McDonald's WAFL Round 21 PreviewFriday, August 12, 2016 - 2:03 PM - by Chris Pike

THE WAFL's top two spots might be secured by Subiaco and South Fremantle heading into the final three rounds but the race for the remaining finals positions is set to be a fascinating one starting with this Saturday's Round 21 action.

While Subiaco looks safe on top of the ladder for a second straight year and South Fremantle is a game and percentage clear in second, the last three positions are anything but certain and that sets up a terrific last three rounds of the 2016 McDonald's WAFL Premiership Season starting Saturday.

All four games feature teams either guaranteed of playing finals or a chance to break into the top five.

East Perth takes on Subiaco in the battle of the Medibank Stadium co-tenants with South Fremantle playing Swan Districts at Fremantle Community Bank Oval, West Perth facing Claremont at HBF Arena and Perth hosting East Fremantle at Lathlain Park.

The fourth placed Peel Thunder has the bye following a strong win over East Perth.

EAST PERTH (9-8, 5th) v SUBIACO (14-4, 1st) – MEDIBANK STADIUM, SATURDAY 2.15PM
Selected teams 
Broadcast – 91.3 SportFM

East Perth and Subiaco have built up quite a rivalry since sharing Leederville's Medibank Stadium and Saturday's clash is now a crucial one particularly for the Royals' finals hopes.

The Royals and Lions have both been premiership contenders in recent years with East Perth playing in the 2013 and 2014 grand finals along with a preliminary final appearance last year, while Subiaco has won the last two premierships.

That included the Lions beating the Royals in the 2014 grand final so the two teams are no stranger to meeting with plenty on the line.

There might not be too much at stake on Saturday for Subiaco considering the Lions sit two games and percentage clear on top of the ladder with just three rounds of the season remaining meaning they are guaranteed of a top two finish, and all but secure for a second straight minor premiership.

But there is plenty on the line for East Perth and the Royals could potentially slip outside the top five altogether with a loss to Subiaco and if East Fremantle manages to beat Perth at the same time.

East Perth was in strong form having won five games in-a-row prior to the Round 19 bye beating Perth, South Fremantle, Swan Districts, West Perth and Claremont in impressive fashion to break into the top-five.

However, a disappointing 36-point loss to Peel Thunder last Saturday has left the Royals vulnerable in fifth position.

East Perth now sits on a 9-8 record to be just a game ahead of the sixth placed East Fremantle but with an inferior percentage.

The Royals then finish the season against South Fremantle and East Fremantle in the final two rounds so it's going to be a tough last three weeks for them to guarantee another finals appearance.

Subiaco and East Perth have already met twice this season with the Lions winning by 31 points in Round 2 and then by a monstrous 99 points in Round 11.

East Perth suffered a disappointing loss last week to Peel to miss a chance of securing its position in the top five. West Coast's Xavier Ellis hurt a calf early in the game against the Thunder and as a result has announced his retirement this week meaning he won't be returning for the Royals in 2016.

But East Perth does have some good news on the selection front with big man Fraser McInnes to return from a hamstring injury.

He was in good form prior to getting hurt and now will provide another strong target in attack for the Royals and form a potent big man trio between forward and the ruck with Jonathan Giles and Paul Johnson.

West Coast midfielder Jack Redden will also be back for the Royals and will be a welcome inclusion in the continued absence of Kane Lucas, and with Patrick McGinnity down on his usual output last week against Peel.

Callum Hart and Jordan Snadden are two more East Perth players in contention to receive call ups to take on Subiaco on Saturday at Medibank Stadium.

Last week in the reserves against Peel, Hart finished with 23 possessions for East Perth and Snadden had 22 disposals, seven marks and a goal.

Subiaco all but locked away top spot for a second straight season beating West Perth last Saturday but pressure is heating up ahead of the finals for spots in the Lions' line-up.

Lachlan Delahunty, Kyle Halligan and Hayden Kennedy are among those still sidelined for another week and with Subiaco having the bye in the final round following a game next Saturday against Peel Thunder, the premiership trio are running out of time to return in 2016.

Rhys Waters is another premiership player who has been trying to get back on the field in 2016. He did return to the league line-up last Saturday against West Perth and showed some good signs, but he hasn’t been able to hold his place for what would have been his third league game of the year.

Will Fetherstonhaugh, Greg Clark, Max Walters and James Garcia are the Subiaco players in contention to return to take on East Perth on Saturday and trying to lock in a spot ahead of the finals.

Last Saturday in the reserves against West Perth at Kingsway, Fetherstonhaugh finished with 24 possessions and two goals for the Lions, Clark had 27 disposals and seven marks, Walters 27 touches and a goal, and Garcia 12 possessions.

WEST PERTH (11-7, 3rd) v CLAREMONT (6-11, 7th) – HBF ARENA, SATURDAY 2.15PM
Selected teams 
Broadcast – 107.3 HFM

West Perth and Claremont have already met in two thrilling contests in 2016 with Saturday's clash at HBF Arena another with plenty on the line as the Falcons look to lock in third position and the Tigers try to keep their faint finals hopes alive.

West Perth might have beaten Claremont twice already in 2016, but it hasn’t been without the Tigers putting up quite a fight. The first clash was in Kulin with the Falcons coming from behind to win by seven points back in Round 7.

Then in Round 13 at the Claremont Showground, West Perth built up a match-winning lead being up by as much as 46 points during the third quarter in what was a spiteful and spirited encounter.

But the Tigers came storming home to only fall three points short of what would have been a stunning comeback victory.

Now the Falcons and Tigers meet for the first time at HBF Arena in 2016 with plenty on the line for both sides.

West Perth has lost two of its last three games to fall out of contention for a top two finish behind Subiaco and South Fremantle, but the Falcons do remain in third spot at 11-7.

But the only way they can guarantee staying there is to win their last two games against Claremont and Swan Districts with a bye in between.

Claremont, meanwhile, remains only a slight hope of playing finals in 2016 but the only way that can happen is by the Tigers winning their remaining three matches against West Perth, East Fremantle and Peel Thunder, and needing the Sharks to beat East Perth in the final round but for plenty of other results to also go their way.

Not only did West Perth come away with a tough loss against Subiaco at Kingsway last Saturday, but there were plenty of players left worse for wear as well.

Star midfielder Shane Nelson suffered a broken nose and fractured cheekbone leaving him sidelined for at least this week against Claremont with the bye to come next week for him to try and get ready in time for the finals.

Drew Rohde was also knocked out by a wayward knee from teammate Kody Manning last Saturday against Claremont and he won't play this week against Claremont either.

Laine Rasmussen, Joe Morrow and Joel Leeson are three more players who pulled up sore from the loss to Subiaco at Kingsway and won't be there to take on Claremont this Saturday back at HBF Arena.

It's not all bad news for West Perth, though, with key defender Nick Rodda to return from a quad injury and just in time as the Falcons look to shutdown Claremont forwards Beau Maister, Darcy Cameron, Jake Waterman and company.

Small forward Steve Potente will also return from a nagging knee complaint after being in career-best form before going out of the Falcons' line-up.

Corey Chalmers, Matt Johnson, Jordan Mills, Mitch Peirce, Kris Shannon and Luke Tedesco are the other West Perth players a chance to come back into the line-up to not only cover those out, but to try and impress sufficiently to book in a finals position.

Last week in the reserves against Subiaco, Chalmers was outstanding despite the loss with 35 possessions and a goal.

Johnson also had 15 disposals for West Perth, Mills 10 touches, Peirce 29 possessions and seven tackles, Shannon 12 disposals and Tedesco 16 touches.

Veteran on-baller Matt Guadagnin will also return in the reserves after missing last week's game against Subiaco with a tight hamstring following his first game back from a knee reconstruction.

Claremont might still need a lot of luck to remain any chance of taking part in finals in 2016, but while there's hope there is still light at the end of the tunnel.

The Tigers have done well beating Peel Thunder and Swan Districts the past two weeks and as a result outgoing coach Michael Broadbridge has no reason to be looking to make too many changes to his side.

But captain Jake Murphy would be a more than handy addition to the midfield that already has Jye Bolton, Tom Shanahan, Ryan Lim, Jared Hardisty and Tom Ledger in good form. Murphy returned in the reserves last week for the Tigers with 29 possessions.

Jack Beeck and Bailey Banfield are two more players in contention of breaking into the Claremont line-up.

Beeck was in some strong form in the reserves last week against Swan Districts with 26 possessions while Banfield could be another teenage debutant following 21 disposals, six tackles and a goal in the reserves last Saturday against the black-and-whites.

SOUTH FREMANTLE (12-5, 2nd) v SWAN DISTRICTS (2-15, 9th) – FREMANTLE COMMUNITY BANK OVAL, SATURDAY 2.15PM
Selected teams 
Broadcast – KIX Digital

South Fremantle secured a top two finish last week in Carnarvon but the Bulldogs will want to enter their first finals appearance since 2011 in good form meaning they won't want any drop off against the bottom placed Swan Districts on Saturday at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

South Fremantle beat Perth by 37 points after trailing by 31 just before half-time last Saturday in Carnarvon and that victory saw the Bulldogs lock away a top two finish with West Perth also losing to Subiaco.

But the Bulldogs could still finish on top of the ladder by winning their remaining three games against Swan Districts, East Perth and Perth, if Subiaco lose its last two also against East Perth and Peel Thunder.

That might remain an outside chance of happening, but South Fremantle will want to ensure being in top form of entering a first finals appearance in five years.

The Bulldogs will also be buoyed by the news that their impressive season in 2016 has seen coach Todd Curley re-sign for a further two years keeping him tied to the club until at least the end of 2018.

Swan Districts might be guaranteed of finishing with the wooden spoon for 2016 having won just two matches, but the black-and-whites would dearly love to claim a scalp before the year is out and to have something positive to build on for 2017.

Swans won't want to look to the first two games against the Bulldogs this year for much confidence though. South Fremantle held Swan Districts to its equal lowest ever score in a 50-point win in Round 2 at Steel Blue Oval.

Then also at the Bassendean venue in Round 10, South Fremantle proved too strong beating Swan Districts by 47 points.

South Fremantle returns home for its final home game of 2016 after beating Perth in Carnarvon losing a couple of key players, with veteran Adam Guglielmana and state midfielder Tim Kelly going out of the Bulldogs' line-up.

Matthew Gundry, Jason Maskos and Bailey Matera are all in contention to return to the South Fremantle team just in time for the finals while exciting young ruckman Tim English is a chance to make his league debut.

English started the season with South Fremantle playing colts and impressed so much to play for WA's State 18s team and his height, skill and mobility have all made him a potential top AFL draft prospect later this year.

He has also had a taste of reserves football in recent weeks and last Saturday against Perth he had 13 disposals, seven tackles, six marks and 25 hit outs to now see him potentially make his league debut this Saturday against Swan Districts.

Meanwhile, in the reserves last week Maskos had 16 possessions and seven marks and Matera 24 disposals to put both back in contention for another chance to cement a spot in the league line-up ahead of the finals.

Swan Districts could welcome back some important players to take on South Fremantle on Saturday with Graham Jetta, Matthew Rogers and Ricky Cary among those in contention.

Rogers was relegated to the reserves last week against Claremont and had 17 possessions. If he returns to the league side on Saturday it will be his 100th WAFL match of which 33 were with Perth.

Jetta is a chance of returning to the line-up as well for the black-whites along with Cary who had a stint in the reserves last Saturday against the Tigers but managed just one goal from seven kicks.

Jackson Slater, Steven Wityk and Ben Whitsed are the other players in contention for a league call up for Swan Districts. Last Saturday in the reserves, Slater had 21 possessions, Wityk 10 touches and a goal, and Whitsed 15 disposals.

Swan Districts' cause of keeping South Fremantle's forward-line including Ben Saunders, Mason Shaw and Zac Strom in check won't be helped with the loss of captain Tallan Ames while Lindsay Murray and Ben Holman also go out from the Swans team that lost to the Tigers.

PERTH (6-11, 8th) v EAST FREMANTLE (8-9, 6th) – LATHLAIN PARK, SATURDAY 2.15PM
Selected teams 

The bye last weekend couldn’t have come soon enough for East Fremantle and now the Sharks head to Lathlain Park on Saturday to take on an improved Perth needing to win to avoid slipping further out of the top-five.

East Fremantle had claims to being the form team of the WAFL entering the state game winning five of its last six games, but the Sharks haven’t been able to rediscover that form since losing all but one of their six matches.

And it hasn’t been just the fact that the Sharks have lost either, those five defeats have come at an average of over 46 points to see them go from contending for a top two position to now being out of the top five altogether.

While Perth is out of the finals race with a 6-11 record and the second worst percentage in the competition, the Demons are vastly more competitive than they have been in recent years and that even their ladder position suggests.

That means that East Fremantle will need to rediscover some form to beat Perth on Saturday or risk a loss that could spell the end of their finals hopes.

If East Perth beats Subiaco and East Fremantle loses, the Sharks could very well fall two games and percentage out of the top five with only two rounds remaining that sees them play Claremont and East Perth.

However, a win for East Fremantle and loss for East Perth, and the Sharks could be back in fifth spot setting up a fascinating final two rounds.

Perth and East Fremantle first met this season in Round 9 at ATOM Stadium with the Sharks winning on their home deck by 39 points before the Demons won impressively over them by 11 points in Round 14 at Lathlain Park.

Perth's slim finals hopes might have ended last week in Carnarvon with the 37-point loss to South Fremantle, but the Demons will take heart out of the fact that they were good enough to hold a 31-point advantage just before half-time.

The Demons have plenty of changes from that line-up that played in Carnarvon to the one that will take on East Fremantle this Saturday as well.

On top of exciting teenager Zac Fisher being ruled out for the rest of the season with a wrist injury, Aidan Tropiano and Brent Latch are two players also out for Perth on Saturday.

Tropiano has had another strong season backing up his Sandover Medal win last year while Latch has cemented himself as one of the best defenders in the competition in 2016 so both players will be sorely missed on Saturday against the Sharks.

Mitch Browne, Lachlan Dennis and Kristian Cary are three more players to lose their place in the Demons' line-up following last Saturday's trip north to Carnarvon.

Rowan Brookes, Jacob Payne, Stephen Mills, Marshall Jones, Brad Keast, Christian Eyres and Kodie Fleay are all in contention to play for Perth against East Fremantle.

Brookes was in good form as a hard-leading half-forward prior to missing last week's clash with South Fremantle so will be an automatic inclusion if fit while Mills can provide some height in defence in the absence of Latch with Jones a chance to add some more bit up forward too.

Meanwhile, ruckman Eyres is a chance of playing his first league game since Round 2 to provide Angus Graham with some support and another big body potentially in attack.

Payne initially wasn’t going to play with Perth again in 2016 but he has returned for the second half of the season and strung together some consistent form to now be a chance of adding to his 36-game league career this Saturday.

Keast has also strung together some strong reserves form with 23 possessions and two goals last week against South Fremantle to see the 25-year-old from Kalgoorlie a chance to make his debut this week.

Fleay is another who has put together some good form all year to be a chance of playing his first league appearance of 2016 to build on his three games of 2015.

East Fremantle will be hoping last week's bye helped some form and confidence return to the group but that won't be helped with the loss of reigning fairest and best winner Brock O'Brien who went down injured early in the last up loss to South Fremantle.

Jack Perham managed just two possessions the entire day against the Bulldogs so hasn’t been able to keep his spot in the Sharks' line-up to take on the Demons while Fraser Perry is another to lose his place in the East Fremantle team.

Tim Bristow, Jeff Carter, Carl Green, Lewis Krakouer, Andrew Stokes and Dylan Winton are all players from East Fremantle's reserves in contention to take on Perth this Saturday at Lathlain Park.

Two weeks ago in the reserves against South Fremantle, Bristow had 23 possessions for the Sharks, Carter kicked two goals, Green 19 disposals and two goals, Krakouer booted another two majors, Stokes 12 hit outs and a goal, and Winton 19 possessions and five marks in defence