Round 7 WAFLW PreviewFriday, April 21, 2023 - 10:58 AM - by Chris Pike

IT'S ANZAC Round for the 2023 WAFLW season and with the four games spread from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, it's going to be a terrific weekend of female football showcased starting with East Perth hunting a first win and finishing with Claremont trying to stay undefeated.

It shapes as quite the fascinating round of the WAFLW season with Swan Districts also trying to string consecutive wins together, Peel Thunder, Subiaco and West Perth continuing to battle over fourth position, and then a tantalising derby on Saturday evening with second spot up for grabs.

The Round 6 WAFLW action begins on Friday evening at Leederville Oval with East Perth taking on Swan Districts from 6pm. The Royals are still hunting their first win in the WAFLW competition while the Swans are looking to back up their first win of the season last week.

Peel Thunder then plays host to Subiaco at Mandurah's Lane Group Stadium at 3pm with the home team trying to break into the top four and the Lions attempting to win to retain their hold on fourth position.

Then on Saturday evening at Fremantle Community Bank Oval, two teams with just one loss to their names so far in 2023 do battle in what should be the best WAFLW Derby to date with South Fremantle at home to East Fremantle from 5pm.

The round will then wrap up on Sunday afternoon at Joondalup's Pentanet Stadium with West Perth taking on Claremont. The Falcons will be attempting to bounce back from last week's loss to try and return to the top four with the Tigers out to remain undefeated in their premiership defence.

WAFLW TEAM OF THE WEEK – ROUND 6

ROUND 6 WAFLW WRAP

It's also Round 7 in the Rogers Cup Youth Girls competition with the action getting underway on Friday evening at Fremantle Community Bank Oval with South Fremantle taking on East Fremantle.

Then on Saturday at 11.30am, it's Perth taking on Swan Districts at Lathlain's Mineral Resources Park before at 1pm, it's Peel Thunder at home to Subiaco. The round will then wrap up on Sunday at 11am with West Perth facing Claremont at Pentanet Stadium.

 

EAST PERTH v SWAN DISTRICTS – FRIDAY 6.00PM

Round 7 in the WAFLW season begins at Leederville Oval on Friday night with East Perth playing host to Swan Districts.

With the Royals still chasing their first ever victory in the WAFLW competition and Swans looking to build momentum on the back of a win last week, and it should be a fascinating first ever clash between the two teams.

East Perth comes into the game having lost its opening five matches in its first WAFLW season. 

The Royals have struggled kicking a combined 4.13 in the five matches and just the three behinds in total in the last two games, but they will be confident of a more competitive showing on home turf on Friday night.

It does present, though, as a chance for Swan Districts to build some momentum. 

Swans lost their first four matches of 2023 to Peel, Subiaco, Claremont and East Fremantle, but got on the board with an impressive win last Sunday against West Perth which they will now look to turn into consecutive wins come Friday night against East Perth at Leederville Oval. 

Friday night's game is the first ever meeting between the two teams in the WAFLW competition and up until Swans beating West Perth last Sunday, both teams had been winless to start the 2023 season.

The Royals started life in the WAFL competition with a 48-point loss at home to West Perth before losing to South Fremantle by 66 points at Fremantle Community Bank Oval in Round 2.

East Perth then lost at home to Peel Thunder by 25 points in Round 3 but that also proved the last time the Royals kicked a goal.

The last two games in the WAFLW have been even more challenging for East Perth scoring one behind in a 66-point loss to East Fremantle and then managing two points last Saturday in a 57-point loss at the hands of Subiaco in the battle of Leederville Oval co-tenants.

So with East Perth having managed just a total of the three behinds in their last two matches in the WAFLW competition, the challenge is ahead of them to put up a strong showing at home to Swan Districts on Friday night.

Swans, meanwhile, had a difficult start to the 2023 season with losses to Peel Thunder by five points, Subiaco by 47 points, Claremont by 24 points and then 53 points to South Fremantle in Round 4 prior to the Easter break.

That seemed to do Swan Districts the world of good and they came out to beat West Perth by 51 points at Steel Blue Oval last Sunday to open their account for 2023 with the chance to now make it consecutive wins on Friday night.

There was a lot to like in that victory for Swans with a best on ground performance from Taylah Edwards who finished with three goals, 20 possessions and eight marks.

Lily Paterson also kicked two goals for Swan Districts with Ruby Mahony collecting 20 disposals, Jaime Henry 20, Abbygail Bushby 18, Isabella Edgley 17, Jasmine Ware 16 and ruck Sarah Wielstra 14 to go with 23 hit outs. 

East Perth is coming off a goalless showing against Subiaco last Saturday and from that team there are plenty of changes for the Royals coming into Friday night's home clash with Swan Districts.

Jessica Bolton, Emily Boothman, Jessica Davidson, Bronwyn Hansen, Taylah Horsham, Tristin Ogonoski, Makayla Rogers, Mahli Turland and Eliza Van De Velde all come into the East Perth line-up.

Then going out of the Royals team are Kasey Bindon, Makayla Cocking, Holly Gill, Bianca Glanville, Lacey Holdsworth, Leah Keating, Kelsey Lang, Chloe Sauzier and Matilda Sim.

There are just the two changes for Swan Districts coming out of last Sunday's breakthrough win for the black-and-whites for season 2023 against West Perth.

Naomi Baker and Daisy Rigby are the two players coming into the Swan Districts team to take on East Perth on Friday night.

Then going out for Swans from that victory against the Falcons are Jaime Henry and Emma Nanut. 

 

PEEL THUNDER v SUBIACO – SATURDAY 3.00PM

Peel Thunder and Subiaco met in the WAFLW grand final only back in 2020 but coming into Saturday's game in Mandurah and the two teams are fighting over fourth position on the ladder.

Even though Peel won back-to-back WAFLW premierships in 2020 and 2021, you could make the case that Subiaco was the best team in the competition over the opening three home and away seasons.

While both teams had a bit of a down season in 2022 despite Peel still reaching the finals before being knocked out in a first semi-final and Subiaco not reaching finals at all, they are looking to get things back on track in 2023.

Coming into Saturday's clash at Lane Group Stadium, Subiaco is sitting in fourth position on the WAFLW ladder with two wins, two losses and a draw while Peel is down in sixth spot with two wins and three losses.

With Subiaco fresh off a thumping 57-point win against East Perth last Saturday and Peel attempting to bounce back from losing to East Fremantle by 35 points, and it looms as a potentially season-defining battle.

This is the first meeting between the two teams since Round 17 last year when it was Peel winning by five points over Subiaco at Leederville Oval in the final round of the season with the Thunder going on to play finals once more while the Lions just fell short.

Their only other clash against one another in 2022 took place back in Round 1 where it was another thriller with the Thunder winning by just the one point at Lane Group Stadium.

So given the history between the two teams beyond last season and given their two clashes were only decided by a combined six points in 2022, and Saturday's clash is looming as a tight affair.

Going back further and Subiaco beat Peel by 15 points in Round 13, 2021 despite the Thunder going on to win the premiership that year. 

The Thunder did beat the Lions by 20 points at home in Round 7 of that season and in Round of 21, it was Peel who scored a thumping 44-point win against Subiaco.

If you go back to 2020 and the two teams played off in the WAFLW grand final with the Thunder winning their first of back-to-back premierships by beating the Lions by 15 points so it's fair to say the two teams have quite the history against one another already in the competition.

Peel is looking to return to the WAFLW winner's list on the back of last week's loss to East Fremantle and the Thunder have made a whole host of changes coming into Saturday's clash with Subiaco.

Holly Bilcich, Jade Briggs, Ava Cristodero, Anke Grove, Tessa Kongras, Ashlee Norwood, Jessica Rudland, Katrina Shrewsbury, Charlize Thompson, Anna Watts and Abbey Westra have all been included into the Peel squad to take on Subiaco.

Going out of the Thunder line-up from the side that lost to the Sharks are Abby Barnden, Kayla Bradshaw, Holly Britton, Evie Cowcher, Kate Newson, Dakota Sexton and Kaitlyn Srhoj.

Subiaco is looking to continue its momentum after last Saturday's thumping win over East Perth but like Peel, the Lions have made plenty of changes coming into this Saturday's contest in Mandurah.

Lauren Bilaloski, Fina Dethlefsen, Claudia Langley, Dahna Lee, Tess Lyons, Meg McAullay, Meadhbh Moloney, Agnes Monisse, Hannah Plummer, Lani Silvio, Tahli Wilkins, Breanna Wills are the Lions players all added to the squad for Saturday's match up.

Going out for Subiaco from the team that won big over the Royals are Liana Burchell, Olivia Crane, Stephanie Dalton, Madison Dodd, Charlotte Newland, Jess Pillera, Eva Popovsky and Beth Schilling.

 

SOUTH FREMANTLE v EAST FREMANTLE – SATURDAY 5.00PM

East Fremantle might have dominated the first six WAFLW Derby match ups with South Fremantle, but both teams look genuine top teams in 2023 setting the stage for Saturday night's clash at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

While the Sharks have been too good for the Bulldogs over the past three years since South Fremantle joined the WAFLW competition with the Sharks winning the first six derbies by an average of 53 points, it should be a much tighter affair this Saturday evening.

Second spot goes on the line between the two teams when they clash at Fremantle Community Bank Oval as well with East Fremantle currently sitting second having won its past four matches since losing in Round 1 in a grand final rematch to Claremont.

South Fremantle, meanwhile, only suffered its first loss of the season last Sunday also against the reigning premiers Claremont. However, that was a competitive showing from the Bulldogs who now have three wins, a loss and draw so far in 2023.

While Saturday night's clash looms as a terrific contest and potentially a toss of the coin in trying to work out who will win, it's fair to say East Fremantle has dominated the derbies with South Fremantle in the WAFLW competition over the past three years.

In the six derby contests in the WAFLW so far, East Fremantle has not only won all six but done so with an average winning margin of 53 points with the closest being a 24-point margin at Fremantle Community Bank Oval in Round 11, 2021.

The Sharks won the first ever WAFLW derby by 88 points in Round 1, 2020 while holding the Bulldogs scoreless before also winning by 46 points in Round 5, 2021 and then that 24-point win in Round 11 of that same season.

There was another two clashes in 2022 with the Bulldogs more competitive but the Sharks still proving too strong on their way to going through the home and away season undefeated.

East Fremantle won by 38 points in Round 6 at East Fremantle Oval in Round 6 before also prevailing by 52 points in the last round at Fremantle Community Bank Oval to secure their undefeated home and away campaign.

All up over the previous six derbies in the WAFLW competition, East Fremantle has outscored South Fremantle 59.49 (403) to 12.13 (85) with the average winning margin of 53 points, but all signs are pointing to the most competitive meeting between them so far on Saturday evening.

South Fremantle might have lost its first game of the season last Sunday to Claremont, but there was still a lot to like in the performance from the Bulldogs as they now attempt to beat East Fremantle for the first time.

Coming into the South Fremantle squad for Saturday evening's contest are Rosie Anderson, Tanika Bradley, Hunter Cronin, Luci Gilchrist, Dakoda Hallam, Heidi Hughes and Taite Lantzke.

Going out for the Bulldogs from the team that played the Tigers last Sunday are Noa McNaughton, Tahleah Mulder and Molly O'Hehir.

East Fremantle has now strung four wins together and from the team that beat Peel Thunder last Saturday in Mandurah, there are plenty of changes for the Sharks for Saturday night's derby.

Coming into the East Fremantle squad are Georgia Bett, Nadya Browne, India Ferrier, Leanne Gubbins, Jasmine Johansen, Tara Maciupa, Lauren O'Connor, Ridma Ratnakele, Nicola Rutty and Chloe Williams.

Going out of the Sharks team from the one that beat the Thunder are Caylen Crook, Natasha Entwistle, Zipporah Fish, Mylee Leitch, Tayah Palmer and Anjelique Raison.

 

WEST PERTH v CLAREMONT – SUNDAY 1.00PM

The next challenge for the undefeated reigning premiers Claremont is to take on a vastly improved 2023 West Perth outfit who are desperate to bounce back from a loss last Sunday.

West Perth plays host to Claremont on Sunday afternoon at Joondalup's Pentanet Stadium in what should be a much more competitive affair than their 2022 meetings.

The Falcons didn’t manage to score a single point in the two clashes with the Tigers in 2022 with West Perth finishing winless and with the wooden spoon in their inaugural season while Claremont went on to claim the premiership.

However, West Perth has been vastly improved so far in 2023 and could return to the top four with a win on Sunday currently sitting fifth at 2-3. Claremont, meanwhile, has had a dominant start to the season winning all five matches to date by an average margin of 24.8 points.

With West Perth going through its first season in the WAFLW competition winless in 2022 and Claremont going on to win the premiership, it's fair to say their two clashes last year weren't overly competitive.

In fact, the Falcons didn’t manage to score a solitary behind against the Tigers in both meetings with Claremont winning by 69 points in Round 17 at Revo Fitness Stadium and 78 points at Pentanet Stadium in Round 4.

So Claremont outscored West Perth 21.21 (147) to 0.0 (0) in their two meetings in 2022, but there's every reason to suggest Sunday's clash at Pentanet Stadium will be a considerably more competitive affair.

With West Perth looking for a win to stay in the top four and then Claremont trying to stay undefeated in its premiership defence, it's going to be a fascinating test for the Falcons to see just how far they have come in 2023.

West Perth is attempting to bounce back from a loss to Swan Districts last week and from that team, the Falcons have four inclusions.

Laura Butler, Brooke Hongell, Jessica Roper and Chanel Scott all come into the West Perth team to take on Claremont at home on Sunday.

Going out for the Falcons from the team that lost to Swans are Liza Kneebone, Keeley Oakes, Nadia Parora and Angelina Wodcke.

Claremont scored a hard fought win against South Fremantle last Sunday to remain unbeaten and from that team, the Tigers have made plenty of changes for this Sunday's clash with West Perth.

Charlotte Adams, Tess Blackburn, Amalie Moe, Jayde Musika, Kobi Nichols, Kate Orme, Taylah Orzel, Charlotte Tompkin and Georgia Webb have all been added to the Tigers squad for Sunday's contest.

Going out from the Claremont team that beat South Fremantle are Bridie Garlick, Juliet Kelly, Eva O'Donnell, Madeleine Scanlon and Ella Slocombe.