Qualifying Final Preview v Claremont

SOUTH Fremantle has qualified for the WAFL finals for a fourth straight year in second position and now attempts to move straight through to the second semi-final with a win in Saturday's qualifying final against Claremont.

South Fremantle's run of consistently being the second best team in the WAFL just behind the dominant Subiaco has continued for a fourth successive year with the Bulldogs again finishing the 2019 home and away season in second spot on the ladder.

The last three seasons for the Bulldogs have all ended in a preliminary final but South Fremantle is looking for a win in Saturday's qualifying final against Claremont at Fremantle Community Bank Oval to earn a shot at Subiaco in the second semi-final.

The Bulldogs are the only team to beat the Lions in the past two years so they would have a degree of confidence taking them on with a Grand Final spot at stake, but first things first and the Tigers stand in the way as more than worthy qualifying final opponents.

The finals action for 2019 gets underway on Saturday afternoon at Fremantle Community Bank Oval with South Fremantle and Claremont doing battle in the qualifying final.

The winner of the clash will advance into the second semi-final next week against Subiaco with a spot in the Grand Final at stake while the loser will host a first semi-final against the loser of Sunday's elimination final.

South Fremantle finished the season on a five-game winning streak to secure a second place finish for the fourth consecutive year. The Bulldogs ended the campaign on a 13-5 record as they now attempt to improve on preliminary final finishes the past three years.

Claremont ended up in third position with a 12-6 record with the Tigers now earning a double chance in the finals as they attempt to get a step closer to their first Grand Final appearance since 2012.

With the winner getting a shot at Subiaco in the second semi-final with a Grand Final spot on the line and the loser going on to host a first semi-final but then facing cut-throat action the rest of the way, there's plenty at stake for two teams who split their two games with one another through 2019.

There will be plenty of fascinating match ups to look out for all over the field and none more so in the ruck with South Fremantle's Brock Higgins up against Claremont Jeremy Goddard.

Both teams then have strong midfields too with the Bulldogs led by Haiden Schloithe, Jacob Dragovich, Jake Florenca and Steve Verrier, and the Tigers by Jye Bolton, Kane Mitchell, Declan Mountford, Ryan Lim and Jared Hardisty.

Both team's back-lines are strong too so it will be a challenge for South Fremantle's forwards of Mason Shaw, Zac Strom, Dylan Main, Brandon Donaldson, Andrew Haydon, Kyle Russell and Kade Stewart to get away, as it will be for Claremont's Jack Bradshaw, Ian Richardson, Anthony Treacy, Alec Waterman, Matthew Palfrey and possibly Anton Hamp.

South Fremantle coach Todd Curley was still enjoying the effort of the Bulldogs to consolidate second position for a fourth straight year after beating West Perth last week, and while he knows Claremont coach Darren Harris well, he knows it's the players who will decide the game.

"We know we are going to play them and we'll play them at home again. My initial thoughts were about thinking well done to the boys for what they've done to this point and then recover and we'll see you Monday night when we'll start looking towards that game," Curley said.

"I know Harro well, I know Geoff Valentine well too. We'll always be mates and former teammates and all that sort of stuff, but you more worry about the team and the players. It's not about what the coaches do to be honest. 

"By the time you get to this time of year, 99 per cent of your preparation is done. We'll get our boys as fit and ready to go as we can, and I'm sure they will put out a really good account of themselves."

South Fremantle captain Dylan Main was proud that the Bulldogs were able to secure second spot for the fourth straight year after a season that saw them win seven straight, lose four in-a-row and now enter the finals on a five-match winning streak.

"It was good to consolidate second spot on the ladder. We had a bit of an inconsistent season, we started well and had a little hiccup in the middle of the season but we finished strong and were able to lock in that second spot," Main said.

"It would be nice to get the win this weekend and then go on to Subi but our eyes are just on Saturday at the moment."

OPTUS WAFL FINALS SERIES

QUALIFYING FINAL
SOUTH FREMANTLE v CLAREMONT – FREMANTLE COMMUNITY BANK OVAL, SATURDAY 2.40PM