Fremantle having beaten East Perth by a massive 92 points last Saturday at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

Peel last played in the colts three weeks ago with a 61-point loss to Subiaco and since then the Thunder have had consecutive byes and currently have a 0-8 record to still be hunting that first win of 2025.

That leads into the reserves match where South Fremantle also sit in top spot with a 6-2 record but it’s a remarkably tight race with the Bulldogs only ahead of Claremont, Perth and Swan Districts on percentage with all four on the same record.

The Bulldogs beat the Royals by 19 points last Saturday to sit in that top position as they prepare to face a Thunder team in the reserves who are seventh at 3-5 and trying to also stay in the race for the finals.