ANZAC ROUND PREVIEW | V PEEL THUNDER

SOUTH Fremantle is back to Fremantle Community Bank Oval not short on motivation to get back on the winner's list against Peel Thunder on Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs will be commemorating ANZAC Round on Saturday at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Saturday as well for the match up with the Thunder.

The league contest begins at 2.10pm with the reserves beginning a big day at 11.20am. 

The day will then wrap up with the WAFLW Derby between South Fremantle and East Fremantle with second spot on the ladder on the line in their first meeting of 2023 that will take place following the WAFL clash between the Bulldogs and Thunder.

Meanwhile, South Fremantle's colts will be part of the Super Round on Saturday at Joondalup's Pentanet Stadium and will be playing Peel from 12.30pm.

As for the WAFL contest on Saturday afternoon, South Fremantle will be looking to bounce back from last week's loss to Claremont and to also earn a measure of revenge on the Thunder after they ended their season with a strong finish also at Fremantle Community Bank Oval in last year's elimination final.

Peel, meanwhile, has started the 2023 in impressive fashion with wins at home against East Fremantle and Perth with the Thunder looking to make it three consecutive wins to open the new season in their first game of the campaign away from Mandurah.

Coming into Saturday afternoon's clash at Fremantle Community Bank Oval and Peel has won its last two matches with South Fremantle after winning by 14 points in Round 17 last year before also overrunning the Bulldogs in the elimination final to win by nine points at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

However, prior to that and South Fremantle had been on top of Peel since the Thunder won their back-to-back WAFL premierships in 2016 and 2017. 

After losing to Peel in the 2017 qualifying final, South Fremantle won seven of the next eight matches against the Thunder up until the last two games of 2022 between the two clubs.

Overall, South Fremantle has won 48 of the 64 clashes with Peel since the Thunder joined the WAFL competition in 1997. 

And at Fremantle Community Bank Oval, the Bulldogs have won 22 of the 31 meetings with Peel including three of the last four with the Thunder's lone win since the qualifying final being last year's elimination final.

Peel hasn’t won a home and away season game against South Fremantle at Fremantle Community Bank Oval since Round 12, 2017.

South Fremantle is searching for the win to get back to square one to start the season and to both rebound from last week's loss to Claremont, and last year's elimination final defeat at the hands of Peel.

The Bulldogs welcome back some important players including Brendon Ah Chee with premiership ruckman Brock Higgins also available for the first time in 2023 after being suspended for the opening two weeks.

Jarrad Doney, Nathan Spooner and Robbie Turnbull are also in contention at the selection table to come into the South Fremantle team to take on Peel on Saturday.

Jackson Broadbent goes out having made his debut last week for South Fremantle after cross from Peel in the off-season, but it was perhaps somewhat premature on limited preparation given the Bulldogs were without fellow ruckmen Solomon James and Higgins as well to take on Claremont.

Peel dominated its clash with Perth last Saturday in Mandurah with the Thunder to now play their first road game of the season on Saturday with plenty of changes.

Joel Hamling, Max Knobel, Liam Reidy, James Sturrock, Tyrone Thorne, Corey Tregenza-Cashell and Brody Wemm have all been added to the Thunder squad to take on the Bulldogs at the port on Saturday.

Going out of the Peel team from the side that beat Perth last Saturday are Josh Corbett, Josh Draper and Neil Erasmus.