RD 9 PREVIEW | v WEST PERTH

SOUTH Fremantle will look to build on the momentum from Monday’s WA Day Derby win by taking on the reigning premiers West Perth at Joondalup on Sunday.

The Bulldogs kicked the last four goals of the game in Monday’s WA Day Derby against East Fremantle at the WACA Ground to make it 15 consecutive victories against their old rivals.

Now six days later and South Fremantle will be attempting to keep that momentum going when taking on West Perth at Joondalup’s Pentanet Stadium.

While South Fremantle beat East Fremantle by 14 points on Monday to continue the longest winning streak in derby history, West Perth went down to East Perth at the same time losing by 36 points to end its own winning run in derbies against the Royals.

So that sets up a tantalising match up on Sunday at Joondalup with South Fremantle attempting to make it consecutive wins and West Perth trying to avoid suffering a third consecutive defeat.

South Fremantle comes into the Round 9 contest in seventh position on the WAFL ladder with just the eight premiership points to their name, but with an overall 4-4 record following Monday’s derby win to bounce back from a surprise loss at home to Perth.

West Perth, meanwhile, slipped outside of the top five with a loss to East Perth on Monday on the back of also losing to Peel Thunder at home the previous week.

That means the Falcons have lost consecutive matches for the first time since 2021.

A loss on Sunday would be the first occasion they’ve lost three straight since 2019 with their premiership defence getting decidedly shaky.

Sunday’s game will be the first time South Fremantle and West Perth have met since they played out a draw in Round 15 last year at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

Prior to that and West Perth had won the last two matches against the Bulldogs, but before that and it was South Fremantle who had won five in-a-row over the Falcons since a shock loss in the 2018 preliminary final.

At Joondalup, while West Perth has won its last two home games against South Fremantle, the Bulldogs had won their previous five trips north and have won 20 of 31 matches overall since the Falcons made the move there in 1994.

Looking back to Monday’s WA Day Derby win and South Fremantle coach Todd Curley was understandably delighted with his team’s approach and to end up kicking the last four goals to claim the win.

“We were just happy to have a win to be honest. They were tough conditions and our boys I thought adapted really well,” Curley said.

“It was probably really similar to last year’s game at the WACA to best honest when it was also very wet, and a slog. I thought apart from a couple of small periods in the game we had it sort of under control for most of the day. But it was really hard to score, we took our chances and were really pleased obviously.”

Now looking ahead to Sunday’s trip to take on West Perth at Joondalup, and Curley knows that just like every other game the rest of the season, it’s going to be hard fought and difficult to predict the result in.

“It’s not only games, but apart from West Coast who are decimated with injury it looks like any team can bob up to beat anybody on any given day,” Curley said.

“It’s going to be tight for the whole competition for the rest of the year and that’s a great thing for the game, and for the competition and getting people along.

“I think you can confidently go to all games thinking they will be good games to watch, and there won’t be too many blowouts. I think that’s what we all want.”