Preliminary Final WAFLW PreviewFriday, July 7, 2023 - 12:34 PM

The biggest ever derby in WAFLW history is set for Sunday at Fremantle Community Bank Oval with South Fremantle and East Fremantle doing battle for a place in the 2023 grand final.

East Fremantle did have a bit of a head start in the WAFLW competition and had already won a premiership in 2019 before South Fremantle even joined in 2020, but all signs are pointing to quite the battle on Sunday afternoon.

The Sharks and Bulldogs have beaten each other once apiece already this season to set the stage for a fascinating battle with a spot in the grand final on the line against West Perth next Saturday at Lathlain's Mineral Resources Park.

The preliminary final will take place on Sunday at Fremantle Community Bank Oval beginning at 3.15pm and over the following two hours one of the Fremantle teams will be ready to take on the Falcons in the grand final.

SEMI FINALS WAFLW WRAP

It's also preliminary final time in the Rogers Cup Youth Girls competition and it's also South Fremantle at home at Fremantle Community Bank Oval to play Claremont.

The game begins at 5.10pm on Sunday following the WAFLW match up that afternoon and the winner between the Bulldogs and Tigers in the preliminary final will play West Perth in next Saturday's grand final at Mineral Resources Park.

PRELIMINARY FINAL: SOUTH FREMANTLE v EAST FREMANTLE – SUNDAY 3.15PM

With South Fremantle attempting to make history and East Fremantle wanting to earn a shot at redemption, and the WAFLW preliminary final will provide the setting for the most dramatic of derbies.

With Claremont awaiting the winner in the grand final next Saturday at Mineral Resources Park, the biggest ever WAFLW derby is upon us with the Bulldogs playing host to the Sharks at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

South Fremantle is attempting to win a final for the first time since joining the WAFLW competition in 2020 while East Fremantle is trying to earn a shot at a second premiership in five years, and to make up for last year's heartbreak.

That all sets the tone for the biggest ever WAFLW derby between the two local rivals and considering they have split their two meetings this season, it only adds to the intrigue heading into the preliminary final.

East Fremantle is no stranger to being in this position of being a WAFLW contender having won the inaugural premiership in 2019 and also making the grand final last year, but it's that heartbreak that continues to motivate them in 2023.

It might be a decidedly different looking East Fremantle team in 2023 including a new coach with Steph Walding now at the helm, but the Sharks went through the entire season last year undefeated including a win over Claremont in the second semi-final.

However, they then lost the grand final and now will be desperate to earn a shot at redemption against Claremont in the grand final next week should they get past South Fremantle in the preliminary final.

As for South Fremantle, it's a vastly different story and a slow build since entering the WAFLW competition in 2020. 

Those first two seasons were a struggle to be competitive, but the growing pains were worth it with a vastly more competitive team in 2022, and now they've turned themselves into a force in 2023 to finish second on the ladder having won 10 games.

Along the way, the Bulldogs beat the Sharks for the first ever time in a derby and now should they do so again in the preliminary final, they will have won their first ever final and will play in a first grand final.