Round 17 Preview v East Fremantle

SOUTH Fremantle is looking for a sixth straight win at East Fremantle's ATOM Stadium on Sunday and more importantly the Bulldogs need the win to be a chance to return to the WAFL's top five after Round 17.

With East Fremantle desperate to avoid an eighth straight defeat and South Fremantle needing to win to be a chance of returning to the WAFL's top five, all signs point to a fascinating final Fremantle derby of 2015 at ATOM Stadium on Sunday.

The two teams will also be playing for the Uittenbroek-Ciccotosto Cup for 2015 named in honour of two of the respective clubs finest servants, East Fremantle's Bob Uittenbroek and South Fremantle's Brian Ciccotosto.

There is plenty at stake in the contest as well and for the Sharks, finals might now be nothing but a faint hope, however, they will be wanting to avoid losing their eighth match in succession and to get the first win under caretaker coach Brad Dodd since he replaced Steve Malaxos.

South Fremantle, meanwhile, slipped to sixth position with a 7-7 record thanks to a four-point loss to Claremont last Saturday at the Claremont Showground despite the Bulldogs controlling the final three quarters kicking six goals to two after quarter-time.

However, South Fremantle couldn’t make up for conceding seven goals to two in the first quarter and will be determined to get off to a better start on Sunday to try and get a crucial win that could see the Bulldogs finish the round back inside the top five with five games remaining.

There have already been two terrific Fremantle derby battles this season starting on the Anzac Day holiday Monday with the Sharks ending up winning a tight contest by 17 points at Fremantle Oval.

The Bulldogs then turned the tables at ATOM Stadium in the Foundation Derby on WA Day coming back from a slow start to kick the game's last four goals to win a thriller by five points.

Those two games have continued the remarkable run in recent years where the last 10 visiting teams have all prevailed in the derby battles.

The last home team to win a derby was East Fremantle back in Round 7, 2012 when the Sharks thumped the Bulldogs by 85 points.

However, since then South Fremantle has won its last five visits to East Fremantle Oval and is looking to make it six on Sunday in an effort to return to the WAFL's top five.

South Fremantle is doing well in most of areas of the ground at the moment but kicking goals has been a concern in recent times having kicked a total of 34 only in the last four games since booting 17 in a win over Perth back in Round 11.

Josh Pullman, Paul Mugambwa and Jacob Dragovich were all part of the forward-line that day, but have either been injured or back in the reserves in recent weeks while dual Bernie Naylor Medallist Ben Saunders has remained sidelined with a hamstring injury.

However, Pullman returned in the reserves last week and looked good with 15 possessions, seven marks and a goal so he looks set to return for the Bulldogs on Sunday in the derby to provide a strong marking target in attack.

Josh Branchi made his debut back in the Foundation Derby on WA Day also at East Fremantle, and he had a terrific influence that day and could return this Sunday for his third league appearance to add some extra height and flexibility to the Bulldogs side by supporting workhorse Brock Higgins.

Shaun Bewick couldn’t have gone back to the reserves and done much more than he has to put himself in the mix to return to the South Fremantle team as well, and he racked up another 41 possessions and 13 marks in the reserves last Saturday against Claremont.

There could be more excitement in the final derby of 2015 for South Fremantle as well with Callum Ah Chee set to make his league debut on Sunday against the Sharks.

In order for those four players to all come in for the clash on Sunday, Ben Sokol, Steven Verrier, Zac Strom and Adam Carter all make way for them.

Fresh off playing in the WA State 18s team at the National Championships and ahead of being drafted later in the year, the 17-year-old is on target to debut after 23 possessions and two goals in his first taste of senior football last Saturday in the reserves against Claremont.

East Fremantle put in an improved performance last Saturday against Peel but the end result was still the Sharks' seventh successive loss and from that side, defender Jordan Dorotich and the versatile Andrew Holmes go out of the team to take on South Fremantle on Sunday.

The Sharks' biggest concern continues to be kicking goals and as a result of that Jack Perham and Adrian Ricciardello both come into calculations to come back into the side to face the Bulldogs.

Perham has kicked 101 goals in his 70 games for East Fremantle, but has managed just eight in 12 matches in a disappointing 2015. He didn’t set the world on fire in the reserves last week with 15 touches and a goal, but he does have a good record in derbies which could help in him earning a recall.

Perham kicked three goals from 20 possessions and 11 marks in the last derby of 2014 while also booting five majors back in Round 19, 2013 and then five goals on Anzac Day 2012, four on WA Day 2012 and three in Round 21, 2012.

Ricciardello originally joined East Fremantle from South Fremantle in 2010, and while he has managed just eight league matches, he has continued to perform consistently in the reserves kicking over 100 goals in almost 100 games, and could be rewarded for some good recent form on Sunday.

Dion Anthony looks set to get another chance with the East Fremantle league side after strong form of late including another 30 possessions in reserves last week against Peel with Josh Cuneo and Jack Fletcher in the mix to return.

Matthew Bannister had 26 possessions in the reserves last week as well to put himself in calculations to make his debut in the derby after just six matches in the reserves having come from Scarborough in the amateurs earlier this season.

RESERVES SQUAD
M Ah Siu, M Banks, N Borovac, M Carter, A Collica, B Collier, J Dragovich, M Gundry, J Laurino, K Matera, B Matera, B McPhail, P Mugambwa, S Panizza, J Parry, D Ross, J Sgherza, T Stewart, K Stewart

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