Round 10 Preview – Subiaco v East FremantleFriday, June 8, 2018 - 2:08 PM - by Chris Pike

SUBIACO has dominated the WAFL so far in 2018 and is now fresh following the bye heading into Saturday's clash with the wounded bottom placed East Fremantle at Leederville Oval.

Subiaco comes into the Round 10 contest having won all seven of its matches in 2018 and having won the last three against East Fremantle along with 22 of its last 23 at Leederville Oval meaning the job is well and truly ahead of a Sharks outfit coming off a short break and 12-goal derby loss. 

Take out East Fremantle winning three straight matches against Subiaco in 2013, the Lions have been remarkably dominant against the Sharks since 2000.

After the Sharks beat the Lions in the 2000 preliminary final, Subiaco went on to win the next two games before an East Fremantle win in Round 12, 2002. Then remarkably the Lions went on a 20-match winning streak which East Fremantle finally snapped in Round 21, 2010 at Leederville Oval.

But Subiaco responded by winning the next five before East Fremantle then won all three meetings between the two teams in 2013. However, since then the Lions have again dominated the Sharks winning nine of the previous 11 matches including the last three by an average of 56.7 points.

Now this will be their first meeting of 2018 and first since Subiaco won by 61 points in Round 19 last year at East Fremantle Oval.

Subiaco comes into the game in remarkably dominant form with seven straight wins by an average of 73.1 points.

East Fremantle has won just two games in nine attempts this season. One of those wins was two weeks ago over Peel Thunder but the Sharks were again disappointing on Monday losing the WA Day Foundation Derby to South Fremantle by 73 points.

To make matters worse for the Sharks, they have just a five-day break now coming into Saturday's clash with Subiaco at Leederville Oval with the Lions fresh and raring to go coming off the bye.

Subiaco also thrives at Leederville Oval having won 22 of its last 23 games at the venue. The loss in that time was in last year's second semi-final against preliminary final. Their last home and away season loss came against West Perth in Round 10, 2016. 

That was just two weeks after East Fremantle thumped Subiaco by 80 points as well even though the Lions went on to claim the minor premiership and reach the Grand Final while the Sharks missed finals.

Subiaco's team is strengthened too from the one that overrun Perth two weeks ago to win by 40 points having kicked seven of the last eight goals of the game.

Star former AFL-listed pair Josh Deluca and Ben Newton return for the Lions. Deluca has missed the past three games through suspension but prior to that the triple premiership winner was averaging 24.5 disposals a game on return to Subiaco in 2018.

Newton was also in fine form before missing that Round 8 clash with Perth coming off a game against Peel with five goals and 26 possessions.

Daniel Perkins, Daniel Leach and Ben Reid also have been added to the squad for the Lions to face the Sharks.

Greg Clark and Michael Braut are the two players out so far from the side that defeated the Demons prior to the bye.

Once again there are wholesale changes at East Fremantle coming off the 73-point derby loss on Monday.

Dion Anthony, Ben Harding, Sean Henson, Zac Jackson, Zac McCarrey, Chris Scott, Jordan Snadden and Russell Wynne have all been added to the squad for the Sharks.

Ambrose Ryan and Ryan Lester-Smith go out injured while James Bristow, Matthew Burton and Leon Pearton have been dropped.

SUBIACO (7-0, 1st) v EAST FREMANTLE (2-7, 9th) – LEEDERVILLE OVAL, SATURDAY 2.15PM
Selected teams, live stats 
Broadcast – 91.3 SportFM, Footy Radio