Round 11 Optus WAFLW PreviewSunday, May 9, 2021 - 9:33 AM - by Chris Pike

ALL three matches in the Optus WAFLW Premiership Season take place on Sunday afternoon and all three games look evenly matched setting the stage for what should be three terrific contests.

Given the three matches see first take on second, third battle fourth and then the fifth and sixth ranked teams lock horns, the teams couldn’t all be more evenly matches as they fight for different spots in the WAFLW competition ahead of the final month of the 2021 season.

All three matches are to be played this Sunday from 2pm as well in what is shaping up as being quite the fascinated afternoon of female football.

The top-of-the-table clash will take place at Bassendean's Steel Blue Oval with Swan Districts hosting Peel Thunder.

The battle for third position then takes place at Claremont's Revo Fitness Stadium between Claremont and Subiaco while it's a derby at Fremantle Community Bank Oval between South Fremantle and East Fremantle.

Swan Districts returns to Steel Blue Oval but the challenges do keep coming and this one is in the form of a Peel Thunder team who now sits in second spot on the table while coming off winning the WAFLW premiership in 2020.

Swans have emerged as the team to beat in the 2021 Optus WAFLW Premiership Season and puts their undefeated record on the line on Sunday at home to Peel Thunder.

Swans started the new season back in February with a narrow Round 1 win at home over Claremont before a thumping win away from home against South Fremantle.

Swan Districts followed that up with a 28-point win in Mandurah against Peel before also beating East Fremantle away from home by the same margin in Round 4.

The black-and-whites kept the winning form going beating Subiaco at home in Round 5 before a 33-point victory also at Bassendean over Claremont.

That led into a 37-point victory away to East Fremantle following by a tight win against Subiaco and then last Sunday 19-point triumph over Claremont at Revo Fitness Stadium.

While Swans have been so impressive in compiling that perfect 9-0 record to sit two games and a significant percentage on top of the WAFLW ladder, Sunday's game against the Thunder does loom as a significant test.

Peel won last year's WAFLW premiership coming from finishing last in the inaugural 2019 season, and now the Thunder look to be another strong outfit in 2021.

They beat East Fremantle last week to improve to a 7-2 record on the season and to move a game and percentage clear in second position. So a win for Peel on Saturday and they will go a long way to securing a top two finish in 2021 while also moving to within just one game of Swans in top spot.

However, a victory for Swan Districts at home on Sunday and they will be three games clear of Peel on top of the ladder. 

Add in the percentage edge that Swans hold over the rest of the competition and a win against the Thunder would go a long way to locking in the minor premiership with just four games to go after Sunday.

From the Swan Districts team that beat Claremont last Sunday, Stephanie Cain, Sarah Lakay and Aimee Ralph come into the line-up.

Naomi Baker, Abbygail Bushby and Stephanie Graskoski are the three players to go out for Swans.

And for Peel coming off their win against East Fremantle, Bella Mann, Greta McKinley and Makinley Minchin have all been added to the squad.

It should always be a tantalising match up between Claremont and Subiaco at Revo Fitness Stadium.

The Tigers have been in the race for a top two spot most of the season up until dropping to third position with last week's loss against Swan Districts.

They will be looking to bounce back on Sunday and could potentially return to second spot with a win against the Lions if the Thunder also loses to Swans.

But Subiaco is now building some form and momentum for the first time this season. After a slow start, last year's Grand Finalists are now playing some better football and that saw them beat South Fremantle last week to move inside the top four.

The Lions can now maintain that fourth position and move a step closer to a third straight finals appearance with a win on Sunday against the Tigers.

Then it's the derby at Fremantle Community Bank Oval with South Fremantle hosting East Fremantle, and the Bulldogs hunting that first ever WAFLW victory.

East Fremantle might have won the first ever WAFLW premiership back in 2019 and again reached the preliminary final in 2020, but the Sharks haven’t quite gone as well so far in 2021.

East Fremantle comes into Sunday's contest against South Fremantle at Fremantle Community Bank Oval in fifth position on the ladder with just a 2-7 record to be a game and significant percentage now out of a top four spot.

So East Fremantle comes into the derby on Sunday at the port needing to win to stay in the finals race as the season end draws nearer in the WAFLW competition.

But at the same time it does appear a real chance for South Fremantle to throw everything at the game in an effort to taste victory for the first ever time in their second season in the WAFLW competition.

South Fremantle went down to Subiaco last week in the WAFLW competition, and from that team L Gilchrist, Chae Salbie and Sarah Wright go out while Gabrielle Canicosa, Sheridan Kowald, Nakita Little, Shakira Pickett and Aaliyah Ugle are the inclusions.

East Fremantle went down to Peel Thunder last Saturday and from that side, Cadian Lodge, Paisley Prentice, Skye Prentice, Elle Sanders, Stephanie Sparke and Dynella Tripi have all been included.

Meanwhile, Doma Fedele, Mylee Leitch, Sara Lewis, Laura McClelland, Anjelique Raison and Claudia Rowell are out of the Sharks team.

So far in the season and-a-half that South Fremantle has been involved in the WAFLW competition they have played East Fremantle just the two times for losses by 88 points and 46 points.

OPTUS WAFLW PREMIERSHIP SEASON – ROUND 11

CLAREMONT (6-3, 3rd) v SUBIACO (3-6, 4th) – REVO FITNESS STADIUM, SUNDAY 2.00PM

SOUTH FREMANTLE (0-9, 6th) v EAST FREMANTLE (2-7, 5th) – FREMANTLE COMMUNITY BANK OVAL, SUNDAY 2.00PM

SWAN DISTRICTS (9-0, 1st) v PEEL THUNDER (7-2, 2nd) – STEEL BLUE OVAL, SUNDAY 2.00PM