Round 3 WAFL PreviewFriday, April 29, 2022 - 9:42 AM - by Chris Pike

ALL five matches in Round 3 of the 2022 WAFL season will take place on Saturday with East Fremantle taking on Claremont in Northampton while South Fremantle also take on Claremont down at the port and there's a Lathlain double-header.

After the opening two rounds of the 2022 season were spread across the Easter and ANZAC Day long weekends respectively, it's a full round of five matches on Saturday this weekend and every one of them has plenty of intrigue surrounding them.

East Fremantle and East Perth will be making the trek to Northampton to do battle from 1.30pm on Saturday afternoon. Both the Sharks and Royals are coming off strong wins in Round 2 as well against Swan Districts and Perth respectively.

Then at 2.10pm on Saturday afternoon, it's a rematch of last year's preliminary final and the 2020 Grand Final with South Fremantle hosting Claremont at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

Given the remarkable history at the venue in recent years between the two teams, the Bulldogs will be looking to continue the misery for the Tigers who at the same time will want to stop the pain.

The games are always tight and tense, and this should be no different as both the Bulldogs and Tigers have started the 2022 season with two wins.

Subiaco and West Perth will also be doing battle at Leederville Oval with the Lions still hunting their first win of 2022 as reigning premiers with the Falcons out to build some momentum on the back of beating the Thunder in Mandurah on Sunday.

The last game in the 2.10pm time slot is at Lathlain's Mineral Resources Park with the West Coast Eagles hosting Peel Thunder. The Eagles are still trying to find their first win this season while the Thunder are attempting to bounce back from a home loss to the Falcons.

The round will then conclude on Saturday evening also at Mineral Resources Park in the second half of the double-header with Perth hosting Swan Districts. The Demons are hunting a second win for 2022 and Swans a first.

WAFL TEAM OF THE WEEK – ROUND 2

ROUND 2 WAFL WRAP

EAST FREMANTLE v EAST PERTH

WAFL football comes to Northampton on Saturday and it's shaping as a fascinating contest between East Fremantle and East Perth.

Both the Sharks and Royals are looking to put themselves in the finals hunt for the 2022 WAFL season after some encouraging signs at times in 2021, and a win on Saturday would be a significant boost for whoever got it.

East Fremantle had a tough first up loss this season to Peel Thunder but that was a game they were on top of for the majority of the afternoon. The Sharks then got their first win of the season last Saturday storming home to beat Swan Districts.

East Perth has made a tremendous start to the 2022 season as well with first up wins against Swan Districts and East Fremantle, and a win in Northampton on Saturday to give them a 3-0 start would be a massive boost to their prospects of returning to finals action this year.

Recent games between the two teams have been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. East Fremantle won by meetings in 2021 by 25 points in Round 3 and two points in Round 20 but it was the Royals who beat the Sharks by 43 points back in 2020.

From the East Fremantle team that beat Swan Districts with a flying finish last week, Lachlan Bailey, Jackson McDonald, Cody Smith and Matt Williamson all come into the line-up for Saturday's clash with the Royals in Northampton.

Jamie Meade, Tom Monaghan, Michael Tassone and Chris Walker are the players to go out for East Fremantle.

East Perth is coming off a couple of wins to start the season and the Royals have made three changes coming into Saturday's clash with East Fremantle with Adam Boules, Brad Fullgrabe and Damon Greaves coming into the team.

Reuben Ginbey, Sebit Kuek and Harley Sparks are the players going out for the Royals from the side that beat Perth last Sunday night.
 

SUBIACO v WEST PERTH

Subiaco has been the dominant force in the WAFL for a long time now but they could find themselves in an unfamiliar position if they can't beat West Perth on Saturday at Leederville Oval.

Subiaco won another premiership in 2021 but it's been a rough start on a number of fronts in 2021 and the Lions have lost their opening two matches to South Fremantle and Claremont.

Now, they are two tough opponents as the preliminary finalists from last year but it won't get any easier for Subiaco on Saturday against West Perth as they attempt to avoid an 0-3 start that would be a significant hole to try and climb up out of.

The Falcons lost a Round 1 thriller but then got their first win of the season last Sunday against Peel Thunder and would love nothing more than to inflict some more early season pain on the Lions on Saturday at Leederville Oval.

Subiaco will be looking to continue its recent dominant over West Perth, though, as they chase that first win of 2022.

The Lions won both meetings in 2021 by three points in Round 3 and 20 points in Round 17. The only recent win for West Perth was in the COVID impacted season of 2020.

Prior to that, Subiaco had won 10 in-a-row over West Perth including the Grand Finals of 2018, and then before a West Perth win in Round 10, 2016, the Lions also won three straight over the Falcons including the 2015 Grand Final.

Subiaco comes into Saturday's game having won 15 of the last 17 against West Perth despite having lost their first two matches of 2022.

There are plenty of changes again at Subiaco as the reigning premiers chase their first win of the season. 

Jaimon Alone, Isaac Clinch, Angus Dewar, Chad Harris, Lewis Putt, Drew Rohde and Lachlan Vanirsen are the players to come in for the Lions to come in for Saturday's clash at home with the Falcons.

West Perth is attempting to string wins together and they have significant inclusions including co-captain Aaron Black, spearhead Tyler Keitel, gun on-baller Luke Meadows and the emerging Alec Johnson.

Nathan Alexandre goes out for West Perth through suspension from the team that beat Peel Thunder last Sunday with Mitch Antonio, Aidan Lynch and Koopah Todd also out of the line-up for the Falcons.
 

SOUTH FREMANTLE v CLAREMONT

They have developed perhaps the best recent rivalry across the competition in recent years and now with both having yet to taste defeat, South Fremantle and Claremont lock horns in another game with plenty to look forward to on Saturday.

The Bulldogs and Tigers do battle at Fremantle Community Bank Oval once again and with both putting their undefeated records on the line, it's going to be another fascinating chapter in what is quite the rivalry over the past several seasons.

The last clash between the two teams was last year's preliminary final where South Fremantle was able to hold Claremont goalless for three quarters before holding on for the 11-point to book a spot in a third consecutive Grand Final.

Prior to that, the Bulldogs also beat the Tigers at Fremantle Community Bank Oval by a point in the qualifying final when Claremont's Jared Hardisty missed the potential game winner after the siren.

Going back further, South Fremantle beat also won at home by a point over Claremont in Round 14 last year and before that, the Tigers won at Revo Fitness Stadium by 16 points in Round 2.

That was all on the back of their incredible run of game also in 2020 that including an eight-point win for South Fremantle during the season before Claremont won the second semi-final by 47 points, and then the Bulldogs won the Grand Final down at Fremantle Community Bank Oval by three points.

The stage is set for another tremendous battle now on Saturday afternoon as they both put their undefeated 2022 records on the line with South Fremantle fresh off beating West Coast last Saturday, and Claremont knocking off Subiaco.

South Fremantle is looking for a third straight win to start the new season and there are five changes coming into Saturday's clash with Claremont.

Brendon Ah Chee comes into the team to play his first game of the season on his return to South Fremantle this season following his time in the AFL system.

Darryl Anderson will also come into the team to make his WAFL debut for the Bulldogs as a small forward with Jordan Boullineau returning to the side and Glenn Byron and Steve Verrier also coming into the line-up to take on the Tigers.

Going out of the team at South Fremantle to take on Claremont on Saturday are Caleb Datson, Brandon Donaldson, Steely Green, Toby McQuilkin and Trent Newton.

Claremont was hit hard by COVID last week but still produced a stirring win against Subiaco to make it two from two to start the new season.

Now to take on South Fremantle on Saturday, Jye Bolton, Jack Buller, Callan England, Declan Hardisty, Jack Lewsey, Lachlan Martinis, Declan Mountford, Ronin O'Connor, Louis Passera and Bailey Rogers all come back in for the Tigers.

Ben Clarke, Talon Delacey, Ben Harding, Patrick Kitchener, Zac Mainwaring, Charlie Malone, Steven Miller, Max Minear, Alex Pearce and Tyron Smallwood all are the players to make way in the Claremont team for the clash with South Fremantle.
 

WEST COAST EAGLES v PEEL THUNDER

The double-header at Lathlain's Mineral Resources Park begins on Saturday afternoon with the West Coast Eagles hosting Peel Thunder.

The Eagles are still chasing their first win of 2022 after first up losses this year to Perth and South Fremantle while the Thunder are looking for a bounce back victory after losing to West Perth last Sunday on the back of a Round 1 win against East Fremantle.

The two teams have met four times previously in the WAFL with Peel winning both meetings in 2021 by 79 points in Round 5 and then by just two points in Round 20.

Their other two matches took place back in Round 19 with the Eagles winning by 27 points in Round 2 and 48 points in Round 13.

West Coast is still chasing a first win of the new season and they've made plenty of changes again for Saturday's clash with Peel Thunder at Lathlain.

Harry Creasey, Andries Mercer, Chris Paunich, Callan Penny, Zane Trew, Nick Watson and Isiah Winder are the players coming into the West Coast team.

Greg Clark goes out for West Coast to make his AFL debut following a strong performance last Saturday against South Fremantle.

Luke Edwards, Mitch Henderson, Brady Hough, Jed Kemp, Sam Petrevski-Seton and Josh Rotham are the other players out of the line-up for the Eagles.

Peel Thunder will be looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season last Sunday with Blair Bell, Connor Blakely, Roy George, Liam Henry, Bodie Kitchingman and Brodie Lake coming into the line-up to take on the Eagles.

Bailey Banfield, Lachlan Cullen, Neil Erasmus, Zak Pretty, Josh Treacy and Karl Worner are the players to go out of the Peel team that lost to West Perth on Sunday.
 

PERTH v SWAN DISTRICTS

Perth and Swan Districts close the round on Saturday evening at Mineral Resources Park with both teams desperate for a win.

The two teams clash under lights at the Lathlain venue with the Demons looking for a second win of 2022, and the Swans a first.

Perth opened the season beating West Coast in a thriller by two points but the Demons were disappointing last Sunday night losing to East Perth by 81 points.

Swan Districts returned to the finals last year but it's been a rough start to 2022 with losses to East Perth and Eat Fremantle so they will be determined to avoid an 0-3 opening.

Swan Districts has now won its last three games against Perth and prior to that the Demons had won three in-a-row against the black-and-whites.

Perth is hunting a bounce back performance from a heavy loss to East Perth last Sunday night and Jacob Coniglio, Clayton Giblett, Denzel More and Sam Stubbs are the players coming into the team.

It's a big moment especially for More to make his debut with the Demons having crossed from Swan Districts in the off-season.

From that loss to the Royals last Sunday evening, Ajang Ajang, Zac Hill, Chapman Jones and Kasey Nicholas are out of the Perth line-up.

Swan Districts is also chasing its first win of the season when they take on Perth on Saturday night with Brandon Erceg, Ben Hewett, Nathan Ireland, Jehb O'Donohue and Anthony Stephens all back into the side.

From the team that lost at home to East Fremantle last Saturday, Tarir Bayok, Aidan Clarke, Ryan Kemp, Jarvis Pina and Warrick Wilson go out for the black-and-whites.