Anzac Derby Preview v East Fremantle

SOUTH Fremantle coach Todd Curley has swung the axe in the search of a vastly improved performance and win in the Anzac Derby against East Fremantle on Monday at Fremantle Oval.

South Fremantle started the season impressively under new coach Curley with strong wins over West Perth, Perth and Claremont but the Bulldogs have since lost to Swan Districts by 21 points and then reigning premiers Subiaco by 89.

It was the loss last Saturday to the Lions that left Curley with no choice but to make some changes to the side to try to get the league team back on the winner's list, and to also capitalise on the unbeaten form that the reserves have shown so far in 2015.

A number of players in the reserves banged down the door to receive a chance in the league side and they will get that opportunity now on Monday in the first derby of 2015 against the Sharks.

Of the six players coming into the South Fremantle team for the Anzac Derby on Monday is a debutant with Jacob Dragovich rewarded for his strong form in the reserves so far this season after graduating from the colts by earning a berth in the league side for the first time.

Simon Panizza and Adam Carter will also play their first league matches of the season.

Panizza has shown good form in the reserves and having played one match in the league team late last year while Carter has played five games in the reserves, and now is back into the Bulldogs line-up for the first time since 2013 having played with East Perth in last year's grand final team while on West Coast's list.

Shaun Bewick is also straight back into the South Fremantle line-up after one week back in the reserves last week against Subiaco while Chris Luff gets his second league game with the Bulldogs as a key defender after joining the club from Peel Thunder.

Traye Bennell is the other addition to the South Fremantle team after impressing in the reserves last Saturday against Subiaco with 20 possessions and two goals after playing the first four matches in the league team.

To make way for those six players, there are six who have been omitted by South Fremantle and they will get the chance to impress in the undefeated reserves team against East Fremantle on Monday.

Dual premiership 182-game veteran Craig White will play his first match in the reserves since Round 13, 2008 as one of those players omitted with him joined by key defender Dylan Ross, midfielder Anthony Collica, defender Matthew Gundry and forward John Sgherza.

Brendan Verrier is the other to lose his place in the South Fremantle side despite still picking up 26 possessions and a goal in last Saturday's heavy loss to Subiaco.

South Fremantle and East Fremantle will take part in the seventh straight Anzac Day weekend Fremantle Derby with plenty at stake for the winner and loser.

Both the Bulldogs and Sharks enter the clash with a 3-2 record after five rounds of the 2015 WAFL season so the difference between going either 4-2 or 3-3 come Monday evening will be stark.

Remarkably, the last eight Fremantle derbies have been won by the visiting team as well meaning that Fremantle Oval might not necessarily be the happiest of hunting grounds for the Bulldogs against the Sharks.

East Fremantle won the Foundation Derby in 2012 at Fremantle Oval by eight points and then won twice at the port in 2013 by 29 and 83 points respectively before also winning on WA Day last year by 15 points as well.

The Fremantle Derbies either on Anzac Day or on that weekend began as an annual event back in 2009 and it was South Fremantle who won on that occasion in front of 5484 fans at Fremantle Oval thanks to a last gasp snap from Toby Bairstow following a controversial out of bounds free-kick paid against Rob Young.

Then in 2010, 3335 fans attended East Fremantle Oval and watched the Sharks record a commanding 46-point victory against a Bulldogs side coming off winning the 2009 premiership.

South Fremantle hit back at Fremantle Oval in 2011 on Anzac Day in front of 4225 spectators beating East Fremantle by 29 points.

In 2012, East Fremantle had the biggest of the Anzac Day victories, this time played on Saturday, recording a thumping 85-point win in front of 2408 fans at East Fremantle Oval.

The Sharks again won in 2013 this time by 29 points in front of 3985 fans at Fremantle Oval and then last year, it was South Fremantle who prevailed by 17 points with 3421 people watching on at East Fremantle Oval despite the Sharks going on to play in the preliminary final and the Bulldogs missing finals.

East Fremantle is yet to name anybody out of its team from the one that beat Swan Districts so impressively last Saturday.

The Sharks expect defender Sam Read to recover in time from the concussion he suffered early in the game last week against Swans, with the nine-day break from last Saturday to this Monday to help his cause significantly.

East Fremantle's reserves lost to Swan Districts narrowly last Saturday but in that performance there were several players putting up their hands for a league recall and Jack Fletcher, Aaron Holmes, Julian Locantro and Andrew Stokes added into the squad.

Locantro had another 24 possessions and a goal in the reserves last week for the Sharks as the former Royal attempts to break through for his first league appearance for East Fremantle.

Fletcher worked hard in the ruck with 10 touches and 24 hit outs last week in the reserves with Stokes not playing, but both could come into calculations by coach Steve Malaxos for Monday's derby with South Fremantle.

Holmes is another in the mix to come into the Sharks team after picking up another 21 possessions in the reserves last Saturday against Swans. 

RESERVES SQUAD
T Bairstow, M Banks, S Bewick, N Borovac, J Branchi, M Carter, A Collica, B Collier, A Gillespie, L Harvey, J Laurino, J Maskos, B Matera, B McPhail, S Mills, P Mugambwa, N Olds, D Ross, B Sokol, N Strom, J Tartaglia, D Warrell, C White

COLTS SQUAD
C Ah Chee, M Barritt, S Bolton, D Brown, A Brown, D Burke, B Colbung, J Collard, B Corner, B Donaldson, M Dzelebdzic, J Florenca, J Foster, C Foster, M Grubelich, O Ham, J Lachlan, J McComb, C McGuinness, J McMaster, J Mirco, J Mudge, J Musika, A Nodari, C Pearson, A Robinson, C Salmon