Round 11 Preview v Perth

SOUTH Fremantle scored a tremendous win on Monday in the WA Day Foundation Derby but now are looking to back it up just five days later at Fremantle Oval against Perth on Saturday.

While that was a tremendous win for the Bulldogs and saw them improve to a 5-4 record to maintain a position inside the top-five, there is sure to still be some sore bodies as a result of it heading into this Saturday’s clash with Perth at Fremantle Oval.

Perth can also take some confidence out of having beaten South Fremantle on its last trip to Fremantle Oval, but that was way back in Round 2 last year in what was Kris Miller’s 300th WAFL game.

That might be good memories for those Perth players who played, but at most there will be just six players from that team still in the line-up this Saturday.

South Fremantle and Perth met earlier this season back in Round 2 at Lathlain Park and on that occasion it was an old-fashioned game of two halves.

The Bulldogs were coming off a 35-point first round victory at home over West Perth and then opened up a 30-point half-time advantage over Perth in Round 2 keeping the Demons to one goal the entire first half.

South Fremantle were then 39 points in front early in the last quarter before Perth kicked five quick goals to get close with the Bulldogs just managing to hold on for a 10-point victory.

Perth might have won just the one game this season, but take out big losses to East Perth, Swan Districts and West Perth, and the Demons have put in some tremendously competitive performances and been unlucky to not record more than that one victory.

That included back in Round 2 against South Fremantle and in their last two games, the Demons have finished all over both East Fremantle and Swan Districts, but just been unable to completely overcome slow starts.

Perth now has every reason to have confidence heading to Fremantle Oval given it finished full of running against Swan Districts last Saturday, and now will have had a full seven days rest ahead of Saturday’s clash with a South Fremantle team that won a gruelling battle with East Fremantle in the WA Day Foundation Derby on Monday.

South Fremantle might still be without Ben Saunders and with Jacob Martinez set to spend another week on the sidelines, but the Bulldogs are set to regain at least one key player to take on Perth on Saturday.

Fresh off a strong performance in the WAFL’s State game win over the SANFL the previous Saturday, star defender Blayne Wilson pulled up with a sore back ahead of Monday’s clash with East Fremantle and was forced to miss his first game of the season.

However, he is straight back in now to take on the Demons this Saturday at the expense of the man he replaced him on Monday, Alistair Gillespie.

Star midfielder and reigning fairest and best winner Haiden Schloithe made his return from an ankle injury on Monday in the reserves and played just the first half, but was terrific with 18 possessions and he is a chance to now play his first league game since Good Friday against Perth on Saturday.

Then there is several in-form players in the reserves all with league experience looking to earn a recall for the Bulldogs.

Dual premiership-winning 182-game veteran Craig White heads that list following 25 possessions, 10 marks and a goal in Monday’s reserves victory over the Sharks.

Toby Bairstow also racked up 33 disposals to put himself in the mix while Brendan Verrier had 34 touches and Matthew Gundry 24 to all be in good form if they do happy to earn a call up.

Another midfielder Tim Kelly is out of the team after copping a heavy hit that left him unconscious in the opening minutes of the WA Day Foundation Derby with Adam Carter also out of the side from the one that beat the Sharks on Monday.

Perth put in a strong showing last Saturday to get to within a point of Swan Districts in the last quarter, and now regains some important players to face South Fremantle with on Saturday.

Jarrad Irons, Kelvin Lawrence, Brennan Stack, Callum Collard, Michael Sinclair, Kane Ransted and Christian Eyres are all players at Perth that coach Earl Spalding would have been expecting to be key players in the league side this year, but through form and fitness all were in the reserves last week.

While Irons will spend another week there at least after an injury-interrupted start to the season and Lawrence, Stack, Collard and Ransted will also remain there trying to build both form and fitness, Sinclair and Eyres should be straight back into the league side.

Prior to going down injured in the third quarter against East Perth back in Round 6, Sinclair had been in tremendous form for the Demons both as a ball-winning midfielder but also capable of doing some impressive stopping job including on Brant Colledge.

He returned in the reserves last Saturday and after 35 possessions and 16 marks against Swan Districts, he is now straight back into the Demons league side to face South Fremantle on Saturday.

And ruckman Eyres will also return to cover for the loss of Ben Power to injury.

Todd Stevenson is a chance to make his debut for Perth after strong form in the reserves with Cody Leggett and Callum Walley also pressing for selection.

Scott Doncon joins Power as the only two players out of the Perth team at this stage.

RESERVES SQUAD
T Bennell, M Carter, A Collica, B Collier, A Gillespie, J Hall, L Harris, J Laurino, C Luff, J Martinez, J Maskos, K Matera, B Matera, B McPhail, S Mills, M Nicholson, D Ross, B Saunders, H Schloithe, J Sgherza, B Sokol, N Strom, J Tartaglia, B Verrier

COLTS SQUAD
C Ah Siu, N Bretag, D Burke, B Colbung, J Collard, J Colpitts, B Corner, C Datson, B Donaldson, M Dzelebdzic, C Foster, J Foster, J Garlett, D Goodall, M Grimes, J Lachlan, D Maguang, J McMaster, J Mudge, J Musika, A Nodari, C Pearson, S Petera, K Stewart, S Thompson