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Round 7 Preview v Claremont

Friday, May 2, 2014 - 2:42 PM - by Chris Pike

SOUTH Fremantle is searching for its first home win of 2014, three wins on the trot and a first victory against Claremont since 2009 when the Bulldogs host the Tigers at Fremantle Oval this Saturday.

The game will be South Fremantle's first home game at Fremantle Oval during the day this season after clashes against Perth and East Perth on Friday nights in Rounds 2 and 3.
The Bulldogs had shown some good signs throughout the first four rounds particularly having chances to win against Subiaco in Round 1, Perth in Round 2 and Swan Districts in Round 4, but couldn’t quite get the job done.
However, that has turned around impressively the last fortnight with South Fremantle beating reigning premiers West Perth by 23 points at Arena Joondalup in Round 5, and then last week downing East Fremantle by 17 points in the Anzac Day derby at East Fremantle Oval.
That sees South Fremantle improve to a 2-4 record on the season and with some players in outstanding form – most notably captain Ryan Cook, dual premiership player Ashton Hams, ruckman Brock Higgins, prolific midfielder Haiden Schloithe and key defenders Dylan Ross and Nick Borovac.
Schloithe's reward for games over the last three weeks of 38 possessions, 37 possessions and then 27 to go with four goals likely will be a close tag by Claremont's Mathew Aitchison while Higgins will have a big job to do in the ruck up against Mark Seaby, Mitch Andrews and Darcy Cameron.
While South Fremantle is aiming for a third straight win this season, it does need to stop a nine-game losing run against Claremont dating back to the Bulldogs' premiership year of 2009.
Over the past four seasons, Claremont has beaten South Fremantle on nine occasions by an average of over 43 points.
South Fremantle now has some winning form heading into Saturday's clash and as a result there is little reason for coach Paul Hasleby to look to make too many changes to his line-up.
However, versatile big man James Sellar does look set to return from a knee injury and play his first game since Round 2. With Brock Higgins doing well holding down the ruck, it gives Hasleby's the chance to use Sellar forward, back and in the ruck as well.
Paul Mugambwa is out of the South Fremantle team to face Claremont with Kris Miller, Jason Maskos and Ben Sokol on standby should the Bulldogs look to make any other changes.
Claremont got back on the winner's list last week to see the Tigers head to Fremantle Oval with confidence searching for a 10th straight win over the Bulldogs.
Nobody is out of the Claremont side yet with youngster Dean Blackwell, former Perth midfielder Bernard Sneeuwjagt and experienced key defender Brandon Franz all pressing claims for selection after good form in the reserves.
RESERVES TEAM
M Banks, T Bennell, M Bolger, S Borovac, E Collard, B Collier, J D'Vauz, B Fimmano, A Gillespie, M Gundry, J Hall, L Harvey, B Hill, K Hogan, L Lucev, J Maskos, K Matera, B Matera, K Miller, S Mills, M Nicholson, S Panizza, J Pantano, J Parry, M Russell, B Sokol, T Stewart, J Symmans, J Tartaglia, B Verrier
COLTS TEAM
D Cabassi, L Clark, B Colbung, J Culleton, J Depane, B Donaldson, J Florenca, J Foster, M Grubelich, K Hosking, B Kersten, C Loersch, J McComb, C McGuinness, G McLeod, J McMaster, J Mirco, D Moore, A Nodari, L Pearson, C Salmon, N Strom, S Williamson
By Chris PikeSOUTH Fremantle is searching for its first home win of 2014, three wins on the trot and a first victory against Claremont since 2009 when the Bulldogs host the Tigers at Fremantle Oval this Saturday.

The game will be South Fremantle's first home game at Fremantle Oval during the day this season after clashes against Perth and East Perth on Friday nights in Rounds 2 and 3.

The Bulldogs had shown some good signs throughout the first four rounds particularly having chances to win against Subiaco in Round 1, Perth in Round 2 and Swan Districts in Round 4, but couldn’t quite get the job done.

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Higgins thriving on No. 1 ruck role at Bulldogs

Wednesday, April 30, 2014 - 7:55 PM - by Chris Pike

BROCK Higgins has been thrust into South Fremantle's No. 1 ruck role early in his time with the Bulldogs and thrived, and it could have been the best thing to happen to him after an interrupted pre-season crossing from East Perth.

Higgins played 30 matches over the last three seasons at East Perth but with the Royals still possessing Josh Smith and Paul Johnson on top of Eagles talls Fraser McInnes, Jeremy McGovern, Callum Sinclair and Scott Lycett it was always going to be tough for the versatile big man to get a regular game in 2014.
The 24-year-old saw the writing on the wall and was weighing up options to continue his career elsewhere, and he lobbed at South Fremantle and has made an immediate impact.
Over the first two weeks, Higgins teamed with fellow recruit James Sellar in the ruck but now the last four weeks he has virtually played in the ruck on his own and done tremendously well.
He competed hard against East Perth's Johnson and Lycett in Round 3, and in games since against Swan Districts (Nathan Blakely), West Perth (Chris Keunen) and East Fremantle (James Bristow, Rob Young) he has been the best ruckman on the ground in tremendous performances.
He has always enjoyed playing in the ruck despite being slightly undersized and feels that being thrust into the No. 1 ruck role has actually helped him get up into top shape quicker than he might have otherwise.
"I enjoy playing in the ruck. I like being around the ball a lot and having the chance to touch it a few times during the game. Now I'm starting to get my fitness and that's coming after I wasn’t able to do much of a pre-season because of changing clubs," Higgins said.
"I rate Keunen as one of the best tap ruckmen in the comp as well so the last few weeks I have just tried to do the best I can. Every week, I seem to be up against someone a bit taller, stronger and bigger. All I can do is try my best, play my role for the team and that's what everyone in the team is trying to do.
"Now that I am into the ruck full-time, my fitness is coming back again and I seem to get better as the games go on. I started training in the second week that the boys were back at it in January so that made it tough because we tried to push the program. My body was a bit sore there, but I'm there now and I'm starting to get my fitness base under me which is a good feeling."
Leaving East Perth wasn’t something that really crossed Higgins' mind until 2013 drew to a close, but when he realised opportunities might be scarce with the amount of Eagles talls that would be playing for the Royals, he began to look elsewhere and South Fremantle was the pick of his options.
"I did probably see myself playing at East Perth for a long time, but by November and December last year the writing was on the wall that there wouldn’t be much opportunity there. I had a few offers over east and a couple in the country, but I think I have made the right decision in coming to South Fremantle," Higgins said.
"I was just pretty much looking for opportunities to play WAFL football. I didn’t really want to be a 25-year-old still running around in the twos. I'm very thankful that South Fremantle gave me the opportunity to play and I am loving it down here.
"The guys have been great and I can't complain at all. I didn’t know too many people, but it's made easier by the blokes down here. They have helped me fit straight in and it's great to be here."
Winning games of football obviously makes things more enjoyable as well and after playing in four straight losses to start the season, Higgins has enjoyed his first two wins with the Bulldogs the past two weeks against West Perth and East Fremantle.
"It was a great to get a win obviously and with it being a derby, there was a bit bigger crowd and the intensity out there was pretty good. It was a well fought out win in the end I though. They challenged us and we stood up when it counted, which is what we need to keep doing," he said.
"I think we have outplayed our opposition for a lot of quarters this year, but we have just been unlucky in a few games early on.
"Our discipline has got a lot better as well even though it crept in a little bit in the last quarter and we are now starting to put it together, and it's coming together nicely now.
"Hopefully we can keep it going. We have won two now and hopefully if we win the next one, and the next one then winning can become a habit. We need to try and create that habit."
The Anzac Day derby at East Fremantle Oval was Higgins' first chance to play in a Fremantle derby after playing in two Perth derbies during his time at East Perth.
He didn’t notice a big change in the intensity of the rivalry, but did enjoy the chance to play on Anzac Day.
"I didn’t notice a lot of difference from the derbies at East Perth. They both are pretty massive occasions and similar in that way, but they are definitely always good to play in," he said.
"This one was a bit special with it being Anzac Day. With the ceremony before hand it gets a bit emotional and it's a good experience to be part of.
"Hase did talk about Anzac Day before game and just focused on the Anzac spirit and things like mateship, courage and all of that to try to get us going."
South Fremantle now take on Claremont this Saturday at Fremantle Oval and that means another big task for Higgins up against the likes of Mark Seaby, Mitch Andrews and Darcy Cameron.
"They are still a very good team even though they've lost a few blokes and our sole focus this week is to do a good job and go into the bye with a lot of positivity and momentum behind us," Higgins said.
"They have some good, experience ruckmen like Seaby and Andrews that I will now get ready to battle against as well."
By Chris PikeBROCK Higgins has been thrust into South Fremantle's No. 1 ruck role early in his time with the Bulldogs and thrived, and it could have been the best thing to happen to him after an interrupted pre-season crossing from East Perth.

Higgins played 30 matches over the last three seasons at East Perth but with the Royals still possessing Josh Smith and Paul Johnson on top of Eagles talls Fraser McInnes, Jeremy McGovern, Callum Sinclair and Scott Lycett it was always going to be tough for the versatile big man to get a regular game in 2014.

The 24-year-old saw the writing on the wall and was weighing up options to continue his career elsewhere, and he lobbed at South Fremantle and has made an immediate impact.

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South Fremantle Team of the Modern Era

Wednesday, April 30, 2014 - 3:28 AM - by Chris Pike

THE South Fremantle Football Club will be announcing its Team of the Modern Era from 1987 onwards at a gala function on Saturday May 31 and you have the chance to get in on the fun.

A competition will be held where members of the public can predict their team and whoever gets the closest to picking the final 24 players will receive a signed South Fremantle Football Club jumper from the 2014 season.
The winning entry will be announced on Tuesday June 3 following the event on the Saturday night and then the Foundation Derby with East Fremantle at East Fremantle Oval on Monday.
You can submit your list of 24 players you believe will be selected in the Team of the Modern Era from 1987 onwards two ways – by submitting it on the club's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/southfremantlefc) or on email at bulldogs@sffc.com.au.
In preparation of the event, the South Fremantle Football Club's website will be running a feature once a week over the next month looking at the players in the mix of making the team – starting with the defenders, then midfielders, forwards and ruckmen.
Picking a team has not been an easy task for those picking the official team and sure won't be for any supporter looking to have a go at entering the competition.
Since 1987, South Fremantle has won premierships in 1997, 2005 and 2009 so there are naturally around 50 premiership players that go in the running.
The Bulldogs have made the finals 16 times since 1987 as well while having two winners of the Sandover Medal, six State game and grand final Simpson Medallists, three Bernie Naylor Medal winners, 73 players who have entered the AFL and another 51 who have represented Western Australia.
There are also another 38 South Fremantle players to have played at least 100 WAFL matches in that time.
The Team of the Modern Era function will be held at the Griff John Function Centre at Fremantle Oval on Saturday May 31. It commences at 7.00pm with tickets available at bulldogs@sffc.com.au or on (08) 9335 1555.
By Chris PikeTHE South Fremantle Football Club will be announcing its Team of the Modern Era from 1987 onwards at a gala function on Saturday May 31 and you have the chance to get in on the fun.

A competition will be held where members of the public can predict their team and whoever gets the closest to picking the final 24 players will receive a signed South Fremantle Football Club jumper from the 2014 season.

The winning entry will be announced on Tuesday June 3 following the event on the Saturday night and then the Foundation Derby with East Fremantle at East Fremantle Oval on Monday.

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Bulldogs too good for Sharks in Anzac Day Derby

Sunday, April 27, 2014 - 8:51 PM - by Chris Pike

SOUTH Fremantle backed up its impressive win over West Perth with a commanding Anzac Day derby performance against East Fremantle to come away 17-point victors at East Fremantle Oval on Friday.

The Bulldogs controlled the contest virtually from the outset and led by as much as 46 points during the third quarter before the Sharks got as close to 12 during the final term, but South Fremantle steadied enough to win 13.5 (83) to 9.12 (66).
Coming off a win over West Perth that meant the Bulldogs have won nine of the last 12, and 15 of 23 overall at Arena Joondalup, the Bulldogs continued their run of impressive recent form at East Fremantle Oval.
Since 2000, South Fremantle has now won 15 of its last 20 matches at Shark Park with the last two being particularly impressive and on big occasions – the Foundation Derby last year and this year on Anzac Day.
Haiden Schloithe was best on ground for South Fremantle finishing the day with 27 possessions, six clearances, five inside 50s and four goals including the game's sealer at the 21-minute mark of the final quarter.
Ashton Hams was allowed to control the game for South Fremantle across half-back and racked up a game-high 37 possessions to go with 12 marks, eight rebounds from the defensive 50 and four tackles.
Captain Ryan Cook was given the job of minding the dangerous Bradd Dalziell and not only did he quell his influence, but finished with 27 possessions and 12 marks himself.
South Fremantle's key defenders Nick Borovac, Dylan Ross and Zac Strom were outstanding ensuring that Jack Perham, Ryan Lester-Smith and Rob Young had no impact on the contest.
Borovac also finished with 22 possessions and seven marks, and Ross 21 touches and eight marks.
Adam Guglielmana spent time forward and back, but when he was in the back half he was another calming influence and was terrific finishing with 18 possessions.
Toby Bairstow has been given run-with roles since returning the line-up for the Swan Districts game in Round 4 and he was given the big job on Rory O'Brien on Anzac Day.
Even though the Sandover Medallist racked up 30 possessions, he had little impact on the game while Bairstow also did well himself with 19 disposals.
Marlon Pickett also worked into the game nicely and when it counted finishing with 18 possessions, six marks, six inside-50 entries and three clearances while also showing off his tremendous closing speed with a crucial run-down tackle on the half-time siren.
Ruckman Brock Higgins again showed that he is more than capable of holding down the No. 1 ruck role for the Bulldogs getting the better of both James Bristow and Young, and finishing with 16 touches, 26 hit outs and most impressively seven clearances.
Ben Saunders, Josh Pullman and Mitch Carter all kicked two goals apiece for South Fremantle with Pullman playing his best game of the season with 11 possessions and seven strong marks.
East Fremantle did get the game's first goal inside 40 seconds, but Schloithe got his massive day off to a perfect start kicking South Fremantle's first goal.
The Bulldogs then went on to kick four more before quarter-time with Jacob Martinez, Craig White, Schloithe again and then Pullman kicking truly.
South Fremantle led by 25 points at quarter-time and then by 37 after six minutes of the second term when Carter and Saunders got on the board.
The Bulldogs didn’t manage another goal for the half, but were still in control by 28 points at half-time.
It was then a blistering start to the third term with quick goals to Pullman, Schloithe and Saunders inside the first eight minutes as they built up a game-high lead of 46 points.
Shaun Bewick kicked a beauty from 50 shortly before three quarter-time to ensure South Fremantle still led by 32 points at the last change.
East Fremantle did fight back with the advantage of the breeze in the final quarter and got as close as 12 points, but steadying South Fremantle goals for Carter and Schloithe secured the 17-point win.
South Fremantle's reserves, however, lost to East Fremantle by 49 points on Saturday despite 38 possessions, five marks, four tackles and three inside-50 entries from Kris Miller.
Alistair Gillespie also kicked three goals while Bailey Matera had 25 possessions, Billy Collier 23, Matt Gundry 21, Simon Panizza 21, Ben Sokol 21 and Jason Maskos 20.
Ruckman Myles Bolger also finished with 21 possessions, six marks and 30 hit outs.
The colts did score an impressive 77-point win over the Sharks with Cameron Loersch kicking five goals, Jarrod Pickett four, Billy Frampton three, Brad Kersten two and Matt Ah Siu two.
Pickett also picked up 22 possessions, Jarrod Garlett 20, Kade Stewart 19, Joel McComb 19 and Jacob Dragovich 18.
SOUTH FREMANTLE 5.2 7.3 11.4 13.5 (83)
EAST FREMANTLE 1.1 2.5 5.8 9.12 (66)
SOUTH FREMANTLE – Goals: Schloithe 4; Carter, Saunders, Pullman 2; Bewick, White, Martinez.
Best: Schloithe, Cook, Hams, Ross, Borovac, Higgins, Guglielmana, Pickett.
EAST FREMANTLE – Goals: Jupp 2; Read, Bourne, Howlett, Lester-Smith, Perham, R O'Brien.
Best: McNamara, Jupp, Stephen, Tropiano, R O'Brien, Read.
By Chris PikeSOUTH Fremantle backed up its impressive win over West Perth with a commanding Anzac Day derby performance against East Fremantle to come away 17-point victors at East Fremantle Oval on Friday.

The Bulldogs controlled the contest virtually from the outset and led by as much as 46 points during the third quarter before the Sharks got as close to 12 during the final term, but South Fremantle steadied enough to win 13.5 (83) to 9.12 (66).

Coming off a win over West Perth that meant the Bulldogs have won nine of the last 12, and 15 of 23 overall at Arena Joondalup, the Bulldogs continued their run of impressive recent form at East Fremantle Oval.

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Anzac Day Preview v East Fremantle

Friday, April 25, 2014 - 3:51 AM - by Chris Pike

SOUTH Fremantle has its first win of 2014 and now heads to East Fremantle Oval for the first derby of 2014 against East Fremantle this Anzac Day Friday looking to make it two straight victories.

South Fremantle beat West Perth last Saturday by 23 points in its ninth win from the last 12 visits to Arena Joondalup, and 15 of 23 overall at the venue.
Now the Bulldogs return to another venue they have enjoyed visiting lately having now won at on 14 of the last 19 trips to Shark Park since 2000 including a thumping win last year in the Foundation Derby.
Both the Sharks and Bulldogs are coming into the contest in winning form with East Fremantle having won three of its first four games of the season including a solid win on Good Friday over Peel Thunder in Mandurah.
Meanwhile, South Fremantle lost its first four games of the season despite being a chance to win three of those four, but the Bulldogs got on the board last Saturday with an impressive 23-point win over West Perth at Arena Joondalup.
It is going to be a tremendous day of commemoration of Anzac Day in Fremantle all day long.
It begins in the City of Fremantle with the Dawn Service at Monument Hill at 5.30am followed by the Anzac Day parade at Esplanade Reserve at 10.15am.
Then at East Fremantle Oval, a live band along with a kids game that will begin from 1pm with the Anzac Day ceremony beginning at 2.40pm and then the battle over the Sir Hughie Edwards Cup beginning at 3pm.
After the match, South Fremantle's presentations will be held back at Fremantle Oval with the Fremantle v North Melbourne AFL match shown on the big screen.
East Fremantle and South Fremantle have now played in Anzac Day fixtures since 2009.
In that first encounter in 2009, South Fremantle won a thriller by a goal thanks to a late Toby Bairstow goal after a controversial deliberate out of bounds decision paid against Rob Young. A crowd of 5484 turned out on that occasion.
East Fremantle then won by 56 points in front of 3335 fans at East Fremantle Oval in 2010 before the Bulldogs bounced back in 2011 winning by 29 points in front of 4225 spectators at Fremantle Oval.
In 2012 back at East Fremantle Oval, the Sharks scored a thumping 85-point win with 2408 people watching and then last year, East Fremantle also won by 29 points in front 3985 fans at Fremantle Oval.
South Fremantle might have only won 45 of 94 matches overall at East Fremantle Oval, but since 2000 they have won 14 of the last 19 including last year in the Foundation Derby by 67 points.
That run included the Bulldogs winning 11 straight matches at Shark Park between 2001 and until Round 21, 2008.
East Fremantle is coming off a win over Peel Thunder back on Good Friday where it controlled the majority of the contest, but Tom Howlett didn’t play that day and is a certain starter for the Sharks on Anzac Day against the Bulldogs.
A big job will await Howlett as well on either Ben Saunders, Paul Mugambwa or Josh Pullman as well in the back-line.
Michael Edwards and Jayden Schofield have been in good form in the reserves for the Sharks as well, but it's a hard team to break in to right now.
South Fremantle is also coming into the Anzac Day derby in winning form having got on the board last week against West Perth.
There is also little reason for change at the Bulldogs but Kris Miller, Ben Sokol and Jason Maskos are pressing for a return to the league side after being dropped back to the reserves the last couple of weeks as coach Paul Hasleby searched for a winning formula.
RESERVES SQUAD
M Banks, T Bennell, M Bolger, S Borovac, M Carter, E Collard, J D'Vauz, A Gillespie, M Gundry, J Hall, B Hill, L Lucev, J Maskos, K Matera, K Miller, S Mills, M Nicholson, S Panizza, J Parry, M Russell, B Sokol, T Stewart, J Symmans, J Tartaglia, B Verrier
COLTS SQUAD
M Ah Siu, B Colbung, J Culleton, J Depane, B Donaldson, J Dragovich, B Fimmano, J Florenca, J Foster, W Frampton, J Garlett, M Grubelich, B Kersten, C Loersch, B Matera, J McComb, J Mcguire, G McLeod, J McMaster, B McPhail, J Mirco, D Moore, A Nodari, L Pearson, J Pickett, C Salmon, K Stewart, N Strom, S Williamson
By Chris PikeSOUTH Fremantle has its first win of 2014 and now heads to East Fremantle Oval for the first derby of 2014 against East Fremantle this Anzac Day Friday looking to make it two straight victories.

South Fremantle beat West Perth last Saturday by 23 points in its ninth win from the last 12 visits to Arena Joondalup, and 15 of 23 overall at the venue.

Now the Bulldogs return to another venue they have enjoyed visiting lately having now won at on 14 of the last 19 trips to Shark Park since 2000 including a thumping win last year in the Foundation Derby.

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Cook calls on premiership skippers to help Bulldogs rise

Thursday, April 24, 2014 - 4:49 AM - by Chris Pike

RYAN Cook took South Fremantle's slow start to the 2014 WAFL season to heart and called in the Bulldogs' last two captains to help inspire the group, and as a result he enjoyed Saturday's win over West Perth as much as anyone.

Cook is now in his fourth season at South Fremantle and his third as captain following on from premiership skippers David Gault and Toby McGrath.
The 26-year-old former Collingwood player of 14 AFL matches has certainly made his mark since arriving at South Fremantle in 2011 with two fairest and best awards under his belt, but another slow start to the season to open 2014 was the last thing he was hoping for, or expecting.
After losing the opening seven games of 2013, South Fremantle lost the first four of 2014 heading into Saturday's clash with the reigning premiers West Perth at Arena Joondalup.
However, the Bulldogs had been close in three of the first four games they lost and had a good record against West Perth at Arena Joondalup to call upon, and came away with a terrific 23-point victory.
During the tough opening month, Cook had initiated for both Gault and McGrath to come down and speak to the playing group about their experiences in successful South Fremantle teams.
Once Cook kicked a goal to seal the win during the final quarter, he could finally let out some frustration.
"I obviously take losing pretty hard and want to keep motivating the boys, and I've been trying to do that. We had Toby McGrath and David Gault come down, the last two premiership captains, to have a chat to us and that was good," Cook said.
"I've tried a couple of different things and we had a couple of old South boys to have a talk just about the proud history, and who we are really playing for. It's not just ourselves, there is a lot of people who barrack for South Fremantle around WA.
"We haven’t been playing too bad. The East Perth game was a blowout and they got us at home, but as I said to the boys leading into the game, the missed opportunities in front of goals has been hurting us. We've been all right and now it's obviously nice to get a win.
"It was a great feeling when I kicked that goal. 'Smack' (Adam McIntosh) was behind me and told me to aim for the right post, and I went for the left but it still just drifted in. I let a big yell out when that went through. It felt really good."
South Fremantle's forward-line hadn’t quite clicked over the first four rounds combining for 48.50, but it worked a treat on Saturday led by seven goals to Ben Saunders and four to newly turned swingman Craig White.
"We isolated him (Saunders) a bit more and we know how good he is in his one-on-ones. The energy he brings to the side gets everyone else up and about so we need him to back that up again next week for the derby," Cook said.
"He (White) has been good and could be a good swingman for us. At the start of his career he started as a forward, and he is a very accurate kick so you know when he's having a set shot he more than not will slot them. And don’t worry, we will be hearing all about it too.
"That's been a good change up for us and then Ashton (Hams) going down back he is so creative with the ball, and so is Googsy (Adam Guglielmana). Those changes have been good."
With James Sellar missing the last three matches with a knee injury, a lot of responsibility has been heaped on to East Perth recruit Brock Higgins to carry the ruck duties, but he has done so with aplomb.
He battled hard in Round 3 against Paul Johnson and Scott Lycett and now has been the best ruckman on the ground the last two weeks. Cook sees him firsthand in the midfield and couldn’t be happier with what he's brought to the team.
"We just know what to expect from him and he knows his game better than anyone in our side," he said.
"He knows he's not going to create too much when he's having a kick and he tries to handball off when he can. We've needed that target up the line the last couple of years and haven’t really had it, but he's clunking those marks. It's good to see and just gets everyone up and about."
Another player Cook is seeing firsthand in the midfield is Haiden Schloithe who has now racked up 75 possessions the past two weeks, but that doesn’t surprise his skipper at all.
"I've seen it the last couple of years that he has been building to this sort of form. I watched him pretty closely back in the colts and he has really taken another step this year," he said.
"It's just that consistency and backing up week after week that is good to see him. Previously it would be one good game and then a couple of ordinary ones, but he's now had three or four really good wins in-a-row. It's good to see."
South Fremantle prepares for the now traditional Anzac Day derby this Friday against East Fremantle at East Fremantle Oval with Cook fully aware how important it is that the Bulldogs back up their performance against the Falcons.
"It's always a big day," Cook said.
"It can go either way with that as well. It's always a big occasion on Anzac Day and we are looking forward to it."
By Chris PikeRYAN Cook took South Fremantle's slow start to the 2014 WAFL season to heart and called in the Bulldogs' last two captains to help inspire the group, and as a result he enjoyed Saturday's win over West Perth as much as anyone.

Cook is now in his fourth season at South Fremantle and his third as captain following on from premiership skippers David Gault and Toby McGrath.

The 26-year-old former Collingwood player of 14 AFL matches has certainly made his mark since arriving at South Fremantle in 2011 with two fairest and best awards under his belt, but another slow start to the season to open 2014 was the last thing he was hoping for, or expecting.

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Googs' Gabble – Adam Guglielmana Column Round 6

Thursday, April 24, 2014 - 2:24 AM - by Adam Guglielmana

ONE of the many good things about playing for South Fremantle is the opportunity to play in the biggest home and away games of the WAFL season.

This Friday we take on East Fremantle in the Anzac Day derby and, a few weeks later, in the Foundation Day derby.
The hatred between East and South Fremantle goes back a long way before I was even born so I won’t attempt to explain it!
It is something that is ingrained into you as soon as you walk into the South Fremantle Football Club, and I'm sure it's the same over at East Fremantle. The former players never forget to remind you how much winning a derby means, and the supporters are even less forgiving if you lose!
The next two derbies take on extra significance as we are trying to bridge the gap between the sides above us, and East Fremantle will be trying to solidify their spot in the top four.
Although we haven’t got off to a great start this year we are still only two wins behind East Fremantle, and playing them twice in the next five matches gives us an opportunity to make some ground we have lost.
Obviously the WAFL hasn’t been the main attraction in town since the Eagles joined the AFL, so the chance to play in front of a bigger crowd on a significant occasion is something the players really enjoy.
Preparation rarely changes regardless of the significance of the match as players tend to be creatures of habit, although certain traits can be exaggerated.
Toby Bairstow doesn’t spend as much time checking the race results, Ashton Hams and Haiden Schloithe let off some nervous tension by joking a bit more before a big game, Josh Pullman prefers to be a bit more focused and intense, and some, like Dylan Ross don’t seem fazed by any occasion.
There is no right or wrong way to prepare, and most players find what suits them through trial and error fairly early on in their careers.
The other aspect of the next derby is the day it is played on. It is obviously a massive privilege to play on Anzac Day but we have never pretended that war and football are anything alike. When you hear the heroic stories of the Anzacs at this time of year you clearly feel compelled to show as much courage and resilience as you can on a day meant to honour them, but thankfully no coach I have played under has ever tried to use it as a source of motivation.
Although ladder positions and form are basically irrelevant when it comes to derbies it is nice to go into this week’s game with some winning momentum. We had shown signs in the first four games that our best football could match most sides; we just struggled to maintain it for much more than a quarter or so.
We have taken a lot of confidence out of beating the reigning premiers on their home ground, but more than anything it was good to get some reward for the effort we have been putting in since last October.
We are well aware as a group what our weaknesses are and we have been working hard, not only over the past month, but since last October, to improve on areas such as our skills and our ball movement in different situations.
Even after such a bad start to the year it is pleasing the mood around the group hasn’t turned sour. We have stuck together tightly as a group and are working hard to turn our season around before it’s too late.
It was great to get a win on the weekend but the feel good story from the game was Jarrod Parry’s return to league football. Somebody said it had been 1331 days since he last played a game of league football, in 2010, the year he won the “best first year player” award. The best thing about “Paz” is his attitude.
Despite two knee reconstructions, deep vein thrombosis and a number of hamstring issues he kept working hard and never put himself before the team. People forget how good a player he is, and if anyone has built up some good karma, it is him. The players love him and it definitely gave us a lift on the weekend having him out there.
The difference in how you feel after a win and after a loss is enormous. It was interesting bumping into Ash Hams’ girlfriend after the match. I’d thought she had over indulged in a few wines during the game as she was very happy and chirpy, only to later find out she was just so happy we hadn’t lost as she and Ashton had to drive out to her family’s farm in Tammin after the game, and she can’t stand being around him after a loss!
Hopefully we can continue our “streak” this Friday against East Fremantle, as I’m not sure Ashton would be able to find another girl willing to go out with him.
By Adam GuglielmanaONE of the many good things about playing for South Fremantle is the opportunity to play in the biggest home and away games of the WAFL season.

This Friday we take on East Fremantle in the Anzac Day derby and, a few weeks later, in the Foundation Day derby.

The hatred between East and South Fremantle goes back a long way before I was even born so I won’t attempt to explain it!

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Red and WHITE – Craig White Column Round 5

Wednesday, April 23, 2014 - 11:35 PM - by Craig White

AT THE start of the year, like the last six or seven years have been, I trained with the defenders and didn’t really have any indication that I would be moving forward at any stage this season. 

It actually has been a bit refreshing the last couple of weeks and it's something I have definitely enjoyed. As far as I know, it's not something that has been in the planning though.
As a junior I played in the forward-line a lot. I came through school footy, country footy and then the colts playing as a half-forward or a deep forward, and then my first 60 games of my league career was as a half-forward or forward pocket. When we were in a good side it was easy to play that role, but then the good youngsters like Cory Dell'Olio, Brandon Matera and Leroy Jetta started to come through, and all of a sudden keeping a spot in the forward-line got a bit tougher.
As a result, myself and both Hams boys ended up being pushed to the back-line. Our coach John Dimmer came to us around the mid-part of 2007 when we had a couple of good young forwards, and we were a bit light on for small defenders. As it worked out, the three of us went back and we all ended up playing a lot of footy together at the same end of the ground in our careers.
I had probably resigned myself to the fact that I would be a defender for the rest of my career. When Hase approached me about it a couple of weeks ago, I did need a couple of days to get my head around having not played there since 2007, but the more I thought about it the more I was looking forward to it. It's something I have enjoyed the last two weeks and it's good fun mixing it with the forwards.
My role in the forward-line the last two weeks has been to really be that lead-up type player. A bit of that comes as natural instinct from my early days, but it's also about knowing the bigger grounds and knowing where the space is. My instructions have been to lead up so I have tried to make sure I have been leading up at the footy.
I did miss a goal early against West Perth on a snap that hit the post so I was pretty frustrated after missing a couple the week before against Swans, but it was good to get on the board with a couple of easy ones, and a couple of lucky ones. I'll take that and hopefully I can keep hitting the scoreboard a couple of times a week if I stay forward.
One thing that has helped me going back to the forward-line is how much I've learned from my years as a defender. Down back, I've learned what defenders hate the most and I know what I like to defend, and what's hard to defend so I take solace in that when working out what can then work as a forward. It has definitely helped me understand what the drop-off or tight defenders do and don't like their forward opponents to do.
The other thing that has happened with me going forward has been that Ashton Hams and Adam Guglielmana have gone down back. When Hase said that Hamsy and Googs would go back I mentioned I would like to play there with them because of how good they use the footy and have good footy brains, but someone had to take their place up forward. It has seemed to work out the best for the team that I'm getting some kicks forward, and both of them are playing good footy in the back-line.
As a defender, your mistakes generally end up as goals for the opposition but as a forward you have a bit more leeway with your mistakes not necessarily directly ending up as goals. As a forward, you have the pressure on you to try to turn the opposition's footy over and lock it in, so it's a bit of a different mindset but at the end of the day it's all pretty relevant with regards to how you end up scoring.
I guess I can be called a bit of a swingman now and thinking about others who have done that during my career, Andrew McCarrey was definitely one of them of the talls who has done it but I think Ashton Hams is one who has done it a lot. He started as a forward, then won a Simpson Medal as a defender and then played at the Eagles as a forward. He is one who across my career has done it and Toby McGrath was also a midfielder come forward who then ended up as a defender late in his career. They are three who were able to do it pretty well that I've played with.
Having versatility in your side helps you not become predictable to the opposition so if you have a few strings to your bow, not only does it help you get a game every week but it keeps the opposition guessing as well. I guess now they don’t know if Hams, myself or Googsy will start forward or back so that gives us some pretty good options going forward.
Having said that, I think Hase might find it tough to get me out of the forward-line for the next few weeks at least. I am very much enjoying it, but I'm still open-minded to going back if needed and if Hase sees fit.
And as a team, hopefully we now have some momentum having won. We were in three of the four games to start the year with a chance to win, but now we can finally get the ball rolling. We have had a good record at Joondalup and we have had a good one at East Fremantle Oval as well so hopefully we can put that momentum into swing and get on the board with another win.
By Craig WhiteAT THE start of the year, like the last six or seven years have been, I trained with the defenders and didn’t really have any indication that I would be moving forward at any stage this season. 

It actually has been a bit refreshing the last couple of weeks and it's something I have definitely enjoyed. As far as I know, it's not something that has been in the planning though.

As a junior I played in the forward-line a lot. I came through school footy, country footy and then the colts playing as a half-forward or a deep forward, and then my first 60 games of my league career was as a half-forward or forward pocket. When we were in a good side it was easy to play that role, but then the good youngsters like Cory Dell'Olio, Brandon Matera and Leroy Jetta started to come through, and all of a sudden keeping a spot in the forward-line got a bit tougher.

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Bulldogs dominate Falcons for first win of 2014

Sunday, April 20, 2014 - 7:03 PM - by Chris Pike

SOUTH Fremantle is on the board for 2014 following a superb four-quarter performance to beat West Perth by 23 points at Arena Joondalup on Saturday with the Bulldogs playing a committed and desperate brand of physical football while taking their chances in attack.

South Fremantle began the 2014 season with losses to Subiaco, Perth, East Perth and Swan Districts, but in three of those four games the Bulldogs had chances to win had they kicked straight, and not made quite as many mistakes both with their skills and ill-discipline.
However, everything clicked on Saturday at Arena Joondalup with South Fremantle leading the entire afternoon aside from a couple of minutes in the opening quarter, and by as much as 34 points at one stage before ending up winning 15.8 (98) to 10.15 (75).
Even more impressive was the fact that not only was West Perth coming off winning last year's premiership, but also having thumped the previously unbeaten East Perth last week by 100 points.
With a combination of some South Fremantle players shutting down some of West Perth's prime movers and then other Bulldogs players having big days offensively, it was a terrific performance that led to the first win of 2014.
South Fremantle has now won 15 of 23 matches against West Perth overall at Arena Joondalup since 1994 including the last four straight, and nine of the last 12.
Ben Saunders starred up forward for South Fremantle booting seven goals after having just seven in the opening four games of the season.
His seven-goal haul came from 17 possessions and just the one mark. It's the first time the 2012 Bernie Naylor Medallist has managed seven in a match since doing it in Round 18, 2012 against Subiaco.
Veteran Craig White was also outstanding for South Fremantle in his second week as a forward after spending the majority of his 162-game career in defence even though his initial time in the league side was as a forward.
White finished with four goals from 19 possessions and seven marks.
South Fremantle's midfield was also outstanding led by ruckman Brock Higgins who finished with 21 possessions and 31 hit outs.
Haiden Schloithe backed up his 38 possessions last week against Swan Districts with another 37 disposals to go with six tackles and five inside-50 entries.
Tim Kelly was also terrific with 29 touches through the middle with captain Ryan Cook finishing with 24 possessions, Steven Verrier 24, Brendan Verrier 24 and Shaun Bewick 22.
Toby Bairstow has been given a new role since returning to the league side for South Fremantle and he did a superb job restricting West Perth's prolific ball-winner Shane Nelson to just 12 possessions for the day.
The Bulldogs' defence was also terrific with Dylan Ross and Nick Borovac doing good jobs respectively on Marcus Adams and Anthony Tsalikis who combined for 11 goals last week against East Perth. They combined for just three on Saturday.
Ashton Hams roamed across half-back and finished with 31 possessions while Adam Guglielmana had 20 touches and nine marks while doing well defensively on both Marc Crisp and Andrew Krakouer.
Jarrod Parry also came in for his first league game since Round 23, 2010 and provided good support to the starting midfielders finishing with 15 possessions and five marks after a horror run with knee injuries.
South Fremantle kicked the first goal of the game through Kelly and then a clever left foot snap off a turnover from Saunders, and then one on his right boot shortly after had the Bulldogs out to a 10-point advantage.
The Bulldogs led by 12 points at quarter-time and was back out to 17 again to start the second quarter thanks to a goal to White.
A good goal on the run from 50 to Brendan Verrier and the Bulldogs were out to a 24-point lead and it was then 28 when White delivered a clever snap for his third of the afternoon.
Saunders also then added his third and suddenly South Fremantle led by 34 points, and still by 27 at the main break.
Saunders added his fourth to open the second half to put the lead back out to 33 points. West Perth tried to mount a comeback, but it was Saunders there to quell that on each occasion.
His fifth rolled home from long range and then his sixth came from a clever mark and the Bulldogs still led by 28 points at that stage, and 22 at three quarter-time.
West Perth again threatened a fight back in the final quarter, but Saunders' seventh goal, possibly the sealer from Cook and then the absolute sealer from White made sure the Bulldogs ended up winning by 23 points.
South Fremantle's colts opened the day with a 14.12 (96) to 4.7 (31) win over West Perth with Cameron Loersch kicking three goals, and Jacob Dragovich and Jye Depane two each.
Dragovich also racked up 34 possessions with Billy Collier finishing with 30 disposals, Bailey Matera 31, Braden Fimmano 26, Brad McPhail 21, Anthony Nodari 21 and Depane 20.
Meanwhile, the reserves went down to West Perth by eight points despite a host of impressive performances.
Kris Miller had a strong game in the midfield finishing with 34 possessions and two goals with Anthony Collica making just his second appearance of the year and impressing with 25 disposals and a goal before taking a heavy knock to his just on the final siren.
Joe Pantano also gathered 26 possessions with Ben Sokol gathering 24 to go with his three goals. Lewis Harvey had 22 touches, Steve Mills 21, Tim Stewart 20 and Alistair Gillespie added two goals.
SOUTH FREMANTLE 4.2 8.3 11.7 15.8 (98)
WEST PERTH 2.2 3.6 7.9 10.15 (75)
SOUTH FREMANTLE – Goals: Saunders 7; White 4; Bewick, Kelly, B Verrier, Cook.
Best: Saunders, Schloithe, Higgins, Ross, Hams, Bairstow, Guglielmana, White, Kelly.
WEST PERTH – Goals: Tsalikis 2; Strijk, Jones, Crisp, Browne, Krakouer, Fowler, van Berlo, Adams.
Best: Hunt, Kerr, Black, Jones, van Berlo, Manning, Browne.
By Chris PikeSOUTH Fremantle is on the board for 2014 following a superb four-quarter performance to beat West Perth by 23 points at Arena Joondalup on Saturday with the Bulldogs playing a committed and desperate brand of physical football while taking their chances in attack.

South Fremantle began the 2014 season with losses to Subiaco, Perth, East Perth and Swan Districts, but in three of those four games the Bulldogs had chances to win had they kicked straight, and not made quite as many mistakes both with their skills and ill-discipline.

However, everything clicked on Saturday at Arena Joondalup with South Fremantle leading the entire afternoon aside from a couple of minutes in the opening quarter, and by as much as 34 points at one stage before ending up winning 15.8 (98) to 10.15 (75).

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Round 5 Preview v West Perth

Friday, April 18, 2014 - 4:35 PM - by Chris Pike

SOUTH Fremantle heads to Arena Joondalup hoping to keep going an impressive winning record at the venue as the Bulldogs desperately search for a first win of the 2014 season.

South Fremantle is yet to taste victory in 2014 after losses to Subiaco, Perth, East Perth and Swan Districts, but in the games with the Lions, Demons and Swans, the Bulldogs had plenty of chances to win and now this Saturday they will be hoping to take their chances against the Falcons.
The game is on Saturday afternoon as the standalone WAFL fixture of the day at Arena Joondalup.
It is a ground that South Fremantle has a good record at both in history since 1994, and in recent times.
South Fremantle has won 14 of 22 matches at Arena Joondalup overall including a 39-point win in Round 18 last year with West Perth on the way to winning the 2013 premiership.
South Fremantle is desperate to find a winning formula after starting the season with four straight losses.
They do add some size and quality back to the line-up from the team that lost to Swan Districts last week with Alistair Gillespie and Paul Mugambwa both set to return.
Each is capable of helping to provide another option in the forward-line to Ben Saunders and Josh Pullman, and also helping out Brock Higgins in the ruck in the continued absence of James Sellar with a knee injury.
Important and hard-nosed defender Adam McIntosh will also return after missing the game against Swans with Jarrod Parry a chance to play his first league game since Round 23, 2010 after some consistently strong form in the midfield for the reserves since returning from his latest knee injury.
James Laurino is the only out of the South Fremantle team at this stage who even though he did some nice things against Swans, having only seven possessions meant he simply didn’t do enough.
It is an incredibly hard West Perth team to break into coming off the 100-point win over East Perth, but that is exactly what Andrew Krakouer, Shaun Marusic and Jack Thrum are attempting to do after playing well in the reserves team that also beat the Royals by 100-plus points.
Following virtually no pre-season, Krakouer made a slow start to his time at West Perth but his last two games in the reserves have been terrific and he now looks on track to make his Falcons debut and to play his first WAFL game since the 2010 grand final for Swan Districts.
Krakouer had 26 possessions, seven tackles and a goal last week in the reserves and could add yet another quality piece to the West Perth line-up coming off winning last year's premiership.
Suddenly a forward-line of Marcus Adams, Anthony Tsalikis, Matt Fowler, Kody Manning, Marc Crisp and the addition of Krakouer is a scary thing for opposition teams.
RESERVES TEAM
T Bairstow, M Banks, T Bennell, M Bolger, S Borovac, M Carter, E Collard, A Collica, J D'Vauz, A Galliano, A Gillespie, M Gundry, J Hall, L Harvey, C Hayden, B Hill, K Hogan, T Kelly, J Laurino, J Louthean, L Lucev, J Maskos, S Mills, M Nicholson, S Panizza, J Pantano, J Parry, B Sokol, T Stewart, J Symmans, J Tartaglia, B Verrier, M Walley
COLTS TEAM
B Collier, J Culleton, J Depane, B Donaldson, J Dragovich, B Fimmano, J Florenca, W Frampton, J Garlett, B Kersten, C Loersch, B Matera, J McComb, G McLeod, J McMaster, B McPhail, J Mirco, D Moore, A Nodari, L Pearson, C Salmon, K Stewart, N Strom, T Wheeler, S Williamson
By Chris PikeSOUTH Fremantle heads to Arena Joondalup hoping to keep going an impressive winning record at the venue as the Bulldogs desperately search for a first win of the 2014 season.

South Fremantle is yet to taste victory in 2014 after losses to Subiaco, Perth, East Perth and Swan Districts, but in the games with the Lions, Demons and Swans, the Bulldogs had plenty of chances to win and now this Saturday they will be hoping to take their chances against the Falcons.

The game is on Saturday afternoon as the standalone WAFL fixture of the day at Arena Joondalup.

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