NAIDOC Round Preview v Claremont

SOUTH Fremantle returns from a bye to take on the in-form Claremont at the Showground in the traditional NAIDOC Round clash and the Bulldogs have the chance to further consolidate their position in the top five and back up the win over Swan Districts.

Claremont and South Fremantle first played one another during NAIDOC Week back in 2007 and now the entire competition has jumped on board to honour the Aboriginal players past and present, but it's a concept created by the Tigers and Bulldogs and it's now become an annual WAFL fixture.

As well as the chance to celebrate the contribution of the Indigenous players at both clubs, the game is a crucial one for both teams as they fight over a finals position.

South Fremantle currently holds fifth position on the ladder with a 7-6 record but the Bulldogs have played one more game than the Tigers who enter the clash in sixth with a 6-6 record.

A win for South Fremantle on Saturday could see them finish the weekend as high as third position and would set up the Bulldogs well for a finals position come the end of the season.

But a loss would see them end up potentially as low as seventh and then fighting for survival next Sunday in the final Fremantle derby of the year against East Fremantle at ATOM Stadium.

Claremont, meanwhile, could also move up to third position with a win depending on other results but a loss would leave them likely two games outside of a position in the top five, and potentially down as low as seventh on the ladder.

Claremont and South Fremantle have two of the strongest history with Indigenous talent in Australia, which is why the clubs have become traditional foes on NAIDOC Round.

Both teams will again have a host of players with Aboriginal heritage playing during NAIDOC Round with Shane McAdam and Francis Watson representing the Tigers, and Marlion Pickett, Tim Kelly, Traye Bennell and Jacob Martinez to all represent the Bulldogs at league level with Kaiden Matera, Dominic Warrell and Bailey Matera in the reserves.

It was way back on a Good Friday evening at Fremantle Oval when the two teams last played one another and it was South Fremantle who continued its unbeaten start to the season downing the winless Claremont by 38 points in front of almost 3000 people.

However, on that night Claremont was without Mark Seaby, Beau Maister, Anton Hamp and Corey Yeo while Kepler Bradley was still settling into his new surroundings but it's a very different looking Tigers team this time around.

South Fremantle will also be missing ex-Claremont pair Ben Saunders and Dylan Ross who put in strong performances in that Good Friday win over the Tigers.

South Fremantle loses exciting first-year player Jacob Dragovich to a sore knee that he suffered in the dying seconds of the win over Swan Districts two weeks ago, but the Bulldogs have several players in the mix to both return from injury and the reserves.

Josh Pullman was outstanding kicking four goals back in Round 11 against Perth but then battled some soreness the next two games in quiet performances against Subiaco and West Perth before he sat out the game against Swan Districts, but he looks right to return and provide a target in attack for the Bulldogs against the Tigers.

Traye Bennell had an exciting start to the season in his first taste of league football and now he has again built some strong form in the reserves including 18 possessions, nine tackles and a goal against Swan Districts to be a good chance of returning to celebrate NAIDOC Round.

Shaun Bewick put himself in the mix for a recall after 34 possessions and 11 marks in the reserves two weeks ago while Matthew Gundry also had 24 disposals to be back in contention.

Shane McAdam looks set to come straight back into the Claremont team to play South Fremantle after missing the last up win against East Fremantle while Tom Swift is a chance to play his first game of the season and Darcy Cameron is again in the mix.

Swift has been limited to just the four reserves games this season but his last two games were terrific with him combining for 52 possessions to now be in the mix to add to his 54 league appearances with Claremont prior to his departure at the end of 2012 when he was delisted by West Coast.

Claremont is also hosting its Family Fun Day at the Showground on Saturday and it will include Mr Whippy, a bouncy castle, gym bus, a skills kicking test, face painters, an animal farm, pony rides and a host of giveaways.

RESERVES SQUAD
C Ah Chee, M Ah Siu, T Amoroso, M Banks, N Borovac, J Branchi, M Carter, A Collica, B Collier, L Harris, J Laurino, K Matera, B Matera, B McPhail, S Mills, P Mugambwa, S Panizza, J Pullman, J Sgherza, K Stewart, T Stewart, J Tartaglia

COLTS SQUAD
C Ah Siu, T Armstrong, M Barritt, A Brown, D Brown, D Burke, B Colbung, J Collard, J Colpitts, B Corner, A Coutinho, C Datson, B Donaldson, M Dzelebdzic, J Florenca, J Foster, C Foster, M Grubelich, J Lachlan, D Maguang, J McComb, C McGuiness, J McMaster, J Mirco, J Mudge, J Musika, A Nodari, C Pearson, A Robinson, B Strickland, S Thompson