RD 4 WAFL PREVIEW | v WEST PERTH

South Fremantle has made a hot start to the new WAFL season and will look to keep that unbeaten record intact by taking on West Perth under lights at Joondalup on Anzac Day eve.

South Fremantle will open Round 4 of the WAFL season across Anzac Day on Thursday night by taking on West Perth at HIF Heath Insurance Oval with the game getting underway at 7:10pm.

It’s the beginning of a new era in 2025 for South Fremantle with Craig White on board as coach and some new faces on the field, and it couldn’t have got off to a more impressive start with the first three wins against Perth, Peel Thunder and Swan Districts.

That has the Bulldogs as one of two remaining undefeated teams in the WAFL competition to start the 2025 season and that goes on the line against the Falcons on Thursday night.

West Perth has won two of its first three matches this season too including a 60-point win also in a night game last Saturday against Subiaco.

South Fremantle is also attempting to win a third straight match against West Perth having won both meetings in 2024 by a combined 36 points.

Prior to that and the Falcons had won four of the previous five contests with the other being a draw in Round 15, 2022, at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

The Joondalup venue is one that over the past 30 years South Fremantle has enjoyed visiting despite the distance they have to travel to get there.

South Fremantle has won 21 of the 33 games against West Perth at Joondalup since the Falcons moved there from Leederville back in 1994.

South Fremantle midfielder Matthew Ward has returned to the Bulldogs this season having previously played nine games including the 2019 Grand Final.

He is averaging 21 possessions in three games this season to be a key part of the midfield for the Bulldogs, but playing a Thursday night game does bring about some challenges as he prepares to face the Falcons in Joondalup.

“I will still have to work to start the day but I will get the half day off to prepare for the game, and we’ll head up to Joondalup and hopefully get the job done,” Ward told 91.3 SportFM.

“It’s been a bit of a weird week coming out of Easter and then with us having the Thursday night. We haven’t done a lot at training and have focused on the mental prep for the game, but we were lucky enough to play a night game in Round 1 under lights at Lathlain so we do have that experience.

“It is a lot different playing at night and it’s more of a mindset thing to get your head around so I’ve been talking to some of the older players who have played plenty of night games in the AFL and what not to pick up some little tips on how to get prepared.

“They’ve just said to focus on the task ahead and get it done, so that’s what we are focused on.”

Meanwhile, the Colts and Reserves match ups between South Fremantle and West Perth will be played on Anzac Day on Friday also at the Joondalup venue.

The Reserves is first up starting at 3:30pm with South Fremantle coming into the game in third position with a 2-1 record while West Perth is yet to win a game in 2025.

The Bulldogs are looking to hit back from a first loss of the season last Saturday at home to Swan Districts with the Falcons fresh off a narrow loss against Subiaco at Sullivan Logistics Stadium.

That leads into the Colts contest that begins at 6:30pm on Friday evening between the Bulldogs and Falcons with South Fremantle having so far started the season in tremendous fashion.

The Bulldogs colts have won all three games to start the season against Perth by 32 points, Peel Thunder by 48 points and then Swan Districts by 83 points to sit on a perfect 3-0 record.

That record goes on the line on Friday night at Joondalup against a Falcons team having won one of their three matches so far in 2025 but getting on the board last Saturday with the 34-point victory.