Derby Debut Awaits Several WAFLW BulldogsThursday, April 20, 2023 - 4:02 PM - by Mark Readings

SOUTH Fremantle plans to create several firsts in its WAFLW program in 2023, beginning with a victory over East Fremantle in Saturday’s twilight match at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

The Bulldogs have made great progress during their fourth season in the competition but are yet to beat the club’s arch rivals, a milestone coach Craig McNaughton acknowledges.

“It’s definitely exciting because most of our players haven’t played in a derby before," he said.

"We’ve never won a derby so that alone is a huge motivator. If we can achieve that we can also consolidate our position in the four, although there’s  still plenty of footy to play.

"We had an excellent training session last night and a great vibe. With some players out for State duties, others get a great opportunity in a derby,” he said.

South Fremantle is on track to play finals for the first time, sitting third on the table with three wins and a draw.

“The team developed a Trademark of “own it” for season 2023," McNaughton said.

"Rather than this just being two simple words on a page, it has been genuinely embraced and part of everything we do.

The way in which the team has gelled so quickly has been fantastic. It has created genuine competition for spots all over of the ground but makes for tough selection meetings."

South Fremantle went down by 16 points to reigning premiers Claremont last week but the result is further proof of the side’s improvement.

“It was a very competitive game and both teams would have been pretty sore on Monday," he said.

"We certainly had our chances to put some scoreboard pressure on early but didn’t make the most of our forward entries.

"Claremont’s defence is very good and you really have to earn your goals. We got back into the contest after falling behind which was really pleasing.

"Playing last year’s grand finalists back to back was a daunting prospect when the fixture came out. But halfway through that assignment, we have showed we aren’t far off and can attack this weekend’s derby with confidence."