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Red and WHITE – Craig White Column Round 2

Thursday, March 27, 2014 - 7:38 PM - by Craig White

I HAVE done some sums and out of my 158 games, I've played 122 so far with Millsy and there's only been one game at South Fremantle since 2007 aside from when I was away in 2012 that I haven’t played with him.

For me to be at the top of the list of guys he has played with is something we will probably talk about when we get a bit older. He has been someone I have enjoyed playing my footy with and to know that I am the guy he has played with the most over his career is something I'm actually pretty chuffed about.
It is something we will speak a lot about this week and make a pretty big deal about it. We will need to draw upon as much inspiration as we can to get a win on the board to get the ball rolling. His 300th game comes at a good time so we can put a little bit more emphasis on this game as well. You don’t want to think you can try extra hard for a game, but I don’t think anyone will play 300 games in the WAFL ever again so it's a remarkable occasion to be part of. I'm really looking forward to it.
It is a pretty amazing feat to get to 300 games and it's not something I can even think about. I've been playing since 2004 and apart from that one year I was away, haven’t missed too many games along the way and I'm only up to 158. It just shows the durability and quality of player that he is. He has missed four or five games since his debut in 1999 and it's just an amazing effort, and I can't see it happening ever again.
It's an amazing feat what he is about to accomplish. Not only is he about to play 300 games, but in a couple of weeks he will become the first player to ever play 150 games at two different clubs. The durability and mental strength to keep getting through pre-seasons to do that is just amazing.
When I started my league career in 2004, he was still at East Fremantle and someone we put a lot of time into trying to stop. They had a good midfield brigade there in the mid-2000s.
I can still remember the last derby of 2006, and the last one that both Tim Malseed and Millsy ended up playing for East Fremantle before coming across to South, and they towelled us up ending up with over 50 possessions and five goals between them, so as an opponent we always knew how much quality Millsy had.
But he has been able to play just as good footy at South Fremantle. He has repaid us by winning a few best and fairests, but he definitely gave good service to East Fremantle before that as well.
At that time, we already had big Bourkey with us from the year before and then in 2007 Malseed and Miller joined us from East Fremantle. We kind of had an inkling that people weren’t all that happy at East Fremantle, but from day one when he arrived he has fitted in with the group. It has obviously been beneficial to the club and he's a people's person who fits in quite easily wherever he goes.
Millsy is deceivingly quicker than you think. A lot of people see him as being slow, but he makes himself look a bit quicker whenever the ball is in the vicinity and then his cleanliness with the ball when he has brings other people into the game, which is probably his biggest strength.
He is just such a natural ball-winner and is clean with his hands. Some players might get 10 or 12 touches and not be effective, but he can only have that much of it and still be effective and set up goals. He is still a strong contributor to team and will do that for the rest of this year, and whatever he decides from there then so be it.
In my list of WAFL players I've played with or against, I left him out of my top three last year and Millsy was quick to point that out to me, so I probably have to put him fourth. I think he has been the best in-and-under player I've played with in terms of using his hands and then his ability to go forward and kick a goal as well.
Millsy does love a footy trip and I don’t think he ever missed one so he definitely wears the pants in the family, but he's not the best performer. He does tend to take it a little easy and he might not go as hard as what some of the other boys do. There was even one instance in Queenstown, New Zealand where he was caught throwing shots over his shoulder into the wall.
He definitely has Andrew McCarrey covered though. Macca is one of the worst I've ever seen on a footy trip and to Millsy's credit, he is always up and about on footy trips and is a joy to have a drink with.
Closer to home, after every game he likes to visit his 24-hour deli on the corner of Stock Rd and Leach Hwy there. His favourite food there is the battered chewy so that has been his weekly ritual after games which has seen him get through 299 of them so far.
By Craig WhiteI HAVE done some sums and out of my 158 games, I've played 122 so far with Millsy and there's only been one game at South Fremantle since 2007 aside from when I was away in 2012 that I haven’t played with him.

For me to be at the top of the list of guys he has played with is something we will probably talk about when we get a bit older. He has been someone I have enjoyed playing my footy with and to know that I am the guy he has played with the most over his career is something I'm actually pretty chuffed about.

For the record and by my reckoning, I have played 122 games with Millsy while Andrew McCarrey has played 118, Paul Mugambwa 117, Tim Malseed 115 and Toby McGrath 105 - who just happened to produce this cracking picture of the great man.

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Miller's 300-game white boots up for auction

Thursday, March 27, 2014 - 1:42 PM - by Chris Pike

IN 299 WAFL matches, Kris Miller has never worn anything but his black Puma King football boots – but that will change this Friday night as he becomes the sixth player in league history to reach the triple-century with the game ball and his specially-designed white boots up for auction.

Miller has had made a special pair of white Puma King boots embroidered with 300 that he will wear just for the occasion of his 300th WAFL match which will take place this Friday night at Fremantle Oval when he lines up for South Fremantle against Perth.
The 33-year-old will only get the boots on Thursday after having them embroidered in the eastern states, have one training session in them on Thursday night and then wear them in the game on Friday night.
By reaching 300 WAFL matches, Miller joins Bill Dempsey, Mel Whinnen, Jack Sheedy, Bill Walker and Brian Peake as the only other WAFL players to ever reach the triple-century mark in the long and storied history of the WAFL.
That is why he decided to play his very first, and likely only, game of his remarkable career without his trademark black boots.
Since making his WAFL debut in 1999 with East Fremantle, Miller went on to play 153 games with the Sharks and win a fairest and best award before joining South Fremantle for the 2007 season.
At the Bulldogs, Miller has now played another 146 matches, played in the 2009 premiership and won three more fairest and best awards.
He now will add another remarkable achievement on Friday night and the boots for the occasion will be the prizes awarded for a raffle that will take place at Fremantle Oval during the match.
Tickets will be sold at Fremantle Oval on Friday night to raise money for the boots and ball and will be available $10 for six, $5 for three and $2 for one.
By Chris PikeIN 299 WAFL matches, Kris Miller has never worn anything but his black Puma King football boots – but that will change this Friday night as he becomes the sixth player in league history to reach the triple-century with the game ball and his specially-designed white boots up for auction.

Miller has had made a special pair of white Puma King boots embroidered with 300 that he will wear just for the occasion of his 300th WAFL match which will take place this Friday night at Fremantle Oval when he lines up for South Fremantle against Perth.

The 33-year-old will only get the boots on Thursday after having them embroidered in the eastern states, have one training session in them on Thursday night and then wear them in the game on Friday night.

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Miller proud to not be limping to 300 games

Thursday, March 27, 2014 - 3:10 AM - by Chris Pike

CONSISTENCY, quality and longevity easily sum up the remarkable WAFL career of Kris Miller who this Friday night will join the all-time greats of West Australian football becoming just the sixth player in the competition's storied history to play 300 matches.

Miller has never missed a game through injury in his entire career that began at East Fremantle in 1999 and while he hasn’t missed a game, there has been no drop off in form either throughout each one of his 299 matches in the WAFL to date either as a midfielder or half-forward.
Over 153 matches at East Fremantle that saw him earn life membership, win a Lynn Medal and play in the losing 2000 grand final, he was one of the Sharks' best players the entire time no matter how the club was performing.
Remarkably, since arriving at South Fremantle in 2007 he has had an ever better period of his career both in terms of individual accolades and team success though.
A premiership was what he craved and he achieved that in 2009 while winning one of his three WJ Hughes Medals as South Fremantle fairest and best in the same year.
He is now closing in on life membership at the Bulldogs, but before that becomes just the sixth player in WAFL history to play 300 games this Friday night at Fremantle Oval against Perth – after Bill Dempsey, Mel Whinnen, Jack Sheedy, Bill Walker and Brian Peake.
Miller is excited to reach the milestone this Friday night to see him join that list of champions of WAFL football and it's unlikely to be a feat repeated with East Perth's Craig Wulff the next longest-serving current player with 223 matches under his belt.
"It's exciting actually and it has obviously been a long time coming. I have been thinking about it for a while and at the end of last year I didn’t know if I would be able to play on or not, so it has sort of been hovering around for six months. It is pretty exciting for me and my family I think so I'm looking forward to it," Miller said.
"If you look at the names of the players who have done it, they are in the upper echelon of the history of WA football. If I can't be anywhere near as good as them, at least my name is up there among those players for something with the games we've played.
"I think it's something that is pretty special and it will probably mean even more when I finish and can look back and say I got to 300 games."
Miller isn’t sure what his secret to being so durable has been, but not having serious injuries to keep him sidelined has certainly help as has the fact that his form has always been so strong over 299 matches that has never seen him being in danger of being dropped.
"I'm not sure there is a secret to it. I suppose I've been lucky with injuries. Really I have got there because of a lot of luck and fortunately I have been able to play good enough footy where generally my head hasn’t been on the chopping block. I try to pride myself on being a good, consistent player week in week out, year after year," he said.
"One of the proudest things with my career I have is that I like to think I have been really consistent the whole way through.
"Getting to your 100 or 150 or 200 or 250-game milestones is one thing, but I'm proud that I don’t think I have been towed along to any of them and instead I've been partially doing the towing for whatever team I've played for. That sits more with me than anything that I know that I have been doing a good job for my team and earned my spot for 300 games now."
Through his first 153 matches, Miller was as passionate about East Fremantle as anybody and certainly didn’t think that he would end up playing more matches with the Bulldogs by the end of his career.
"I remember saying when I got to 150 games that I felt I could play for another five years but you just don’t know what will happen and as it turns out that was only halfway through my career," he said.
"This is now my eighth year at Souths and I never imagined playing here this long, but they came along at the right time and the premiership I won here was the ultimate achievement in my career."
Miller was disappointed with what happened at the end of 2006 to see him end up departing East Fremantle prematurely, but the result for him personally has been the best thing to ever happen to his career.
He fitted in at South Fremantle instantly and will be remembered as a great of the Bulldogs in his own right as a life member, three-time fairest and best winner and a premiership player.
And when you consider he had a whole 153-game career under his belt when he arrived at Fremantle Oval, the Miller story is a remarkable one, will never be repeated and will see him always remembered now as an all-time great of WA football.
"What happened at East Fremantle happened but not in my wildest dreams at that point did I imagine I would still end up playing 300 games and earn life membership at Souths after doing the same thing at East Fremantle," Miller said.
"It's just funny how things turn out. I loved my majority of time at East Fremantle when I was there as well and things turned a bit sour, but that wasn’t through my decisions. Things happen and I wasn’t interested in being part of the direction they were going.
"John Dimmer was down here and I liked the way he went about things and it was only another five minutes down the road so it was convenient as well for me.
"South Fremantle has embraced me since I arrived and I certainly have embraced South Fremantle so I am comfortable that I have got as much out of them as they have from me."
By Chris PikeCONSISTENCY, quality and longevity easily sum up the remarkable WAFL career of Kris Miller who this Friday night will join the all-time greats of West Australian football becoming just the sixth player in the competition's storied history to play 300 matches.

Miller has never missed a game through injury in his entire career that began at East Fremantle in 1999 and while he hasn’t missed a game, there has been no drop off in form either throughout each one of his 299 matches in the WAFL to date either as a midfielder or half-forward.

Over 153 matches at East Fremantle that saw him earn life membership, win a Lynn Medal and play in the losing 2000 grand final, he was one of the Sharks' best players the entire time no matter how the club was performing.

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Unexpected inspiration spurs Miller on to 300 games

Wednesday, March 26, 2014 - 2:25 PM - by Chris Pike

KRIS Miller found some inspiration from an unexpected source over the summer that made his decision to play on in 2014 for him and now this Friday night that will result in him reaching 300 WAFL games in a remarkable milestone.

Miller has been playing WAFL football since he made his league debut in 1999 with East Fremantle and he has been at South Fremantle since 2007, and his durability has been remarkable as he now prepares to become just the sixth player in history to play his 300th game this Friday night against Perth at Fremantle Oval.
The 300-game milestone was only two matches away when Miller finished his 2013 season at South Fremantle where once again his form showed no signs of dropping away despite playing a different role in the forward-line in the second half of the campaign than the on-ball role he's accustomed to.
However, it was not a foregone conclusion that the 33-year-old would play on in 2014 despite the rare 300-game mark being so close.
His best mate, and coach, Paul Hasleby made it clear he had to earn his spot in the team and would be handed nothing, and Miller's pride in his consistently strong form over 298 games meant he would not allow himself to play unless fully committed.
He started pre-season training at the Bulldogs, but it wasn’t until he was inspired at the Busselton Iron Man event in early December that he decided that he would be playing on for at least one more WAFL season.
"I started training in the pre-season and people might not believe this, but I honestly didn’t know if I would play. I knew I had to start training to give myself a chance if I wanted to play because if I hadn’t been training and decided to play, I would have had too much catching up to do," Miller said.
"The time I actually made the decision was when I went down to the Busselton Iron Man because my sister competed in that. Seeing all the people competing was inspirational and she did well, but what stuck out was one guy who finished it with only one leg.
"That made me think that if he could do an iron man on one leg, that I could get through at least another season of playing football. That was the actual point that I decided I was playing, up to then I wasn’t sure and I obviously didn’t go down there knowing that would happen."
As much as Miller is looking forward to Friday night himself to enjoy reaching 300 games, he knows that it likely is even more special for his family and those close to him.
In recent years when he has reached the 200 and 250-game mark, the occasions have served as somewhat of a reunion for old mates, teammates and certainly a lot of family members and this Friday night is no different.
Miller is looking forward to seeing the enjoyment his family and friends get out of the occasion – especially his ever present parents plus his brother and sister, and wife Jenae, daughters Hannah and Charlotte, and newborn son Noah.
"I think it means just as much to my family, and maybe more, than it does to me. My parents have hardly missed any games and I have been out there playing so I get that enjoyment naturally, but for them recognition of a milestone like this reflects a lot on what their support has meant," he said.
"They might even get more enjoyment out of it than me at the moment as well so they are all very excited about it, I know that."
Playing 300 WAFL games is not an achievement that should be sneezed at.
While still a special achievement in the AFL, there is no question it is a lot easier to spend 16 years in the AFL as a full-time footballer than it is in the WAFL where the demands at the football club are huge but on top of that players must work to make a living and build a family.
Remarkably as well as his decorated playing career that has seen him play 153 games at East Fremantle where he won a fairest and best, and now 146 more at South Fremantle with a premiership and three club champion awards, the rest of Miller's life is successful too.
He is doing well with his business Country Solar WA while his family at home has recently expanded with son Noah joining daughters Hannah and Charlotte, but Miller is fully aware he wouldn’t have been able to play in the WAFL for as long as he has without the support of his wife Jenae.
"It's bloody hard on my family to be honest. I'm gone early in the mornings for work and then get home and have to shoot off for training straight away a lot of the time. My wife has got to do everything and our two girls have started school now, and we've just had a boy as well," Miller said.
"So she has to get the girls ready for school, make sure our boy is looked after and she has a lot she has to take care of with getting three kids in and out of the car every morning and afternoon, and everything else.
"With my business, it's hard to be around to help with a lot of that stuff as well, and then when I get home I have to go to the footy club. At the end of the day, I couldn’t have kept playing footy without her being as understanding and amazing as she has been."
With everything that is going on surrounding Miller's remarkable milestone this Friday night, it's easy to forget there are four points up for grabs.
They are an important four points as well after South Fremantle lost to Subiaco last Saturday by 38 points and now will be desperate to bounce back against Perth this Friday night at Fremantle Oval. Especially after the way they started 2013 with seven straight losses.
The last thing Miller wants is to remember his 300th game for being a loss for the Bulldogs.
"It was very disappointing and we played terribly. We lost by 38 points in the end even though we had more scoring shots and possession. There were a lot of indicators saying we went OK but we were just terrible. The bigger ground undid us a little bit and we have been working so hard, but didn’t adjust to the bigger ground at times," Miller said.
"It's massively important we win this week. Last year we were 0-7 and you can't afford to put yourselves in a position where you are chasing your tail all season. There is a lot more confidence in our squad this year and with the personnel we have to suggest that we should be going a lot better at the start of the year."
By Chris PikeKRIS Miller found some inspiration from an unexpected source over the summer that made his decision to play on in 2014 for him and now this Friday night that will result in him reaching 300 WAFL games in a remarkable milestone.

Miller has been playing WAFL football since he made his league debut in 1999 with East Fremantle and he has been at South Fremantle since 2007, and his durability has been remarkable as he now prepares to become just the sixth player in history to play his 300th game this Friday night against Perth at Fremantle Oval.

The 300-game milestone was only two matches away when Miller finished his 2013 season at South Fremantle where once again his form showed no signs of dropping away despite playing a different role in the forward-line in the second half of the campaign than the on-ball role he's accustomed to.

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Bulldogs go down to Lions in season-opener

Sunday, March 23, 2014 - 8:12 PM - by Chris Pike

SOUTH Fremantle's highly-anticipated 2014 WAFL season didn’t get off to the ideal start on Saturday at Leederville's Medibank Stadium with Subiaco ending up winning by 38 points.

Inaccuracy in front of goal proved costly for the Bulldogs as the game wore on with six straight behinds in the third quarter, and then 2.5 in the last quarter as Subiaco ran out 17.9 (111) to 9.19 (73) victors.
South Fremantle finished the game with 27 more disposals than Subiaco, 17 more entries inside the forward 50 and 28 scoring shots to 25, but converting just nine of those 65 inside-50 entries and 28 shots into goals proved costly in the end.
There were high hopes for the Bulldogs coming into 2014 and certainly one loss doesn’t change any of that, but South Fremantle will now look to bounce back quickly this Friday night at Fremantle Oval against a Perth team that thrashed Claremont by 65 points on Saturday.
Ashton Hams was clearly South Fremantle's best player on Saturday against Subiaco finishing with 32 possessions, eight inside-50 entries and a goal.
Jacob Martinez worked hard for 24 possessions while also laying six strong tackles and kicking a goal.
Haiden Schloithe also worked hard finishing with 25 disposals, seven inside 50s and four tackles while Ryan Cook had 20 touches.
The forward-line was led by Ben Saunders who kicked three goals but he did add four behinds while Adam Guglielmana and Kris Miller worked hard combining for 40 possessions, but also four points between them.
Centre half-forward Josh Pullman also had just two behinds but he continually presented hard finishing with 16 possessions, eight marks and four inside 50s.
South Fremantle's back-line stood up reasonably well led by Adam McIntosh (19 possessions), Craig White (16), Steve Mills (10), Nick Borovac (nine), Jason Maskos (15) and Dylan Ross (13).
Ruckman James Sellar made his WAFL debut and finished with 16 disposals, 27 hit outs, five tackles, four inside 50s and a goal.
Unfortunately, South Fremantle's start to the game set the tone with four straight behinds the first goal came through Saunders.
When Marlon Pickett added another and Hams also kicked one than the Bulldogs led by eight points, but by quarter-time the Lions were up by four.
However, Saunders booted the first two goals of the second quarter and South Fremantle led by seven points, but again by half-time Subiaco was out to a 10-point advantage.
South Fremantle peppered the goals in the third quarter, but managed just the six behinds while Subiaco added four goals as the Lions led by 30 points at three quarter-time.
Goals in the final term to Mugambwa, Martinez and Brock Higgins again gave South Fremantle a sniff, but the Bulldogs never got closer than 22 points before losing by 38.
Meanwhile, South Fremantle's day got off to a perfect start in the colts with the Bulldogs beating the Lions 14.7 (91) to 7.8 (50).
South Fremantle's colts did trail by 10 points at half-time, but kicked 10 goals to two in the second half to run out convincing 41-point winners.
Cameron Loersch kicked four goals for the Bulldogs and Matthew Ah Siu added three and Thomas Wheeler two.
Jacob Dragovich led the way with 30 possessions while Ah Siu gathered 28 touches, Callum Ah Chee 27, Jarrod Pickett 26, Braden Fimmano 23 and William Frampton 19 to go with 22 hit outs and six marks.
And in the reserves, the Bulldogs lost three players through injury and had to bounce back from an 11-point deficit to end up recording a terrific 11.11 (77) to 8.9 (57) victory to begin their premiership defence in style.
South Fremantle's reserves kicked eight goals to three after half-time to end up beating Subiaco by 20 points despite losing Anthony Collica, Josh Branchi and Josh Hall to injury throughout the match.
Traye Bennell and Kaiden Matera booted three goals apiece for the Bulldogs while Lewis Harvey added two.
Brendan Verrier led the way with 27 possessions while Jarrod Parry collected 26 disposals, James Laurino 25, Nick Olds 25, Mitch Carter 23 and Toby Bairstow 22.
SOUTH FREMANTLE 3.5 6.8 6.14 9.19 (73)
SUBIACO 4.3 8.6 12.8 17.9 (111)
SOUTH FREMANTLE – Goals: Saunders 3; Higgins, Sellar, Martinez, Mugambwa, Pickett, Hams.
Best: Hams, Martinez, Sellar, Schloithe, Guglielmana, Cook, Saunders.
SUBIACO – Goals: Waters 5; Boland 4; Yarran 3; Bristow, Kayler-Thomson, Deluca, Hampson, Moore.
Best: Waters, Phelan, Twomey, Boland, Yarran, Hampson, Bristow.
By Chris PikeSOUTH Fremantle's highly-anticipated 2014 WAFL season didn’t get off to the ideal start on Saturday at Leederville's Medibank Stadium with Subiaco ending up winning by 38 points.

Inaccuracy in front of goal proved costly for the Bulldogs as the game wore on with six straight behinds in the third quarter, and then 2.5 in the last quarter as Subiaco ran out 17.9 (111) to 9.19 (73) victors.

South Fremantle finished the game with 27 more disposals than Subiaco, 17 more entries inside the forward 50 and 28 scoring shots to 25, but converting just nine of those 65 inside-50 entries and 28 shots into goals proved costly in the end.

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Hasleby sees Bulldogs as further advanced for 2014

Saturday, March 22, 2014 - 2:45 PM - by Chris Pike

PRE-season training has gone to plan, the injury list is virtually empty and some recruits have added to the depth meaning that South Fremantle coach Paul Hasleby feels the Bulldogs are further advanced coming into 2014 than any other time he has been in charge.

Hasleby is now entering his third season as coach of the Bulldogs since retiring at the end of 2011 following one season back in the WAFL with South Fremantle following his glittering AFL playing career with the Fremantle Dockers.
In both the last two years, South Fremantle has got off to slow starts and been hurt by injury troubles in both instances, but been able to show a glimpse of their abilities with strong finishes.
Now coming into 2014, there are virtually no injuries, the majority of players are back again and in most cases fitter than ever, and then there is the addition to the squad of James Sellar, Brock Higgins, Steve Mills and Josh Pullman.
Hasleby is as happy as he could be with South Fremantle's preparation for the 2014 season that begins on Saturday against Subiaco at Leederville's Medibank Stadium at 4.05pm.
"We are certainly further advanced than in any time I have been coaching at this club. We have a lot of forward options and it's very handy as a coach to bring in James Sellar and Josh Pullman who will not only be outstanding contributors for us, but among the best players in the competition," Hasleby said.
"That really frees up Ben Saunders and if Paul Mugambwa can play as the fourth best forward then we know we are going to have a good team in that regard.
"We have been developing over the last couple of years with a lot of young players but we feel that this year we have the balance right with the youth mixed with some classy experience."
Pressure on for spots at South Fremantle is enormous coming into 2014 and that's exactly how any coach wants it to be.
"The best 22 will pick themselves from the work they have done over the pre-season but for us these matches is about getting confidence in the game plan," he said.
"The last two years we have started the season slowly which has put us behind the ledger and under pressure from an early period. We want to be up and about early this season and we have gone in with the mentality of trying to get as much confidence in what we are doing as we can."
Coming into 2013, a host of South Fremantle's key players had limited pre-seasons and as a result had slow starts to the season itself, but it's the totally opposite now heading into 2014 with everyone up and running, and ready to fire.
"Personnel-wise last year we came into the pre-season with a lot of injuries. We didn’t have Mugambwa training, we didn’t have Johnny Sgherza training, we didn’t have Gillespie or Borovac training either, and going into our first pre-season game Zac Strom was our only forward when we played Perth," Hasleby said.
"That meant a lot of guys missed a lot of pre-season so we were underdone, and then we lost Ben Saunders in Round 1. That is in the past, though, and it's just good having everyone available now and with some targeted recruiting, I think there is a real hunger in our group to improve and they all know there is genuine competition for spots."
By Chris PikePRE-season training has gone to plan, the injury list is virtually empty and some recruits have added to the depth meaning that South Fremantle coach Paul Hasleby feels the Bulldogs are further advanced coming into 2014 than any other time he has been in charge.

Hasleby is now entering his third season as coach of the Bulldogs since retiring at the end of 2011 following one season back in the WAFL with South Fremantle following his glittering AFL playing career with the Fremantle Dockers.

In both the last two years, South Fremantle has got off to slow starts and been hurt by injury troubles in both instances, but been able to show a glimpse of their abilities with strong finishes.

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South Fremantle's 2014 senior playing squad

Saturday, March 22, 2014 - 5:55 AM - by Chris Pike

HERE is a complete look at the entire South Fremantle Football Club senior playing squad for the 2014 WAFL season.

HERE is a complete look at the entire South Fremantle Football Club senior playing squad for the 2014 WAFL season.
1. HAIDEN SCHLOITHE
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Round 1 Preview v Subiaco

Friday, March 21, 2014 - 5:54 PM - by Chris Pike

ALL signs point to South Fremantle being a vastly improved outfit in the 2014 WAFL season but those predictions count for little once the Bulldogs run out against Subiaco needing to put those high hopes into action at Leederville's Medibank Stadium.

South Fremantle finished the 2013 season in impressive fashion beating both grand finalists West Perth and East Perth on the way to winning four of its last six matches, but the whole campaign still only brought about six wins following a seven-game losing run to start things off.
However, through a combination of the majority of key players remaining at the club and being fighting fit, a host of young players looking to step up and some strong recruiting has South Fremantle deservedly confident of a strong 2014 season.
Ashton Hams, Steven Verrier and Haiden Schloithe all return to the Bulldogs full-time in 2014 after being on AFL lists at West Coast, Richmond and Fremantle respectively.
Then there are those new to the club with James Sellar, Brock Higgins, Steve Mills and Josh Pullman all looking as though they will make a huge, and immediate impact at South Fremantle.
All four have been named to play Subiaco in Round 1 at Medibank Stadium and add plenty of size, quality and experience to the Bulldogs' line-up.
Sellar brings with him 44 games of AFL experience at Adelaide and Melbourne, and the 196cm 24-year-old is capable of holding down the ruck following the departure of Sean Tighe, but also will be more than handy in key position roles at either end of the ground.
Higgins arrives at Fremantle Oval having previously played 30 league games over the last three years with East Perth. The versatile 195cm big man can also fill a variety of roles for the Bulldogs capable of holding down the ruck, but also a key post either forward or back.
Mills arrives from Queensland having played the last two years in the NEAFL including some appearances for the Gold Coast Suns reserves team, and over the pre-season he has impressed to the point where he looks set to be given a chance as a key defender in Round 1.
Pullman is also no stranger to the WAFL despite having played the last three seasons in Queensland.
The former Swan Districts colts premiership captain played 23 league games for Swans between 2008-2010 and kicked 31 goals including a bag of seven in 2010 against peel.
He is a natural centre half-forward who works hard, leads well and is tremendously strong. The 24-year-old is also a natural leader and will fit in tremendous in the Bulldogs' forward-line that will include Ben Saunders, Paul Mugambwa, Kris Miller and Adam Guglielmana.
It isn't just the new arrivals who are giving the Bulldogs reason for optimism coming into 2014 though.
The back-line will again be strengthened by Dylan Ross, Nick Borovac, Craig White and Adam McIntosh.
Captain Ryan Cook will again lead the way through the middle along with Hams, Jacob Martinez, Tim Kelly, Schloithe, Brendan and Steven Verrier, and wingman Shaun Bewick who has been in outstanding pre-season form after injury ruined his 2013 campaign.
Then there are the young players looking to make the most of their league opportunities in 2014 including Zac Strom, James Laurino, Marlon Pickett, Ben Sokol and Jason Maskos.
South Fremantle has had a pre-season where virtually everything has gone exactly to plan and the Bulldogs head into the season proper with virtually a full squad to pick from.
That's highlighted by the strength of the reserves team to play Subiaco that includes Toby Bairstow, Mitch Carter, Anthony Collica, Alistair Gillespie and Jarrod Parry.
All of that suggests the Bulldogs will head to Medibank Stadium to face Subiaco on Saturday full of confidence, but the Lions aren’t going to hand over the four points.
Subiaco has added Shaun Hildebrandt, Wayde Twomey, Lachlan Delahunty, Mitch Boland and Frank Stockley to its team in 2014 that still includes quality players like Darren Rumble, Chris Phelan, Jarrod Kayler-Thomson, George Hampson, Brett Mahoney and Jason Bristow.
The league match at Leederville's Medibank Stadium on Saturday bounces down at 4.05pm.
RESERVES SQUAD
T Bairstow, M Banks, T Bennell, M Bolger, S Borovac, J Branchi, M Carter, A Collica, J D'Vauz, A Gillespie, M Gundry, J Hall, L Harvey, K Hogan, J Laurino, J Louthean, L Lucev, K Matera, M Nicholson, N Olds, S Panizza, J Pantano, J Parry, T Stewart, Z Strom, J Symmans, J Tartaglia, B Verrier, M Walley
COLTS SQUAD
C Ah Chee, M Ah Siu, B Colbung, B Collier, J Culleton, J Depane, B Donaldson, J Dragovich, B Fimmano, W Frampton, J Garlett, C Loersch, B Matera, J McComb, G McLeod, J McMaster, B McPhail, J Mirco, D Moore, A Nodari, L Pearson, J Pickett, C Salmon, O Sexton, K Stewart, N Strom, B Truss, T Wheeler
By Chris PikeALL signs point to South Fremantle being a vastly improved outfit in the 2014 WAFL season but those predictions count for little once the Bulldogs run out against Subiaco needing to put those high hopes into action at Leederville's Medibank Stadium.

South Fremantle finished the 2013 season in impressive fashion beating both grand finalists West Perth and East Perth on the way to winning four of its last six matches, but the whole campaign still only brought about six wins following a seven-game losing run to start things off.

However, through a combination of the majority of key players remaining at the club and being fighting fit, a host of young players looking to step up and some strong recruiting has South Fremantle deservedly confident of a strong 2014 season.

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Googs' Gabble – Adam Guglielmana Column Round 1

Friday, March 21, 2014 - 5:12 AM - by Adam Guglielmana

I DON’T think anybody enjoys pre-season. Five months of running, weights, skin fold measurements, long training sessions and more running is something not designed to be enjoyed, but endured.

Some like it more than others though, and the good runners at the club like Brendan Verrier and Ryan Cook make training seem easy to those of us hunched over at the back of the group gasping for air.  
Others such as Adam McIntosh and Jarrod Parry rarely leave the gym, the only place where their two favourite things exist in the same place - dumbbells and their reflection!
As with every team at this time of the year, it seems from the inside as if our preparation has been almost perfect.
We have had very few major injuries, recruited a number of key players and managed to unearth a few youngsters since we started training back in November.
Ashton Hams, Steve Verrier and Haiden Schloithe returning to the club full-time has been a big bonus. All three have raised the standard of training, with the skills and knowledge they have acquired from AFL level, as well as lightening the mood with their unusual sense of 'humour?'
It goes without saying Josh Pullman and James Sellar are going to be fantastic for the club. Both are entering the prime of their careers, are fantastic leaders and give us the big bodies we have been craving for the past few years.
Brock Higgins is much the same. In the short time he has been with us he has shown his hardness and willingness to play a role for the team, either down back or in the ruck.
Our biggest asset this year though, could well be our depth. Shaun Bewick and Lewis Harvey return from missing basically a whole year of league football, Jarrod Parry has been fantastic with his in and under work at training and Anthony Collica has found a young lady that most of the boys believe will help him play better football.  All four will be like new recruits and only two years ago before injuries struck, were the most promising players at the club.
As the year progresses we can expect to see some of the talented colts that Arthur Maskos has been grooming start to come through. Ben Sokol will be the first, he has fitted in beautifully to our forward line. He is smart and a great mark for his size, and will kick a lot of goals for the club.
Jarrod Pickett and Callum Ah Chee are others who have trained with the senior squad and will be seriously good players in the future.
Although the pre-season has been fantastic we all understand it counts for very little if we lose this weekend against Subiaco.
We know they have recruited very well and will be a much different side to the one we beat late last year at Medibank Stadium.
We expect them to play a hard, one on one contested game and we know we have to bring our best to beat them. Hopefully all the work we have put in since November will hold us in good stead.
By Adam GuglielmanaI DON’T think anybody enjoys pre-season. Five months of running, weights, skin fold measurements, long training sessions and more running is something not designed to be enjoyed, but endured.

Some like it more than others though, and the good runners at the club like Brendan Verrier and Ryan Cook make training seem easy to those of us hunched over at the back of the group gasping for air.  

Others such as Adam McIntosh and Jarrod Parry rarely leave the gym, the only place where their two favourite things exist in the same place - dumbbells and their reflection!

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Targeted recruiting sees Bulldogs grow coming into 2014

Tuesday, March 18, 2014 - 12:19 PM - by Chris Pike

PAUL Hasleby knew that entering his third season as coach of South Fremantle that players with size and versatility was what he needed, and he couldn’t be happier with what he has been able to attract to the Bulldogs for the 2014 season.

What became clear to Hasleby throughout the 2013 season was that South Fremantle was lacking some depth and quality in the big men department.
While Sean Tighe had a terrific season in the ruck in 2013, he had virtually no support in the ruck and the Bulldogs were also found wanting for size down back at times and certainly up forward Ben Saunders and Paul Mugambwa could use some more help from players taller than them.
When Tighe returned to Victoria in the off-season, then South Fremantle's need for some tall players was emphasised and the result has been the recruitment of James Sellar, Josh Pullman, Stephen Mills, Brock Higgins and Josh Branchi.
And now coming into Round 1 this Saturday against Subiaco at Leederville's Medibank Stadium, Pullman will hold down centre half-forward, Sellar will line-up in the ruck, Mills will take up a key defensive post and Higgins could play at either end while helping Sellar out in the ruck.
While South Fremantle's list of additions for 2014 does include players well short of key position size in the form of Ashton Hams, Steven Verrier and Haiden Schloithe, they are all Bulldogs products returning to the club after time in the AFL.
Hasleby made no secret that he was after players with size to add to the group for 2014.
"We specifically targeted tall players in our recruiting period and we didn’t bring in anyone under 194cm unless they were players originally from South Fremantle," Hasleby said.
"We have brought big Josh Branchi in, James Sellar, Stephen Mills and also Brock Higgins. Once we have all those guys up and running on top of what we already have it should be a dangerous combination with our talls if we move the ball the way we want, and give them a chance."
Not only does South Fremantle have plenty of options in the ruck for 2014 in the form of Sellar, Higgins, Alistair Gillespie, Myles Bolger and even Josh Branchi, the best thing that Hasleby likes about his big men is that they can also hold down a key position post and not just play in the ruck.
"I have always been a big fan of a ruckman having the ability to spread and becoming an extra midfielder. James Sellar has that ability and so does Brock Higgins from what I've seen of him," he said.
"We already know that Gillespie can do that as well so they all can move around the ground and give us more options and firepower. As a coach, all you want is options so if things aren’t going right you can pull a few moves and I will have plenty of those options this year."
Pullman might not be an option to spend too much time in the ruck, but the former Swan Districts colts premiership captain is as natural a centre half-forward as you are ever likely to find.
After playing 23 league games and kicking 31 goals for Swan Districts, including a bag of seven against Peel in 2010, he has spent the last three seasons in Queensland and when he decided to return to WA, the 24-year-old attracted attention from a number of WAFL clubs.
However, he chose South Fremantle and now is set to be a cornerstone of a forward-line that includes Saunders, Mugambwa, Hams, Kris Miller, Adam Guglielmana, Gillespie, Higgins, Sellar and John Sgherza at different times.
"He kicked 176 goals in the last three years over in the NEAFL and even though it's not quite as strong a competition, the thing I admire about him is that he competes," Hasleby said.
"From the moment he walked in I knew he had leadership written all over him and when he chose us, a big part of it was because of our strength and conditioning coach Mike Vega.
"That says to me that this guy loves the physical element and the pressure that is required to play at the WAFL level. With those other guys around him, we are looking forward to some good things around him."
Mills arrives at South Fremantle having spent time playing in the NEAFL the last couple of years including some time with the Gold Coast Suns reserves side, and he now adds some much-needed height to a Bulldogs defence anchored by Nick Borovac, Dylan Ross, Adam McIntosh and Craig White.
"Stephen played some reserves footy last year for Gold Coast so he played on some of the better players who weren’t getting a game for Sydney on occasions, so he comes with that experience. He is a nice size at 197cm, is very athletic and he's still young," he said.
"I think he has a big future at our footy club and possibly even the level above. It was strange the way we got him though. His brother went for a job upstairs in the bar and he asked if he could come over and train with us.
"At that stage, we were a bit light on height so we thought we would have a look at him. He has been good ever since. The one area that we haven’t quite nailed is the tall defender position and I thought that he, Brock Higgins and Stromy give us good cover there."
Hams, meanwhile, might not have the height of Sellar, Higgins or Mills, but having played 39 AFL games with the Eagles on top of 115 with South Fremantle, he very well could tear the competition apart in 2014 now that he is back full-time at Fremantle Oval.
"He makes a big difference to us Hamsy and in my opinion he is the best WAFL player in the competition," Hasleby said.
"We will give him every chance to play through the midfield this year, but the best thing about him is that he can go play as a tall forward where he can play one-out or as a small forward he will kick three or four.
"He's also stepping up as a vice-captain this year so that leadership role is a good challenge for him, and I'm sure he will do well with it."
Josh Branchi is another exciting new arrival to keep an eye out for with the 205cm big man having played just two colts games and two reserves matches with Peel Thunder over the last two years.
The 19-year-old had a good season with the Eaton Boomers last season and despite the lure of focusing on basketball in the SBL with the South West Slammers, he has joined South Fremantle for 2014 and is someone to keep an eye out for.PAUL Hasleby knew that entering his third season as coach of South Fremantle that players with size and versatility was what he needed, and he couldn’t be happier with what he has been able to attract to the Bulldogs for the 2014 season.

What became clear to Hasleby throughout the 2013 season was that South Fremantle was lacking some depth and quality in the big men department.

While Sean Tighe had a terrific season in the ruck in 2013, he had virtually no support in the ruck and the Bulldogs were also found wanting for size down back at times and certainly up forward Ben Saunders and Paul Mugambwa could use some more help from players taller than them.

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