McDonald's WAFL Round 22 PreviewFriday, August 19, 2016 - 1:13 PM - by Chris Pike

THE second last round of the 2016 McDonald's WAFL Premiership Season sees Peel Thunder, East Fremantle and East Perth all try to win against challenging opponents as the three teams continue to fight over the two available finals positions.

While Subiaco, South Fremantle and West Perth look safe in the first three positions and Claremont, Perth and Swan Districts are out of finals contention, any combination of the Thunder, Sharks and Royals can still fill fourth and fifth spots by the end of next weekend.

All four Round 22 matches take place on Saturday afternoon with Peel Thunder playing Subiaco at Bendigo Bank Stadium, East Perth facing South Fremantle at Medibank Stadium, East Fremantle taking on Claremont at ATOM Stadium and Swan Districts hosting Perth at Steel Blue Oval.

The third placed West Perth have the bye and will remain at least a game clear in third position no matter the results on Saturday.

PEEL THUNDER (10-8, 4th) v SUBIACO (15-4, 1st) – BENDIGO BANK STADIUM, SATURDAY 2.15PM
Selected teams 
Broadcast – 107.3 HFM

Last time Peel Thunder and Subiaco met it turned out to be a dramatic and controversial weekend with the Thunder taking the points, but the Lions have only lost once since and won't want to head into a break ahead of the finals on a losing note.

Subiaco has guaranteed a second straight minor premiership winning seven of its last eight matches since that loss to Peel, but the Lions now have an interesting couple of weeks ahead with the Round 23 bye and with top position meaning a week off in the opening round of the finals.

That means that the Lions' game against the Thunder at Bendigo Bank Stadium on Saturday will be their last hit out before hosting a second semi-final at Medibank Stadium in the second week of the finals.

While the Lions will want to go into the break in form, it's a crucial game on Saturday for the Thunder as they try to secure a second straight finals appearance.

Peel is coming off a bye last week following a win over East Perth that saw the Thunder improve to fourth positon and they now remain there with a 10-8 record on the season.

A win in either of their last two games against Subiaco and Claremont will guarantee that Peel plays finals in 2016 after the first appearance in club history last year as well. But two losses and the Thunder can still miss altogether at the expense of East Fremantle and East Perth.

The Thunder won't want to be leaving it to chance next week against Claremont, though, and will take confidence out of beating Subiaco in the last meeting between the two teams.

Subiaco and Peel was set to do battle at Medibank Stadium on a Saturday afternoon back in Round 12, but it was ruled the ground wasn’t fit to be played on and moved to Domain Stadium on the Sunday which saw the Thunder come from behind to score a thrilling four-point victory.

The two teams also faced off in Round 1 of the season at Bendigo Bank Stadium and it was another tight clash. On that occasion it was Subiaco beating Peel by eight points.

With Peel having won three of its last four games, and Subiaco seven of its last eight, both teams are in good form and will want to ensure it remains that way as the finals approach.

Peel scored an important win two weeks ago over East Perth to move into fourth position and that’s where the Thunder remain despite the bye last week.

Now the Thunder have some mixed news on the selection front for this week to take on Subiaco in Mandurah.

Matt Taberner, Jonathon Griffin and Connor Blakely were all key contributors in that win over the Royals but all will be playing for Fremantle this Saturday night against the GWS Giants and will be missed by Peel.

There is some good news for the Thunder to offset that, though, with versatile big man Tanner Smith to return from a hamstring injury and he will be capable of providing a marking target in the forward-line or giving some size and strength down back if required.

Fremantle defender Ethan Hughes will also be back for the Thunder while some solid reserves form has put Noah Hura, Brad McGowan, Brad Walsh and Corey Morris in contention to be picked for Saturday's game.

Walsh returned from injury two weeks ago and had 14 possessions to get ready for a league return while in that same reserves game against East Perth, Hura finished with 20 disposals and six marks, McGowan 11 touches and a goal, Morris 25 possessions and a goal.

Meanwhile, Brett Milward could come straight back into the league side following injury after impressing with four goals in the first three league matches of his career.

Anthony Morabito, Clancee Pearce, Jack Hannath, Josh Deluca, Matt de Boer, Ryan Nyhuis and Tendai Mzungu are the other Fremantle players given the all clear to play with Peel while Harley Balic will play in the reserves.

Subiaco will be playing its last game before the bye next week and the bye in the opening round of the finals so it's the last hit out for the Lions for three weeks and several players have run out of time to make it back into the side ahead of the finals.

That includes Lachlan Delahunty, Hayden Kennedy, Kyle Halligan and David Madut who now must be considered unlikely to take any further part in Subiaco's 2016 season.

That doesn't mean there still isn’t plenty of pressure on for spots with a host of players having their last opportunity to impress and lock away a position with Subiaco for the finals.

Greg Clark, Braden Fimmano, Shaquille McKenzie and Rhys Waters are all in contention to come back into the Subiaco team this Saturday to take on Peel.

Last week in the reserves against East Perth, Clark finished with 15 possessions and five tackles, Fimmano 21 disposals and McKenzie 15 touches.

Rhys Waters has a chance to get one more opportunity as well but his body hasn’t allowed him consecutive league games since halfway through last year.

EAST PERTH (9-9, 6th) v SOUTH FREMANTLE (13-5, 2nd) – MEDIBANK STADIUM, SATURDAY 2.15PM
Selected teams 
Broadcast – 91.3 SportFM

Finals for a fifth straight year could very well go on the line on Saturday for East Perth at Medibank Stadium with the Royals facing a tough ask against a South Fremantle team now locked away of finishing in second position.

East Perth looked set to take part in the finals again for a fifth straight year after winning five straight matches following a Round 18 victory over Claremont.

But the Royals have now lost the last two weeks against Peel Thunder and Subiaco to slip out of the top five.

That now means that if East Perth loses to South Fremantle on Saturday and East Fremantle beats Claremont at the same time that anything but a near 100-point thrashing for the Royals over the Sharks in next week's final round would mean they miss finals.

But a win for East Perth over South Fremantle and loss for East Fremantle would put the Royals in the box seat to qualify for the finals. A win for both the Royals and Sharks sets up a cut-throat Round 23 clash.

Either way it's a hugely important game for East Perth but South Fremantle is going to be no pushover and the Bulldogs have now won their last three matches to guarantee finishing the season in second position no matter what happens over the final two rounds.

South Fremantle has not made WAFL finals since 2011 but the Bulldogs now hold a 13-5 record and while Subiaco is out of reach in top spot, they also can't fall below second holding a one-game and huge percentage gap over West Perth.

The Falcons have the bye this week and won't be able to make up the percentage differential in their final round clash with Swan Districts.

South Fremantle might not need to win in terms of its finishing position but the Bulldogs will want to ensure they remain in winning form ahead of the finals and with positions within the team right up for grabs and with plenty of pressure on them.

South Fremantle and East Perth have already met twice this season and both took place at Fremantle Community Bank Oval with the Bulldogs winning under lights in Round 3 by 40 points before the Royals prevailed more recently by 16 points in Round 15.

A loss for the Royals on Saturday could all but end their finals hopes and there is mixed news for East Perth on the selection front coming into the must-win contest against the second placed Bulldogs.

Lewis Jetta has shown some improved form the past couple of weeks for East Perth and as a result he has earned a call up to the West Coast team to take on Hawthorn at Domain Stadium on Friday night. He replaces the suspended Simon Tunbridge.

Given the Eagles play at home on Friday night, their three emergencies Jack Redden, Eric Mackenzie and Tom Cole should all play for East Perth on Saturday against South Fremantle unless there is a late change against the Hawks.

There is some further good news for East Perth with Eagles midfielder Liam Duggan set to play on Saturday as well while reliable defender Nathan Blee will be a more than handy addition back into the side as well.

Jamie Bennell, Jordan Snadden, Tom Hodgson, Marcus Allen, Tom Omodei and Shayne Hille were all in good form in the reserves last Saturday for East Perth against Subiaco to put themselves in the mix to come into the league side this week.

Bennell found some much-needed form for the Royals booting five goals from 21 possessions and nine marks in his best performance at any level for 2016.

Meanwhile, Snadden racked up 31 possessions and 10 marks while Hodgson finished with 21 disposals and seven marks, Allen three goals from 22 touches and 10 marks, Omodei 33 possessions and Hille 21 disposals, seven marks and a goal.

South Fremantle locked away second position on the WAFL ladder with a solid win last week over Swan Districts but pressure continues to be on for spots in the Bulldogs team ahead of the finals.

With Tim Kelly and Adam Guglielmana both still out of South Fremantle's side this week against East Perth and likely to return ahead of the finals, a host of Bulldogs players will be desperate to perform strongly to confirm they take part in the club's first finals appearance since 2011.

There is just the one out at this stage from the South Fremantle side that beat Swan Districts at home last Saturday with lively small forward Steven Edwards losing his place in the line-up.

Matthew Gundry, Tim Stewart, Tom Vandeleur and Jesse Mirco are all in contention to play after some strong and consistent reserves form for the Bulldogs.

Gundry returned in the reserves last Saturday against Swans with 17 possessions and seven marks while Stewart gathered 18 disposals and Vandeleur 18 touches and nine marks.

Mirco is a chance to make his debut and provide the Bulldogs with another goal scoring option in attack after another three goals from 14 possessions and seven marks last week.

EAST FREMANTLE (9-9, 5th) v CLAREMONT (6-12, 7th) – ATOM STADIUM, SATURDAY 2.15PM
Selected teams 
Broadcast – KIX Digital 

Claremont might not be able to make finals in 2016 but the Tigers will surely be sick of competitive and nail-biting losses against quality opponents with Saturday providing an opportunity to upset East Fremantle's hopes of locking away a finals spot this season.

East Fremantle can all but secure a finals berth in 2016 with a win over Claremont on Saturday at ATOM Stadium but the Tigers have proven all season long they are tough to beat despite having just six wins to show for it.

The Sharks had lost five of their previous seven matches leading into last Saturday's clash with Perth but they rediscovered some impressive form to win by 49 points and that was enough to see them return to fifth position on the ladder.

East Fremantle currently sits fifth with a 9-9 record and with a better percentage than both the fourth placed Peel Thunder and sixth placed East Perth, the Sharks are well placed to play finals if they are able to beat Claremont on Saturday.

The Sharks will be hoping to not have to fall back on needing to beat East Perth next Saturday also on home turf to guarantee their return to finals in 2016.

Claremont's season was summed up last week against West Perth at HBF Arena. The Tigers refused to lie down and were impressive in a lot of areas over the field, but in the end they just fell short of a remarkable comeback to lose to the Falcons by a solitary point.

Claremont has now lost eight games this season by under 10 points and another three by 26 or under. In the majority of those the Tigers have been in winning positions at some point during the final quarter.

While their record shows an unimpressive 6-12 with two games of the season remaining with the Tigers out of finals contention, there's no question they are a much better side than that suggests and a winning performance against the Sharks on Saturday could again show their potential.

Claremont did beat East Fremantle by 39 points back in Round 5 at ATOM Stadium as well while the Sharks bounced back prevailing in a thriller in the wet at the Claremont Showground by five points in Round 10.

East Fremantle found some form and confidence last week with a much-needed win over Perth but George Hampson has been a barometer for the Sharks all season long.

When he is up and firing, the Sharks become a side that looks as good as any in the competition. When he's either well held or out injured, it greatly impacts East Fremantle's ability and unfortunately for the Sharks he will be missing on Saturday against Claremont due to a hamstring injury.

East Fremantle's reserves scored a thumping win over Perth as well last Saturday with Dion Anthony, Carl Green, Conor Regan and Dylan Winton all putting themselves in contention to receive a call up to the league line-up.

It was Anthony who delivered the performance impossible to ignore finishing with 40 possessions, eight marks and five goals. He will be the ideal replacement for the injured Hampson.

Meanwhile, Green is coming off 21 possessions and seven tackles in the reserves last week, Regan 33 disposals, 11 marks and a goal, and Winton 17 touches down back.

Hampson is the only out of the East Fremantle side at this stage.

Claremont suffered yet another nail-biting loss last Saturday and the Tigers lose a couple of key players for Saturday's clash with East Fremantle.

Veteran forward Beau Maister has been in terrific form of late, but he landed heavily in the dying stages last week against West Perth and was carried from the field after being unconscious. As a result, he is out of the Tigers side for Saturday leaving a big hole in attack.

Emerging midfielder Tom Shanahan also was out of the game early last week against the Falcons after suffering a concussion. He likely would have been given the job of trying to shut down East Fremantle's Liam Anthony on Saturday but instead he will be watching from the sidelines.

Bailey Banfield, Jack Bradshaw, Jack Richardson, Francis Watson and Gerrick Weedon are among the players who starred in Claremont's thumping reserves win last Saturday over West Perth who will come into contention to play against the Sharks.

Bradshaw was the star with eight goals from 24 possessions and 11 marks. While he's not exactly a like for like replacement for Maister, at least he will provide the Tigers with another goal kicking option.

On the back of Jake Waterman and Matt Guelfi making impressive debuts in recent weeks, Bailey Banfield could play his first league game as well following 29 disposals in the reserves last week.

Richardson kicked two goals from 15 possessions and five marks last week for Claremont as well while Watson gathered 17 touches and took eight marks, and Weedon booted three goals from 20 disposals and eight marks.

SWAN DISTRICTS (2-16, 9th) v PERTH (6-12, 8th) – LATHLAIN PARK, SATURDAY 2.15PM
Selected teams 

Perth's signs of improvement in 2016 might be difficult to notice if the Demons aren’t able to beat Swan Districts at Steel Blue Oval on Saturday but the black-and-whites will want to give their home fans something to cheer for to take into the pre-season.

Both the Demons and Swans occupy the bottom two positions on the WAFL ladder and appear likely to finish there but there is still time for both to end the season with some positivity and momentum to take into the pre-season with them.

Perth did win three games in succession between Rounds 14 and 16 to not only be showing encouraging signs of improvement but also being an outside chance of playing finals.

But the Demons have lost their last four matches since to Peel Thunder, West Perth, South Fremantle and East Fremantle, and now a six-game losing streak to finish the season would be the worst possible end to 2016.

That puts some pressure on Perth to perform on Saturday and beat Swan Districts but based on some of the form they have shown in 2016, and with a dominant midfield led by ruckman Angus Graham along with Clint Jones, Aidan Tropiano, Liam McKenna and Julian Jacobs they should prove too strong.

But Swans will be playing at Steel Blue Oval for the last time this season and will want to find a way for their third win of 2016 and to snap a six-game losing streak.

Perth has already defeated Swan Districts twice this season to the tune of 41 points at Lathlain Park in Round 8 and then by 54 points at Bassendean on WA Day.

There are plenty of changes for Swan Districts in their final home match of 2016 and coach Greg Harding will welcome back some important experienced players, and look to give some opportunities to some more youngsters.

Captain Tallan Ames will return after what has been a season where he's struggled to string consecutive games together, particularly in the second half of the year.

Kirk Ugle is another quality and experienced player that hasn’t been able to stay on the field enough or produce his best football in 2016, but he gets another opportunity to show what he's still capable of on Saturday against Perth.

Chad Daniels, Taryce Stewart, Ben Whitsed, Josh Cipro and Aidan Clarke are all in contention to come in for Swan Districts as well.

Daniels, Stewart and Cipro will all be making their league debuts if selected to play on Saturday after getting a taste of reserves football in recent weeks. Last Saturday against South Fremantle, Daniels had 19 possessions and two goals, Stewart 19 disposals and two goals, and Cipro 24 touches.

Whitsed racked up 38 possessions in the reserves last week against the Bulldogs to be a chance for another crack at league level while Clarke could also make his return to the senior side following 17 disposals and a goal last week.

It's not all good news on the selection front for the black-and-whites with key forward Ricky Cary, experienced wingman Freddie Clutterbuck, young key position player Dylan Smith and likely draftee Griffin Logue all going out of the Swans line-up to take on the Demons.

Most of Perth's forward-line last Saturday against East Fremantle featured Sam Garstone, Brennan Stack, Brad Keast and Cody Ninyette. Now all of them go out of the side this Saturday against Swans with Corey Byrne the other player to go out of the Demons team.

There are plenty of inclusions to come at Perth, though, most notably Sandover Medallist Aidan Tropiano who missed last week's clash with his former team.

Ruckman Christian Eyres could play his first league game since Round 2 to provide some support in the ruck for Angus Graham and to potentially provide Perth with another tall target in the forward-line.

Lachlan Dennis has been a permanent part of Perth's forward set up and should come straight back in on Saturday following injury with Laine Wilkins, Taran Etto, Callum Walley, Jacob Payne and Kodie Fleay having been working hard in the reserves to earn their opportunity.

Last week in the reserves against East Fremantle, Wilkins had 17 possessions and nine marks, Etto 25 disposals and five tackles, Walley four goals from 19 touches, Payne 24 possessions and nine marks, and Fleay 23 disposals and six marks.