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Grand Final WAFL PreviewFriday, September 22, 2023 - 12:09 PM - by Chris Pike
THE spring weather is going to turn it on and WAFL Grand Final day at Optus Stadium this Sunday is shaping as an occasion you don't want to miss highlighted by the main event with East Fremantle taking on Peel Thunder.
The Grand Final returns to Optus Stadium this Sunday with the world renowned venue set to host its fourth WAFL decider. With sunny weather predicted, and three cracking contests scheduled, it's set to be a day to remember.
Grand Final day begins at 9.20am on Sunday morning with the Reserves match up between Swan Districts and West Perth before the Colts gets underway at 12.10pm between Claremont and Perth.
That all leads into the main event with East Fremantle playing Peel Thunder in the WAFL Grand Final of 2023 with the game getting underway at 3.20pm.
It's the first time the two teams have played in a Grand Final with the Sharks attempting to win their 30th WAFL premiership but first since 1998 while the Thunder are looking for a third flag to go with the triumphs of 2016 and 2017.
The only previous WAFL premiership players set to be out on Optus Stadium on Sunday are East Fremantle's Brayden Lawler and Harry Marsh, and Peel's Traye Bennell, Blair Bell and Ben Hancock. Lawler, Bennell, Bell and Hancock were all premiership teammates at the Thunder while Marsh tasted success with Subiaco.
WAFL SEASON REVIEW – CLUB BY CLUB BREAKDOWN
RESERVES
Grand Final day at Optus Stadium begins with the Reserves decider between Swan Districts and West Perth with the match up getting underway at 9.20am.
The two teams finished the home and away season in the top two positions on the ladder before Swan Districts beat Subiaco by 23 points in the qualifying final to set up the second semi-final match up with West Perth.
Swans won that game by 26 points as well to move straight into the Grand Final before the Falcons defeated Subiaco last Sunday in Mandurah in the preliminary final to book in a rematch with the black-and-whites.
Going back two weeks with Swans winning the second semi-final and that saw Ayden Cartwright and Tom Smith kick two goals each with Lawson Humphries racking up 31 possessions, Mitch Bain 28, Jiah Reidy 25, Lewis Tester 24, Ben Hewett 20, Tarir Bayok 20 and Max Chipper 19.
Then last week in West Perth's 37-point preliminary final win against Subiaco, Logan Foley kicked four goals for the Falcons, Zak Paterson three, Corey Rundle three, and Zarne Robis two.
Griffith Julian gathered 26 touches, Callum Johnson 21, Kane Bevan 21 and AFL and WAFL premiership player Mark Hutchings 19.
Swan Districts is attempting to win a fifth Reserves premiership and first since 2006 with West Perth looking for an eighth flag in the competition and a first since 2019.
COLTS
Claremont and Perth have been the two standout Colts teams this season and now it's only fitting they meet in Sunday's Grand Final at Optus Stadium starting at 12.10pm.
The two teams met in the final round of the home and away season with top spot going on the line, but they couldn’t be separated playing out a draw leaving the Demons to claim the minor premiership thanks to percentage.
Claremont then went on to beat East Fremantle by 13 points in the qualifying final to set up another match up with Perth with the Tigers prevailing by 30 points to advance straight to the Grand Final.
In that win, Sam van Rooyen kicked three goals for Claremont, Sullivan Moody two and Hamish Davis two with Riley Disisto gathering 23 disposals, Joe Fonti 22, Ashton Bryant 21 and Bailey Banfield 20.
Daniel Curtin will also return for the Tigers in the Grand Final after finishing the season playing at league level ahead of being a potential high draft pick later this year.
Perth then went on to beat East Fremantle by 44 points in last Sunday's preliminary final to advance to the Grand Final with Cooper Moore, Ali Al-Shuweli, Connor McDonald, Noah Cachard and Michael Hall all kicking two goals.
Claremont continues to be the trend setters in the Colts competition with the Tigers looking to win a premiership for the first time since 2019 and having lost back-to-back Grand Finals in 2020 and 2021.
The Tigers have won five Colts premierships since 2008 and 17 overall since breaking through for the first time in 1976.
Perth, meanwhile, has not won a Colts premiership since 1999 with the Demons trying to win a flag for the ninth time, and just the second in any grade this century after the Reserves broke through in 2021.
WAFL GRAND FINAL 2023
EAST FREMANTLE v PEEL THUNDER – SUNDAY 3.20PM
East Fremantle and Peel Thunder will play one another in a WAFL Grand Final for the first time on Sunday at Optus Stadium in what is shaping as a fascinating conclusion to the 2023 season.
The biggest crowd the Sharks and Thunder have ever played in front of when playing one another was two weeks ago at Fremantle Community Bank Oval in the second semi-final.
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That crowd of 3746 could very well come close to being eclipsed 10 times on Sunday at Optus Stadium in what is not only the first Grand Final the teams have faced each other in, but also the first time they've faced off at the premier venue.
It was only two weeks ago when the Sharks and Thunder met in a final for the first ever time and now the firsts will continue on Sunday with it not only a first Grand Final match up, but it's also the first time East Fremantle has ever played on Optus Stadium.
Peel's only game at the venue was a home and away season clash with West Coast that they lost back in 2019.
If that second semi-final match up is anything to go by as well and it should be a tremendous Grand Final with the premiership trophy on the line on Sunday afternoon.
East Fremantle held on in that game to win by five points to advance straight to the Grand Final before Peel hit back last week to beat Subiaco by 24 points in the preliminary final to set up the rematch.
Going back to that second semi-final and Josh Schoenfeld and Hugh Dixon kicked two goals apiece for East Fremantle with Milan Murdock racking up 31 possessions, Cam Eardley 30, Fraser Turner 29, Kyle Baskerville 21, Harry Marsh 20, Jackson McDonald 20 and Reuben McGuire 20 to go with 26 hit outs.
East Fremantle will be forced to make one change from that team with Jono Marsh ruled out of the Grand Final through injury. His natural replacement will be returning vice-captain Jarrad Jansen with the Sharks then having to weigh up if they want to make any other changes.
Peel bounced back to beat Subiaco by 24 points in last Sunday's preliminary final and that performance was all set up down back with Joel Hamling producing a best on ground display with 15 possessions and nine marks.
Fellow defenders Jacob Blight and Hugh Davies were also brilliant while in attack Ben Middleton kicked three goals, Jack Sears two, Josh Corbett two and Brody Wemm two.
Will Brodie also picked up 24 touches for the Thunder, Karl Worner 21, Corey Wagner 21, Nathan Wilson 19 and Blight 19 to go with nine marks.
Sunday's Grand Final will be the 65th time that the two teams have met in the WAFL since Peel joined the competition in 1997.
East Fremantle has won 41 of the previous 64 match ups but since the Sharks won the first nine match ups, once Peel broke through in 2001 things have been considerably more even.
Peel even had a nine-game winning streak against East Fremantle between 2015 and 2018 with the Thunder winning their two premierships in that time while the Sharks didn’t make the finals once.
East Fremantle is the WAFL's most successful club having won 29 premierships and to be preparing to play in a 59th Grand Final on Sunday. However, Sunday will be the first Grand Final for the Sharks since 2012 and they are attempting to win a first flag since 1998.
It took Peel until 2015 to play in the finals for the first time after entering the WAFL in 1997 but the Thunder then won back-to-back premierships in 2016 and 2017. They are now playing in a first Grand Final since 2017 and trying to win a third flag.
There is going to be fascinating match ups all over the field in Sunday's Grand Final but it's the back-lines of both teams that are going to make scoring mighty hard for both forward lines.
East Fremantle's defence is anchored by captain Matthew Jupp with fellow key defender Lachlan Bailey along with star offsider Cam Eardley. Kyle Baskerville is a great attacking threat while Jack Cleaver, Finn Gorringe and Lennon Marlin are rock solid.
That's going to make the going tough for Peel forwards including Josh Corbett, Ben Middleton, Jack Sears, Tom Emmett, Brody Wemm and Travis Colyer.
Peel's back-line, though, is led by Joel Hamling, Jacob Blight and Hugh Davies with attacking weapons Nathan Wilson, Ty Anderson and Karl Worner.
East Fremantle's forward-line will be without Jono Marsh but still has Hugh Dixon as a marking threat with Cody Leggett a potential match winner with Alex Montauban, Brayden Lawler and Ben McGuire all dangerous.
The midfield battle will truly be fascinating with the inside battle to be fierce between East Fremantle's Milan Murdock, Jackson McDonald, Tom Joyce and Harry Marsh up against Peel's Ben Hancock, Will Brodie, Brady Grey and Blair Bell.
Then there's run aplenty for both teams with East Fremantle's coming from Fraser Turner, Tom Bennett and Luke English, and Peel's from Traye Bennell, Nathan O'Driscoll and Corey Wagner.
Even the ruck battle will be intriguing with East Fremantle led by Reuben McGuire with help from Hugh Dixon up against Peel pair Liam Reidy and Riley Smith.
