McDonald's WAFL Round 9 PreviewFriday, May 13, 2016 - 1:52 PM - by Chris Pike

SIGNIFICANT individual milestones, former stars playing their old teams and plenty at stake in the matches themselves all lead to what should be a fascinating Round 9 of the 2016 McDonald's WAFL Premiership Season.

South Fremantle captain Ryan Cook will play his 100th WAFL match and Peel veteran Rory O'Brien his 100th with the club on Saturday at Fremantle Community Bank Oval when the Bulldogs host the Thunder.

Former Royal Freddie Clutterbuck and ex-Swan Lewis Jetta will also play their former sides at Medibank Stadium when East Perth takes on Swan Districts with Claremont hosting Subiaco at the Showground and East Fremantle facing Perth at ATOM Stadium.

West Perth has the bye with a 4-4 record on the back of winning its last three matches.

SOUTH FREMANTLE (6-1, 1st) v PEEL THUNDER (4-3, 4th) – FREMANTLE COMMUNITY BANK OVAL, SATURDAY 2.15PM
Selected teams 
Broadcast – 91.3 SportFM 

South Fremantle is back at home to host Peel Thunder looking to maintain top spot on the WAFL ladder but both teams want to show their finals credentials and each have a significant milestone to celebrate as well.

The Bulldogs host the Thunder at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Saturday in what shapes as a tremendous contest.

South Fremantle returned to the top of the WAFL ladder after kicking the last five goals of the game last Saturday to beat Claremont by eight points at the Showground.

That saw the Bulldogs bounce back from their first loss of the season the previous week at the hands of Subiaco.

Peel had won its last two matches heading into its clash at HBF Arena against West Perth last Saturday but the Thunder came up 17 points short in tough conditions to now sit in fourth position with a 4-3 record.

The Thunder have won their last three games over the Bulldogs, all in 2015, by an average of 37.6 points and South Fremantle's home ground advantage is significantly diminished by the fact that more than half of Peel's team train regularly at Fremantle Oval with Fremantle.

Both teams have milestones to celebrate as well with South Fremantle captain Ryan Cook to play his 100th game with the Bulldogs since arriving from Collingwood in 2011. Peel's Rory O'Brien will also play his 100th game for the Thunder on return to the club after five years with East Fremantle.

Bulldogs captain Cook proud to bring up century 
Rory O'Brien proud to reach 100 games for Thunder 

South Fremantle is the highest scoring team in the competition this season averaging 95 points a game while Peel averages just 80, but both have strong defences with the Bulldogs letting in a league-best 65 points just ahead of the Thunder's 66.

South Fremantle looked set to lose for a second time for most of last week's game with Claremont before a stirring final quarter to score the eight-point win that was all the more impressive given full-back Josh Pullman and full-forward Ben Saunders didn’t get up to play.

In Pullman's absence, Brad McPhail did a good job in his battle on Claremont big man Darcy Cameron but with Pullman having overcome an ankle injury to be picked to play Peel on Saturday, McPhail unfortunately loses his place in the Bulldogs side.

Saunders is also set to return after missing the win over Claremont to provide another goal kicking option for the Bulldogs after both Blaine Johnson and Mason Shaw kicked three majors last Saturday.

Jake Florenca, James Laurino and Dylan Main have also put themselves in contention to come into the South Fremantle side to take on Peel.

Florenca continues his prolific ball winning form having graduated from the colts to reserves this year. He had another 30 possessions last week against Claremont while Main responded to being dropped with 31 disposals and eight marks, and Laurino contributed another 18 touches.

Shaun Bewick had just the seven touches in last week's win over Claremont and he will be back in the reserves as a result on Saturday against the Thunder.

There will be plenty of changes at Peel again following last Saturday's loss to West Perth at HBF Arena with Fremantle continuing to search for a winning mix at AFL level.

Ruckman Zac Clarke, midfielder Clancee Pearce and wingman Ed Langdon all worked hard for the Thunder last Saturday against the Falcons and as a result will play for the Dockers against Hawthorn at Aurora Stadium on Saturday.

Anthony Morabito had a solid game at centre half-back last week for Peel with 19 possessions and keeping West Perth big man Mark Hamilton quiet, but he hurt his hamstring late in the piece and will miss Saturday's clash with South Fremantle.

It's not all about those going out of Peel's team, though, with midfielder Michael Barlow to play for the Thunder on Saturday after being dropped by the Dockers. It will be just his third WAFL match.

Matt de Boer was held over as an emergency for Fremantle last week and didn’t play for Peel, but he will return for the Thunder on Saturday against the Bulldogs and will offer another big ball winner having averaged 30 possessions in his four games so far at WAFL level in 2016.

Peel big man Michael Apeness will also play his first league game of the season after making his return from injury in the reserves last week.

He had 34 hit outs and six possessions playing in the ruck, but at league level he will likely spend the majority of his time as a marking option in the forward-line with Jack Hannath carrying the ruck duties with Clarke earning his AFL call up.

Alexander Bray, Nathan Fahey, Josh Mathers, Brad McGowan, Richard Wight and Andrew Haydon are players from Peel's reserves who have been performing solidly to put themselves in the selection mix as well at the Thunder if any league spots happen to open up.

CLAREMONT (2-5, 7th) v SUBIACO (6-1, 2nd) – CLAREMONT SHOWGROUND, SATURDAY 3.10PM
Selected teams 
Broadcast – Channel 7

Claremont and Subiaco have combined to win eight of the last 12 WAFL premierships but both enter Saturday's clash at the Showground determined to bounce back from disappointing losses.

The recent successes of the Tigers having won flags in 2011 and 2012, and the Lions in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014 and 2015 goes out the window when the two teams hit the ground at the Showground for the second straight game at the venue on Saturday.

Claremont has played some good football in 2016 but the Tigers have just two wins to show for it after again being overrun last Saturday to lose to South Fremantle and record a third straight defeat.

Subiaco won its last five games of 2015 on the way to the premiership and then started 2016 in dominant fashion winning its first six games including handing the previously undefeated South Fremantle its first loss.

But the Lions hit the earth with a thud last Saturday at Medibank Stadium being shocked to the tune of 80 points on their home turf at the hands of East Fremantle.

Subiaco will be determined to prove that was just an aberration and not a sign that the Lions have come back to the pack, but Claremont will be just as desperate for the four points to avoid falling off the pace of the top five at 2-6.

Claremont simply can't afford to continue its poor final quarters if it hopes to win on Saturday.

It was a trend that began in the second half of last season and now it has become a horror habit to start 2016.

Claremont has been outscored by 20 points to lose to Perth by 17 in Round 3, by 16 to lose to Swans by six in Round 4, by 19 to lose to Peel by 21 in Round 6, by 16 to lose by seven to West Perth in Round 7 and then last week was the most stark example of all.

The Tigers lead South Fremantle by 25 points early in the last quarter when Jack Bradshaw kicked his fifth goal, but the Bulldogs dominated from there to win by eight points.

Overall this season, Claremont has been outscored in fourth quarters by 59 points. That has proved costly despite the Tigers being the best starting team outscoring their opponents by an average of 15 points a game.

Subiaco is the third best finishing team in the competition outscoring their opponents by more than a goal over the season.

Claremont has been doing just about everything right for much of the season except for finishing off games well so coach Michael Broadbridge will continue to back in his group to turn things around starting Saturday against Subiaco.

Veteran forward Ian Richardson should return after the 157-gamer missed last week's loss to South Fremantle having not been able to get himself up after the trip to Kulin against West Perth the previous week.

John Williams and Tom Shanahan are both in the mix to play their first games for the Tigers of the season.

Williams has been in solid form in the reserves and had another 19 possessions, seven marks, five inside-50 entries and a goal last week against South Fremantle and could add to the Tigers' back-line.

Meanwhile, Shanahan continues to make a strong case to make his Claremont debut after previously playing seven matches with East Perth. He had another 25 possessions and seven tackles in the reserves last week and could come in to further strengthen the Tigers' midfield on Saturday.

How Subiaco responds to its stunning loss to East Fremantle last week could be the most fascinating part of Saturday's action.

The Lions will again be without some key players most notably premiership defender Jordan Lockyer and premiership forward Kyle Halligan.

Another premiership star, 140-game, three-time flag winner Wayde Twomey is also out for Subiaco for Saturday's clash with Claremont.

That does leave the Lions without three of their most important players but coach Jarrad Schofield will be confident of the whole group responding in desperate fashion following an 80-point defeat that should have shook his playing group.

Hamish Shepheard and Ben Sokol had combined for 10 goals the previous week against South Fremantle but failed to kick one between them against East Fremantle, but it was all over the field that the Lions were uncharacteristically out of sync.

Small forward Shaquille McKenzie could return to add another goal kicking option for the Lions having kicked six goals in his first four games at his second WAFL club with Max Walters, Chris Bryan and Braden Fimmano also in the mix to come in.

Walters has been working hard in the reserves and had another 24 possessions last week against East Fremantle while Fimmano had 15 disposals and Bryan 16.

Brad Stevenson and Michael Wood will spend at least one more week back in the reserves on return from long-term injuries.

EAST PERTH (3-4, 5th) v SWAN DISTRICTS (1-6, 9th) – MEDIBANK STADIUM, SATURDAY 2.15PM
Selected teams 
Broadcast – 107.3 HFM

East Perth and Swan Districts both come up against former teammates on Saturday but it's the four points that the Royals and Swans will be most focused on.

Freddie Clutterbuck joined Swan Districts over summer after 104 games with East Perth and now he will take on his old team for the first time when Swans take on the Royals at Medibank Stadium on Saturday.

And Lewis Jetta has been dropped by the West Coast Eagles meaning he will play his first match for East Perth in the WAFL and it just happens to be up against his old team Swan Districts who he starred with in 2009 before being drafted by the Sydney Swans.

It will be Jetta's first WAFL match since the 2009 preliminary final loss to Subiaco also at the same Leederville venue.

And just as another addition to the equation, his older brother Graham will be running out for Swan Districts too on Saturday and could even end up playing for some time on Lewis.

Clutterbuck, Payne prepare for first battle against one another 

East Perth comes into the contest with a 3-4 record and in fifth position following the bye last weekend and a 37-point loss to East Fremantle that came despite the Royals kicking the opening four goals of the game.

Prior to that, East Perth had beaten Perth, West Perth and Peel so they will be looking to get back to that form on Saturday against Swan Districts.

Swans have been struggling for form and personnel now for much of the season. There was some relief with their come from behind win over Claremont in Round 4, but since Swans have lost to Subiaco, West Perth and Perth to now be sitting on the bottom of the ladder with just the one win.

East Perth has also won seven of its last eight encounters against Swan Districts.

Swans have been struggling to score scoring a league low 55 points a game while averaging the least amount of possessions 325.4, conceding the second most at 371.4 and being the second worst starting team in the league, second worst second quarter team, worst third quarter team and worst final quarter side.

East Perth, meanwhile, is the best third quarter side in the competition having outscored their opponents by 52 points over the seven matches 

Coming off the bye and a disappointing loss to East Fremantle, East Perth loses Agid Gardoud to suspension but should have everyone else available that played in that game including West Coast emergencies Tom Cole and Jamie Bennell.

Lewis Jetta will come into the East Perth team after being dropped by West Coast for the clash on Sunday against St Kilda at Domain Stadium.

Brant Colledge will also return for the Royals for just his fifth game of the season, and second in the last four weeks.

Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls is in the mix to come back into the East Perth side as well after the 117-game half-forward had a stint in the reserves.

Callum Hart, Tom Omodei and Jordan Snadden have been in strong reserves form for the Royals to continue to put themselves in the hunt for a league berth.

Swan Districts finally gets some respite on the injury front with tall forward Ricky Cary back from a shoulder complaint that has kept him out the last two games.

He had kicked eight goals in his five games this season but with three both against Peel Thunder and Claremont, he will be looking to provide Swans with a much-needed goal scoring option to a team averaging 55 points a game this season.

Todd Banfield is also in the mix to return with the former Brisbane Lions small forward stringing together a couple of solid reserves performances. Last week against Perth he had 16 possessions, eight tackles and a goal.

Albert Dean was surprisingly dropped last week against the Demons despite three solid league games averaging 20.7 touches and kicking four goals. He responded with 25 possessions in the reserves and should come straight back in for the black-and-whites on Saturday against the Royals.

Josh Cipro has been an outstanding colts player for Swans the last two years now and is another draft prospect coach Greg Harding will look to unveil on Saturday.

With Griffen Logue and Brayden Hackett already grabbing their opportunities, Cipro could make his debut on Saturday on the back of 32 possessions, nine inside 50s, five marks and four tackles in the colts last Saturday against Perth.

Jacob Coniglio is the only player out of the Swan Districts side at this stage with Kirk Ugle, Jarrad Blight and Jake Nuich still sidelined.

EAST FREMANTLE (4-3, 3rd) v PERTH (2-5, 8th) – ATOM STADIUM, SATURDAY 2.15PM
Selected teams 
Broadcast – 720 ABC Perth, KIX Digital

East Fremantle delivered what was likely the best performance of the WAFL season last week thumping Subiaco to signal the Sharks as a genuine premiership threat this season and now they look to back it up aiming for a third straight win hosting Perth at ATOM Stadium.

Perth will come into the contest with confidence as well after a second win of the season last week when the Demons dominated their clash against the bottom placed Swan Districts to win by 41 points at Lathlain Park.

But it was East Fremantle's performance against the two-time reigning premiers Subiaco that stole the headlines.

The Lions had not lost so far this season and hadn’t looked like doing so, but the Sharks blew them away to win by a massive 80 points and that was a second straight win for East Fremantle to see them improve to a 4-3 record and sit in third position on the WAFL ladder.

The win will mean little for the Sharks if they aren’t able to back it up on Saturday at home to the Demons. But for Perth it's a real chance to show it has improved significantly in 2016 and on their way to climbing out of a trough that has seen them win just four of the last 41 matches.

Despite a blip in Round 19 last year when Perth won by 19 points, East Fremantle has dominated recent meetings between the two clubs having won 13 of the last 14 matches.

East Fremantle's form the past seven quarters suggests there's little reason for coach Rob Wiley to look to make changes, but if captain Jamie McNamara is fit to play against Perth on Saturday he is an automatic inclusion after missing the win over Subiaco.

Jesse Adamini and Jacob Green have both put themselves in contention to come into the East Fremantle team following strong reserves form.

Adamini delivered 32 possessions last week against Subiaco at Medibank Stadium with Green also finishing with 21 touches and three goals.

The Sharks will again be without key defender Matthew Jupp but with the form of Sam Read, Dylan Winton, Andrew Stephen, Ryan Lester-Smith and Brock O'Brien are in down back are ensuring the team is one of the best defences in the competition.

Perth put together a good performance to beat Swans last week and that was despite losing Matt Thompson and Fraser Millar early in the game. Both those young players now go out of the team to take on East Fremantle on Saturday.

Captain Dene White is right to return for the Demons for his first game since Round 2. That day he had 22 possessions against West Perth but he was sidelined with injury until returning with 20 possessions in the reserves last week and he should be back in the league side on Saturday.

With ruckman Angus Graham and on-balllers Clint Jones, Aidan Tropiano and Julian Jacobs, the midfield has already been Perth's strength this season and with its captain returning another prolific ball winner is in the mix.

Rowan Brookes, Jarrad Irons, Brad Keast and Cody Leggett are all in the mix to come into the Demons line-up to take on the Sharks as well.

Brookes has strung together some strong form at centre half-forward and had another 27 possessions and 10 marks in the reserves last week for Perth while Irons gathered another 21 disposals, Keast 22 touches and Leggett 31 to go with 16 marks.