Round 23 Preview v East Perth

SOUTH Fremantle plays its final home game of the season at Fremantle Oval on Saturday hosting an in-form finals bound East Perth with the Bulldogs looking to continue their impressive form late in 2013.

The Bulldogs have won their last two games and three of their last four to be in their best form of the season at present to have now well and truly escaped any possibilities of finishing with the wooden spoon and having moved up into seventh position on the ladder ahead of Subiaco.

South Fremantle put in its most dominant performance of the season last Sunday thrashing Peel Thunder by 93 points at Mandurah's Bendigo Bank Stadium and now the Bulldogs will be desperate to put in a strong showing in front of its faithful at Fremantle Oval in the last home game for 2013.

However, East Perth is going to provide stiff opposition with the Royals having thumped Subiaco and Perth the last fortnight to all but secure a finals appearance.

The two teams have met just the once so far this year with East Perth winning by 19 points in Round 8 at Leederville's Medibank Stadium, but that was after South Fremantle looked to have the win sewn up early in the last quarter before the Royals piled on the last six goals of the contest.

East Perth now sits in third position on the ladder with an 11-7 record to sit a game clear of the chasing East Fremantle and Swan Districts meaning that the Royals need to win just one of their last two games against South Fremantle and Subiaco to secure a finals berth in 2013.

East Perth has now won the last three clashes with South Fremantle after the Bulldogs' run of 16 straight wins over the Royals between 2005 and 2011 came to an end.

South Fremantle coach Paul Hasleby was quick to turn his team's attention onto East Perth quickly after Sunday's win over Peel and knows that with a dominant ruckman like Paul Johnson and the league's best key forward Josh Smith that the Bulldogs are going to have to be at their very best.

"Straight after the game we turned our attention to wanting to win this game against East Perth. We see them as one of the better teams in the comp at the moment and we will give it everything, and see how we measure up going into next year's pre-season," Hasleby said.

"Brendan Lee is also probably the best midfielder going around at the moment as well and when you add some Eagles guys with Rosa, Selwood and Morton as well as some young players coming through and their more experienced players like Wulff, Swann and Seal who have been in good form. We look forward to our young blokes taking them on."

South Fremantle will be desperate to continue its good recent form and also put in a strong showing in its final home game at Fremantle Oval for 2013, but the loss of West Coast's Ashton Hams to suspension won't help.

Hams came back into the Bulldogs line-up last Sunday and was brilliant with 31 possessions and six goals in the 93-point win over Peel.

However, West Coast small defender Adam Carter will be back for the Bulldogs fresh off earning some AFL experience while South Fremantle looks set to blood at least one more exciting debutant.

Blaine Johnson has been a star in South Fremantle's colts and then in the WA State 18s campaign showed himself as one of the most exciting forward prospects in the country.

Since returning from that, he has played in the reserves the last three weeks and put in his most impressive performance last Sunday against Peel finishing with 19 possessions, seven marks and three goals.

With Hams out of the Bulldogs team this week, it looks like being the perfect chance to blood Johnson for his league debut and giving him a chance in the forward-line alongside Ben Saunders, Paul Mugambwa and Alistair Gillespie.

Another exciting young talent Marlon Pickett is also a chance to make his debut with Tyler Hall also in the mix to line-up for the Bulldogs.

East Perth is now all but assured of a finals spot unless it loses its last two games against South Fremantle and Subiaco.

The Royals do lose West Coast pair Matt Rosa and Blayne Wilson this week, though, with both earning a call up to play for the Eagles on Friday night against Collingwood at the MCG.

Both were outstanding last Saturday in East Perth's 48-point win over Perth with Rosa finishing with 34 possessions and Wilson 26 from defence.

Marcus White looms as the most likely replacement in the Royals' defence for Wilson even though he hasn’t played a league game since Round 8.

Arthur Bennell could also come in for East Perth and provide another small forward option while Callum Hart, Mitch Howlett and Rowan Brookes are fighting to return to the Royals line-up as well.

By Chris Pike