RD 7 PREVIEW | v SWAN DISTRICTS

IF South Fremantle wants to break into the top four of the WAFLW competition then they have to knock someone out and that chance presents on Sunday at home to Swan Districts.

Round 7 of the WAFLW competition for the 2024 season will see South Fremantle back at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Sunday afternoon against Swan Districts in what looms as a pivotal match up.

The WAFLW contest gets underway at 12.40pm on Sunday afternoon with the Rogers Cup match up between the same two teams getting underway also at Fremantle Community Bank Oval at 10.35am.

Sunday’s match up in the WAFLW looms as a fascinating one between two teams who made the finals as two of the top four teams in 2023.

Swan Districts overcame a slow start to the 2023 season to end up making the finals from fourth position but then lost the first semi-final to eventual premiers East Fremantle.

South Fremantle made the finals in the WAFLW for the first time last season as well ending up in second position but then ending up losing the preliminary final also to East Fremantle.

So both teams had their 2023 seasons ended in the finals by the Sharks and now they meet for the first time in 2024 on Sunday in Round 7 of the season.

South Fremantle will be looking to make it three straight wins against Swan Districts in the WAFLW and also to make it consecutive wins this season on the back of beating East Perth by 35 points last week.

Swan Districts come into the contest sitting in fourth position with a 3-2 record and having just last week defeated Subiaco by 18 points at Steel Blue Oval in an impressive performance.

Sunday’s game will be the ninth 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.

Ahead of the Sunday game and from the team that beat East Perth last week, South Fremantle has added Makayla Cocking, Ariana Hetherington, Kate Newson, Molly O’Hehir and Ava Ritchie to the squad to face Swan Districts.

The outs from last week’s team so far for the Bulldogs are Tara Lee-Anne Garlett and Jasmine Bazeley.

Swan Districts has made two changes to its team that beat Subiaco last Sunday with Naomi Baker and Adi Griffith back into the team.

Going out for the black-and-whites are Emma Nanut and Keira Kennedy.

The Rogers Cup match up opens the action on Sunday at Fremantle Community Bank Oval with South Fremantle playing host to Swan Districts and looking to stay in touch with the top four in the process.

Coming into the Round 7 contest and South Fremantle’s Rogers Cup team currently sits in seventh position on the ladder with a 2-4 record.

South Fremantle is coming off a 32-point win at home to East Perth last Saturday as well so will be looking to keep that momentum rolling against Swan Districts on Sunday.

From that South Fremantle team that beat the Royals last week, Jorja Golding, Makayla Kickett and Coco McGrath have been added to the squad this week.

The Bulldogs come up against a Swans team who is sitting in third position on the Rogers Cup ladder with a 4-1 record and fresh off beating Perth by 37 points at Mineral Resources Park last Sunday.

Swan Districts has made two changes to its team with Madison Fisher and Armani Watson coming into the team with Adi Griffith and Javier Cornelius going out.