Anzac Day Preview v East Fremantle

SOUTH Fremantle has its first win of 2014 and now heads to East Fremantle Oval for the first derby of 2014 against East Fremantle this Anzac Day Friday looking to make it two straight victories.

South Fremantle beat West Perth last Saturday by 23 points in its ninth win from the last 12 visits to Arena Joondalup, and 15 of 23 overall at the venue.

Now the Bulldogs return to another venue they have enjoyed visiting lately having now won at on 14 of the last 19 trips to Shark Park since 2000 including a thumping win last year in the Foundation Derby.

Both the Sharks and Bulldogs are coming into the contest in winning form with East Fremantle having won three of its first four games of the season including a solid win on Good Friday over Peel Thunder in Mandurah.

Meanwhile, South Fremantle lost its first four games of the season despite being a chance to win three of those four, but the Bulldogs got on the board last Saturday with an impressive 23-point win over West Perth at Arena Joondalup.

It is going to be a tremendous day of commemoration of Anzac Day in Fremantle all day long.

It begins in the City of Fremantle with the Dawn Service at Monument Hill at 5.30am followed by the Anzac Day parade at Esplanade Reserve at 10.15am.

Then at East Fremantle Oval, a live band along with a kids game that will begin from 1pm with the Anzac Day ceremony beginning at 2.40pm and then the battle over the Sir Hughie Edwards Cup beginning at 3pm.

After the match, South Fremantle's presentations will be held back at Fremantle Oval with the Fremantle v North Melbourne AFL match shown on the big screen.

East Fremantle and South Fremantle have now played in Anzac Day fixtures since 2009.

In that first encounter in 2009, South Fremantle won a thriller by a goal thanks to a late Toby Bairstow goal after a controversial deliberate out of bounds decision paid against Rob Young. A crowd of 5484 turned out on that occasion.

East Fremantle then won by 56 points in front of 3335 fans at East Fremantle Oval in 2010 before the Bulldogs bounced back in 2011 winning by 29 points in front of 4225 spectators at Fremantle Oval.

In 2012 back at East Fremantle Oval, the Sharks scored a thumping 85-point win with 2408 people watching and then last year, East Fremantle also won by 29 points in front 3985 fans at Fremantle Oval.

South Fremantle might have only won 45 of 94 matches overall at East Fremantle Oval, but since 2000 they have won 14 of the last 19 including last year in the Foundation Derby by 67 points.

That run included the Bulldogs winning 11 straight matches at Shark Park between 2001 and until Round 21, 2008.

East Fremantle is coming off a win over Peel Thunder back on Good Friday where it controlled the majority of the contest, but Tom Howlett didn’t play that day and is a certain starter for the Sharks on Anzac Day against the Bulldogs.

A big job will await Howlett as well on either Ben Saunders, Paul Mugambwa or Josh Pullman as well in the back-line.

Michael Edwards and Jayden Schofield have been in good form in the reserves for the Sharks as well, but it's a hard team to break in to right now.

South Fremantle is also coming into the Anzac Day derby in winning form having got on the board last week against West Perth.

There is also little reason for change at the Bulldogs but Kris Miller, Ben Sokol and Jason Maskos are pressing for a return to the league side after being dropped back to the reserves the last couple of weeks as coach Paul Hasleby searched for a winning formula.

RESERVES SQUAD

M Banks, T Bennell, M Bolger, S Borovac, M Carter, E Collard, J D'Vauz, A Gillespie, M Gundry, J Hall, B Hill, L Lucev, J Maskos, K Matera, K Miller, S Mills, M Nicholson, S Panizza, J Parry, M Russell, B Sokol, T Stewart, J Symmans, J Tartaglia, B Verrier

COLTS SQUAD

M Ah Siu, B Colbung, J Culleton, J Depane, B Donaldson, J Dragovich, B Fimmano, J Florenca, J Foster, W Frampton, J Garlett, M Grubelich, B Kersten, C Loersch, B Matera, J McComb, J Mcguire, G McLeod, J McMaster, B McPhail, J Mirco, D Moore, A Nodari, L Pearson, J Pickett, C Salmon, K Stewart, N Strom, S Williamson

By Chris Pike