WA Day Foundation Derby Preview

SOUTH Fremantle heads back to ATOM Stadium looking for a fifth straight win at East Fremantle's home ground in the traditional WA Day Foundation Derby this Monday.

The traditional Foundation Derby is always the biggest occasion of any home and away WAFL season, and now the Bulldogs head to East Fremantle Oval looking to consolidate a spot in the top-five, and bounce back from a last up loss to Peel and a defeat East Fremantle back on Anzac Day at Fremantle Oval.

South Fremantle will again be without full-forward Ben Saunders with an ankle injury and full-back Dylan Ross who might still play in the reserves on Monday despite being diagnosed with glandular fever.

Important midfielders Haiden Schloithe and Jacob Martinez should also both return from injury for the Bulldogs, but in the reserves.

Nick Borovac had cemented himself as a quality defender over the past three years but had an injury-interrupted pre-season and has had to bide his time with six games in the reserves, but he will be back to add to his 60 league games on Monday in the derby against the Sharks.

Key forward Josh Pullman looks set to be right to play after missing the game against Peel.

With the absence of Saunders, he will be an important inclusion to help provide a strong marking option alongside James Sellar with Paul Mugambwa, Cory Dell'Olio, Steven Verrier and Jacob Dragovich in support.

Ruckman Josh Branchi will also make his league debut for the Bulldogs after working hard in the reserves and averaging over 15 possessions, five marks and 29 hit outs a game this season.

Both the Sharks and Bulldogs lost their last games leading into the State game break to West Perth and Peel Thunder respectively, and now there is plenty riding on the result given where the two teams currently sit.

East Fremantle had won four straight matches leading the match with West Perth at HBF Arena, but the Sharks fell 22 points short of the Falcons to leave them in fourth position with a 5-3 record.

South Fremantle looked impressive beating East Perth by 13 points back in Round 8 but the Bulldogs were then disappointing losing to Peel by 44 points prior to the State game break to leave them in fifth position on 4-4.

That leaves the result of the derby on Monday crucial to both teams with the difference between East Fremantle being two games clear of South Fremantle at 6-3 to 4-5, or both being equal at 5-4 is stark.

Not only is there plenty riding on the clash, but the game is always the biggest occasion of any WAFL home and away season.

Highlighting how big of an occasion the game is, the last nine derbies on WA Day have attracted an average crowd of 7570 with no figure of less than the 5120 that attended ATOM Stadium two years ago.

And remarkably, the visiting team has won the last nine derbies between the Sharks and Bulldogs including South Fremantle having won its last four trips to the East Fremantle venue including that last WA Day clash at the ground to the tune of 67 points in 2013.

Fremantle derbies now have two traditional days that they are held every season on Anzac Day and WA Day, so the first meeting of 2015 was back on Anzac Day at Fremantle Oval and East Fremantle proved too strong beating South Fremantle by 17 points in front of just over 5000 fans.

South Fremantle began with five players in the initial WA squad ahead of last week's State game with South Australia and ended up with five players who took the field last Saturday in the 45-point win, but it was with small forward Cory Dell'Olio replacing injured full-forward Ben Saunders.

Dell'Olio played what was likely his best performance of the season as well since returning from Essendon with three goals from 20 possessions while Ashton Hams, Ryan Cook, Marlion Pickett and Blayne Wilson all lined up as well from the Bulldogs in the win for the WAFL.

Hams had won the Simpson Medal in 2014 after a best on ground display against the NEAFL and was terrific again last Saturday with 26 possessions and a goal while Cook was playing a fourth State game in his fifth year in the WAFL, and had 18 touches, nine marks and a goal.

Wilson and Pickett were both making their debuts for WA and both did well in a back-line that held up strongly against South Australia.

East Fremantle started with five players in the initial WAFL State squad for last Saturday's game, but Bradd Dalziell and Andrew Stephen were forced to withdraw, and brothers Rory and Brock O'Brien both missed selection despite being in outstanding form.

That left Liam Anthony as the lone Sharks representative and despite his reputation as a running player who can use his pace and elite kicking skills, he put in a strong performance in and under for WA and finished with 23 possessions, 11 tackles and a goal in the win over South Australia.

Young small forward Traye Bennell is the only out of the South Fremantle team at this stage.

It is a star-studded group of players returning to the line-up for East Fremantle from the team that lost to West Perth at HBF Arena to the one that will take on South Fremantle in the derby on Monday at ATOM Stadium.

Wingman/half-forward Dalziell and experienced defender Stephen would have both likely played in the State game for WA had they been fit, but they will both be right to now play in the derby.

Dalziell has missed East Fremantle's last three games due to a knee problem but will return to add some further run and experience to the Sharks line-up while Stephen hurt a hamstring in the win over Perth, but has now had time to recover in time to be ready for the derby.

Midfielder Jamie McNamara will also return from a hamstring injury for the Sharks and will celebrate his 100-game milestone in the derby.

Big man James Bristow was on fire early in the game against Perth three weeks ago and finished with four goals, but he couldn’t back up six days later to take on West Perth. However, he's right to go this Monday to resume his combination in the ruck and as a forward target with Rob Young.

Aaron Holmes remains a chance to make his league debut for East Fremantle after continuing to play well in the reserves while Boston Williamson is the only out of the Sharks' side at this stage.

RESERVES SQUAD
M Ah Siu, M Banks, M Carter, A Collica, B Collier, M Gundry, J Hall, L Harvey, J Laurino, C Luff, J Martinez, J Maskos, K Matera, B Matera, B McPhail, S Mills, M Nicholson, N Olds, D Ross, H Schloithe, B Sokol, N Strom, J Tartaglia, B Verrier, C White

COLTS SQUAD
M Barritt, N Bretag, D Burke, B Colbung, J Collard, J Colpitts, B Corner, J Cupin, C Datson, B Donaldson, M Dzelebdzic, J Foster, C Foster, M Grubelich, O Ham, J Lachlan, D Maguang, J McComb, C McGuinness, J McMaster, J Mudge, J Musika, A Nodari, C Pearson, S Petera, A Robinson, K Russell, K Stewart, B Strickland