Round 9 Preview v Peel Thunder

SOUTH Fremantle enters Saturday's clash with the winless Peel Thunder on a three-game winning streak and fresh off the bye, and a win at Bendigo Bank Stadium could see the Bulldogs move into the top-four heading into the WAFL State game.

A team not having won in 12 months up against one fresh and on a three-game winning streak might not ordinarily be a clash to look forward to, but Saturday's contest in Mandurah between Peel Thunder and South Fremantle looms as a fascinating one.

South Fremantle started 2014 slowly losing its first four matches but then turned things around with the Bulldogs scoring impressive wins over West Perth, East Fremantle and Claremont.

That saw the Bulldogs improve to a 3-4 record before the bye last weekend and now they could head into the State game on 4-4 and potentially even be in the top-four depending on other results.

Peel has not won a game yet in seven attempts this season but has not been thrashed in any game with its biggest loss being by 35 points against Swan Districts and that was a game that it actually led by 34 points early in the third quarter.

The Thunder's average losing margin is only 21 points so they are competitive without being able to get over the line and that was never more evident than last Sunday.

Peel was terrific for most of the day at Arena Joondalup against West Perth, particularly in the second quarter, and led by 42 points at half-time.

The Thunder were still 30 points in front at three quarter-time and 17 points to the good heading into time-on in the final quarter, but somehow the Falcons kicked three goals to win by a point.

Peel has now not won since beating East Perth at Bendigo Bank Stadium in Round 10 last year. It is a streak stretching 18 matches.

Peel doesn’t have any players in the WAFL's squad to play the NEAFL next Saturday in Sydney, but South Fremantle does with Haiden Schloithe, Ashton Hams, Ryan Cook and Ben Saunders all looking to continue their strong form to book a place in the WA team.

Schloithe has been in outstanding form in the midfield and is also a goalkicker, Hams has controlled the games he has played across half-back recently, Cook is a hard-running ball magnet leading the way for the Bulldogs and Saunders has kicked 13 goals in his last three games.

Key defender Dylan Ross could consider himself unlucky to not be in the squad so far and another strong showing against a tall Peel key forward such as Matt Taberner, Jack Hannath, Craig Moller or Michael Apeness might rocket him into calculations.

South Fremantle was in outstanding form prior to the bye last week having won three straight matches and as a result coach Paul Hasleby has little need for changes.

Paul Mugambwa remains out of the line-up while James Sellar should be better for the run against Claremont prior to the bye coming back from a knee injury and now with an extra two weeks of training.

Kris Miller and Alistair Gillespie are both fighting to come back into the South Fremantle league team and Mitch Banks is a chance to make his debut, but it looks most likely that the Bulldogs will take on Peel with an unchanged line-up from the side that beat the Tigers by 64 points.

The Thunder will lose Tom Sheridan to Fremantle from last Sunday's team that went down to West Perth by a point, but Peel should once again have a strong line-up at its disposal.

Dylan Winton also goes out of Peel's team but while Garrick Ibbotson and Matt Taberner have been named as outs, both are expected to play with the Thunder and not the Dockers again this week.

Peel should also be strengthened by the return from Fremantle of Clancee Pearce and Hayden Crozier with Toby Gianatti, Aiden Field, Brennan Gillam and Tom Vandeleur all in the mix to play after solid form in the reserves.

Captain James Flaherty is likely to return after missing the game against West Perth and his reward likely is the defensive job on 2012 Bernie Naylor Medal winner Ben Saunders.

RESERVES TEAM

T Bairstow, M Banks, T Bennell, M Bolger, S Borovac, J Branchi, M Carter, A Collica, A Galiano, A Gillespie, M Gundry, J Hall, L Harvey, B Hill, K Hogan, T Kelly, J Maskos, B Matera, K Matera, K Miller, S Mills, J Pantano, J Parry, M Russell, B Sokol, T Stewart, Z Strom, J Symmans, J Tartaglia, B Verrier, M Walley

COLTS TEAM

D Cabassi, B Colbung, J Culleton, J Depane, B Donaldson, J Dragovich, B Fimmano, J Florenca, J Foster, M Grubelich, O Ham, B Kersten, C Loersch, J McComb, G McLeod, J McMaster, B McPhail, J Mirco, D Moore, A Nodari, L Pearson, C Salmon, N Strom, B Truss, S Williamson

By Chris Pike