RD 12 PREVIEW | v SWAN DISTRICTS

SOUTH Fremantle has the chance to move closer to a WAFLW finals spot for a second straight year when taking on Swan Districts at Steel Blue Oval on Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs are back in action in Round 12 of the WAFLW season this Saturday afternoon hitting the road to take on Swan Districts at Steel Blue Oval with the game getting underway at 2.10pm.

South Fremantle is coming into the contest fresh off a more than encouraging performance last week against the league-leading Claremont before ending up coming up just short by a solitary point.

On the back of that result, South Fremantle does remain in fourth position on the WAFLW ladder with a 4-5 record to be two games behind the third placed West Perth and percentage ahead of the fifth ranked Swan Districts.

That’s where the next two weeks are going to be defining in the context of the 2024 season for South Fremantle starting this Saturday against Swan Districts.

A win for the Bulldogs and they will move a game clear of the black-and-whites to remain solid inside the top four and then should West Perth also lose to Claremont this Saturday, then next week will present the chance for South Fremantle to move into third spot with a win over the Falcons.

Last time the two teams played was back in Round 7 of this season which saw South Fremantle score the 7.4 (46) to 5.2 (32) victory against Swan Districts at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

In that contest, Poppy Stockwell and Pippa Sideris kicked two goals apiece for South Fremantle while Molly O’Hehir compiled 26 possessions, Tahleah Mulder 22 and Alyssa Smogavec 20.

Saturday’s game will be the 10th time that the two teams have met in the WAFLW competition.

Swans won the opening six match ups by an average of 36.5 points before the Bulldogs beat them for the first time at Fremantle Community Bank Oval in Round 4 last year by 53 points.

The second match up of 2023 was in the last round of the season where the Bulldogs managed to win a thriller by three points at Steel Blue Oval.

South Fremantle then also won that game this year in Round 7 to be on a three-game winning streak which the Bulldogs will be attempting to stretch out to four this Saturday afternoon.

South Fremantle went down by a solitary point to the league-leading Claremont last week and from that team, the Bulldogs add Jasmine Bazeley, Darcy Clements, Tahlia Holtze, Poppy Stockwell and Hannah Young to the team.

Going out for the Bulldogs are Shannyn Pomersbach, Liusaidh Gilchrist, Ava Ritchie, Alyssa Smogavec and captain Lauren Vecchio.

Swan Districts is coming off an 11-point defeat at the hands of Subiaco last week and from that team, Jemma Sly and Ava Stewart come into the side for the black-and-whites.

Going out for Swans to take on the Bulldogs are Adi Griffith and Courtney Zappara.

Meanwhile, South Fremantle’s Rogers Cup team has the bye in Round 12 and is currently sitting in fifth position on the ladder with a 6-4 record.

The Bulldogs will next be in action in the Rogers Cup next Saturday morning up against West Perth at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.