Round 15 Preview v East Perth

SOUTH Fremantle can further consolidate top spot on the WAFL ladder by beating East Perth at Fremantle Community Bank Oval but the Royals will arrive desperate and with a team mostly made up of West Coast-listed players.

South Fremantle and East Perth do battle at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Saturday with the Bulldogs needing to win to stay on top of the ladder while the Royals must win to remain in the finals race.

South Fremantle returned to the top of the WAFL ladder last week with a 35-point win over West Perth at HBF Arena but the Bulldogs do need to keep winning to stay there ahead of Subiaco even though they have played a game less than the Lions.

The Bulldogs have scored two strong wins over fellow top five teams Peel Thunder and West Perth following a loss to East Fremantle in the WA Day Foundation Derby ahead of the state game.

Those wins have seen South Fremantle improve to a 10-2 record on the season to be percentage clear of Subiaco.

Player Column – Haiden Schloithe Round 15 
Coach Post Match – Todd Curley Round 14 

East Perth had the bye last weekend following a solid 33-point win over Perth that kept its finals hopes alive.

The Royals currently sit in sixth position at 5-7 but they could be just one game out of the five with a win over South Fremantle ahead of a clash with Swan Districts and then what could be a defining derby against West Perth in Round 17.

The two met earlier in the season under lights at Fremantle Community Bank Oval and on that occasion South Fremantle proved too strong winning by 40 points in Round 3.

That win made amends for a 106-point win by East Perth over South Fremantle in Round 18 last year in the last day game the two teams played against one another.

South Fremantle coach Todd Curley will just focus his team on playing their way and hopefully that is good enough to get the better of East Perth.

"It will be a good test and they are all tough games. We've probably been at our best when we have concentrated on making sure we get our own backyard right," Curley said.

"That will be our aim. We know that if we play our brand it's really competitive and we will be in the game. That's the aim and if we do that it will be a close contest at least."

South Fremantle scored a strong win over West Perth last week despite being without Haiden Schloithe, Ashton Hams and Adam McIntosh who will again all be absent this Saturday against East Perth.

The Bulldogs also lose half-forward Blaine Johnson again to a hamstring complaint despite him returning to play well with two goals last week.

Brendan Verrier looks set to be the automatic inclusion for the Bulldogs having now returned to full form and fitness. He had 34 possessions and nine tackles in the reserves last week to show he's ready for a first league appearance since Round 6.

Defender Chris Luff might also be needed for South Fremantle to play his first game of the year to help match up on East Perth's tall stocks.

Dylan Main could also return after good form in the reserves with 25 possessions, 12 tackles and eight inside-50 entries last week. Tyson Pickett remains in contention for a debut as well following another 21 disposals last Saturday in the reserves against West Perth.

East Perth beat Perth prior to the bye last week and now the Royals have plenty of changes coming into Saturday's clash with South Fremantle as they need to win to stay in the finals race in 2016.

While East Perth lose Scott Lycett, Patrick McGinnity, Jackson Nelson and Mitch Brown who all played for West Coast in the win over Essendon at Domain Stadium on Thursday night, the Royals have plenty of Eagles talent at their disposal.

With West Coast only having Nic Naitanui on the injury list, East Perth could field as many as 18 Eagles players on Saturday.

Big men Jonathan Giles and Fraser McInnes will both return after the pair didn’t play for West Coast against Essendon with Dom Sheed also set to make his comeback through injury for the Royals.

Dropped Eagles pair Liam Duggan and Jack Redden will also play for East Perth and will look to impress in a bid to break back into the Eagles line-up.

East Perth could also receive a significant boost with co-captain Craig Wulff fighting hard to prove his fitness in a bid to play his first game since Round 9. The 277-game veteran would be a welcome return for the Royals while Nathan Blee could also be back after a week in the reserves.

With up to 18 Eagles players and likely no fewer than 15 guaranteed of playing, spots aren’t easy for East Perth players as well especially with Paul Johnson and Mitch Fraser certain to play along with Wulff if he proves his fitness.

ROUND 15
SOUTH FREMANTLE (10-2, 1st) v EAST PERTH (5-7, 6th) – FREMANTLE COMMUNITY BANK OVAL, SATURDAY 2.15PM
Broadcast – 91.3 SportFM 

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