Round 19 Preview v Claremont

SOUTH Fremantle is back in form having won three straight matches and the Bulldogs can go a long way to securing second position on the WAFL ladder with a win at Fremantle Community Bank Oval against Claremont on Saturday.

It has been a rollercoaster season so far for the Bulldogs with a seven-game winning streak following by four straight losses and now they have recovered with the three wins in-a-row.

The win last week against Peel Thunder was enough to see South Fremantle back into second position on the ladder and they will stay there provided they win their last two matches of the home and away season against both Claremont and West Perth.

That would be a remarkable achievement for South Fremantle and would mean that for four consecutive seasons they have ended the home and away season in second position on the ladder as they desperately chase that first premiership and Grand Final appearance since 2009.

The final game on Saturday afternoon should be the game of the round with South Fremantle hosting Claremont at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

The Bulldogs and Tigers are locked in a battle over second position on the WAFL ladder and that could very well end up being decided come Saturday afternoon with the reward for finishing second getting to play host to the qualifying final in two weeks’ time.

South Fremantle comes into the game on Saturday afternoon at 2.35pm at Fremantle Community Bank Oval having won its past three matches and having taken over second spot from Claremont, but that is only with a gap of less than one per cent.

The Bulldogs and Tigers both hold 11-5 records coming into the game and look all but certain of finishing second and third no matter what happens over the last two rounds, it just now depends on which order.

While South Fremantle has won its past three games against Swan Districts, East Perth and Peel, Claremont lost last week to West Perth on the back of a narrow win against the Thunder and another tight victory against Perth.

With South Fremantle and Claremont likely to meet in the qualifying final in two weeks’ time, Saturday’s clash should provide a fascinating into what is to come and has the chance to provide the winner with some momentum to take into that contest.

The teams met at Claremont Oval back in Round 13 and on that occasion the overran the Bulldogs to win by 16 points.

But prior that loss, South Fremantle had beaten Claremont in five of the previous six meetings with that only interrupted with a shock six-point loss at home in Round 8 last year.

South Fremantle coach Todd Curley is looking forward to this run of two games against the third placed Claremont and fourth placed West Perth to close the home and away season with the knowledge they will then play one of them in the qualifying final the week after.

“It’s funny with Claremont we didn’t play them that long ago and now we roll out again but West Perth we haven’t played since Round 6 so it was a long time ago. They are both obviously good teams and teams in form,” Curley said.

“West Perth lost the first four games of the year and since then they’ve been going super consistently. They will both be tough games but they are opportunities for us to learn about our boys, and obviously about the opposition as well. It’s just exciting at this time of the year.

“It’s just two more opportunities really to keep working on our game and getting better. We are just really focused on our own group more than anything else, and if we keep winning ladder positions will take care of themselves.

“With the way the ladder is, it’s fairly likely we’ll either end up second or third anyway so whether we play at home or away, we don’t care too much to be honest. We think we are just as hard a team to beat as we are at home, we’ve had a pretty good record as an away team.

“Whether it’s an away or home, we don’t care. We just want to keep getting better and that’s something that we’ve worked hard on and yes we have some young boys, but that’s a great opportunity for them.”

ROUND 19
SOUTH FREMANTLE v CLAREMONT – FREMANTLE COMMUNITY BANK OVAL, SATURDAY 2.35PM

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