WAFL Round 23 PreviewFriday, August 23, 2013 - 1:29 PM - by Chris Pike

IT IS the second last round of the 2013 WAFL season with four matches to be played this Saturday highlighted by Swan Districts and East Fremantle battling over fourth position at Bassendean's Steel Blue Oval.

The winner of the Swans-Sharks clash on Saturday will sit in fourth spot come Saturday night and be in prime position to play finals football in 2013.

The other three matches on Saturday afternoon sees Perth take on Claremont at Lathlain's Brownes Stadium, South Fremantle host East Perth at Fremantle Oval and Subiaco play Peel Thunder at Leederville's Medibank Stadium.

SWAN DISTRICTS (10-8, 5th) v EAST FREMANTLE (10-8, 4th) – STEEL BLUE OVAL, SATURDAY 2.05PM
Selected teams

Swan Districts and East Fremantle played off in last year's preliminary final at Steel Blue Oval and now just under 12 months later it's back to the same Bassendean venue for a virtual elimination final in Round 23 of the 2013 season.

East Fremantle was victorious in last year's preliminary final to go onto to the grand final and lose to Claremont in the premiership decider, and the Sharks will be hoping for another victory at Bassendean this Saturday but Swans will be just as determined to not let that happen.

East Fremantle and Swan Districts both sit on 10-8 records coming into the last two rounds of the 2013 season with the Sharks just ahead in fourth position of the fifth-placed Swans because of a superior percentage.

With Claremont, West Perth and East Perth secure in the top-three positions, and Perth, South Fremantle, Subiaco and Peel out of the finals race now, the battle over fourth spot and a finals appearance in 2013 is down to the black-and-whites and the Sharks.

With Swan Districts playing the second-placed West Perth and East Fremantle the minor premiers Claremont in the final round, this Saturday's clash is a virtual do-or-die affair for both teams setting up a mouth-watering clash at Steel Blue Oval.

If East Fremantle wins, the Sharks will be a game and massive percentage clear of Swans so will be guaranteed of playing finals regardless of how they go in the final round against the Tigers.

However, if Swan Districts wins the black-and-whites will be in fourth position but the Sharks will still be a chance if they beat Claremont in the final round and Swans loses to West Perth.

East Fremantle's finals hopes looked all but over after Round 15 following a run of losing six of its last seven matches, but since then the Sharks have been able to go on an impressive and dominant five-game winning streak to storm back into finals contention.

The Sharks have beaten Subiaco by 66 points, the Lions again by 34, South Fremantle by 83, Perth by 28 and West Perth by 73 in the winning run with an average margin of a massive 57 points.

Swans themselves had won six of their last eight games prior to last week's loss at Claremont Oval to Claremont.

Swan Districts slipped out of the top-four with last Sunday's 59-point loss to Claremont but welcomes back experienced defender and 2010 premiership star Justin Simpson from a calf injury.

Blaine Boekhorst and Connor Blakely are also fighting to return to the black-and-whites line-up while Andrew Embley is back to play one more match before his AFL farewell with the West Coast Eagles in what will be his 250th and last game in the final round of the season against Adelaide.

Jarrad Blight is the only out at this stage for Swan Districts from the team that lost to Claremont last week.

East Fremantle has been in terrific recent form and dominated West Perth last Sunday to return to the top-four but the Sharks need to keep winning starting this Saturday against Swan Districts at Bassendean.

The Sharks will have fond memories from winning last year's preliminary final at the same venue and will welcome back veteran midfielder Richard Hadley for the crucial clash.

Mitch Boyle, Godfrey Curley, Scott Jansen and Kurt Tropiano are also fighting for positions in the East Fremantle line-up with James Bayliss and Max Duffy the only two outs from the line-up at this stage.

PERTH (9-9, 6th) v CLAREMONT (16-2, 1st) – BROWNES STADIUM, SATURDAY 2.05PM
Selected teams

Perth's first third of its 2013 season was so impressive but the Demons now have hit the skids to be all but out of finals contention and Claremont can nail that door closed completely when the two teams meet at Lathlain's Brownes Stadium on Saturday.

Perth started the season so well winning its first three games, and five of its first seven with unlucky losses to East Fremantle and Claremont the only early hiccups.

That had everyone associated with the Demons excited about a potential first finals appearance since 1997 and that hope was again revived with a run of winning four of five games between Rounds 14 and 18.

However, losses since to East Fremantle, West Perth and East Perth by an average of over 45 points has all but ended any hopes Perth held of playing in the finals.

For Perth to still play finals, it will need to beat Claremont and South Fremantle by big margins in its last two games and hope that East Perth, East Fremantle and Swan Districts lose their last two matches to open up a spot in the top-four for them.

A win over the Tigers this Saturday will keep those faint hopes alive, but that is going to be a lot easier said than done.

Claremont has a fourth straight WAFL minor premiership secured as the Tigers shoot for a third straight flag so they will not be taking it lightly on the Demons particularly with so many players needing to play well to book in their individual places come finals time.

The two teams have met just the once so far this year with Claremont winning a thriller by five points back in Round 8 but the Tigers won all three meetings in 2012 even though the Demons scored an upset with a six-point win at Claremont Oval in Round 14, 2011.

Perth will need a miracle to make the finals from here requiring two massive wins against Claremont and South Fremantle, but the Demons' cause against the Tigers haven’t been helped out the selection table.

Ruckman Christian Eyres goes out of the team leaving Mitchell Lleyendekkers with the massive task of going up against Mark Seaby and Mitch Andrews virtually on his own.

Key midfielders Chance Bateman and Daniel O'Sullivan are also out of the Perth line-up with Matthew Hunt going out of the side as well that lost to East Perth by 48 points last Saturday.

Reese Richardson, Kieran Hug, Julian Jacobs, Joel Houghton, Joel Kalajzic and Brad Fry are all looking to break into the Perth line-up.

While Claremont does lose captain Andrew Browne, in-form defender Jesse Laurie and Tom Taylor from its team that beat Swan Districts by 59 points last Sunday, the Tigers have some more than handy inclusions to call upon.

Dual premiership 196-game veteran David Crawford is back after having the last month off so his experience will be invaluable to the Claremont defence with Browne, Laurie and Taylor the three outs this week all having been key parts of the back-line this year.

With just two weeks until the finals, spots are being heavily fought over in the Claremont line-up as well with Blake Anderson, Richard Cronin, Shane Edwards, Matthew Goyder and Keifer Yu all desperately trying to earn their way into the Tigers' side this Saturday against the Demons.

SOUTH FREMANTLE (5-13, 7th) v EAST PERTH (11-7, 3rd) – FREMANTLE OVAL, SATURDAY 2.05PM
Selected teams

South Fremantle plays its final home game of the season at Fremantle Oval on Saturday hosting an in-form finals bound East Perth with the Bulldogs looking to continue their impressive form late in 2013.

The Bulldogs have won their last two games and three of their last four to be in their best form of the season at present to have now well and truly escaped any possibilities of finishing with the wooden spoon and having moved up into seventh position on the ladder ahead of Subiaco.

South Fremantle put in its most dominant performance of the season last Sunday thrashing Peel Thunder by 93 points at Mandurah's Bendigo Bank Stadium and now the Bulldogs will be desperate to put in a strong showing in front of its faithful at Fremantle Oval in the last home game for 2013.

However, East Perth is going to provide stiff opposition with the Royals having thumped Subiaco and Perth the last fortnight to all but secure a finals appearance.

The two teams have met just the once so far this year with East Perth winning by 19 points in Round 8 at Leederville's Medibank Stadium, but that was after South Fremantle looked to have the win sewn up early in the last quarter before the Royals piled on the last six goals of the contest.

East Perth now sits in third position on the ladder with an 11-7 record to sit a game clear of the chasing East Fremantle and Swan Districts meaning that the Royals need to win just one of their last two games against South Fremantle and Subiaco to secure a finals berth in 2013.

East Perth has now won the last three clashes with South Fremantle after the Bulldogs' run of 16 straight wins over the Royals between 2005 and 2011 came to an end.

South Fremantle will be desperate to continue its good recent form and also put in a strong showing in its final home game at Fremantle Oval for 2013, but the loss of West Coast's Ashton Hams to suspension won't help.

Hams came back into the Bulldogs line-up last Sunday and was brilliant with 31 possessions and six goals in the 93-point win over Peel.

However, West Coast small defender Adam Carter will be back for the Bulldogs fresh off earning some AFL experience while South Fremantle looks set to blood at least one more exciting debutant.

Blaine Johnson has been a star in South Fremantle's colts and then in the WA State 18s campaign showed himself as one of the most exciting forward prospects in the country.

Since returning from that, he has played in the reserves the last three weeks and put in his most impressive performance last Sunday against Peel finishing with 19 possessions, seven marks and three goals.

With Hams out of the Bulldogs team this week, it looks like being the perfect chance to blood Johnson for his league debut and giving him a chance in the forward-line alongside Ben Saunders, Paul Mugambwa and Alistair Gillespie.

Another exciting young talent Marlon Pickett is also a chance to make his debut with Tyler Hall also in the mix to line-up for the Bulldogs.

East Perth is now all but assured of a finals spot unless it loses its last two games against South Fremantle and Subiaco.

The Royals do lose West Coast pair Matt Rosa and Blayne Wilson this week, though, with both earning a call up to play for the Eagles on Friday night against Collingwood at the MCG.

Both were outstanding last Saturday in East Perth's 48-point win over Perth with Rosa finishing with 34 possessions and Wilson 26 from defence.

Marcus White looms as the most likely replacement in the Royals' defence for Wilson even though he hasn’t played a league game since Round 8.

Arthur Bennell could also come in for East Perth and provide another small forward option while Callum Hart, Mitch Howlett and Rowan Brookes are fighting to return to the Royals line-up as well.

SUBIACO (5-13, 8th) v PEEL THUNDER (3-16, 9th) – BENDIGO BANK STADIUM, SATURDAY 2.05PM
Selected teams

Peel Thunder enters its last game of 2013 on Saturday looking to end a 10-game losing run and win its first match away from Mandurah when taking on a Subiaco team also having not tasted a victory for some time.

Peel appeared to be finding some form mid-season winning three of five games between Rounds 6 and 10, but things have fallen apart dramatically since that Round 10 victory by 18 points at Bendigo Bank Stadium over East Perth.

The Thunder have since lost 10 straight matches with an average losing margin of almost 48 points punctuated by last Sunday's 93-point thumping at the hands of South Fremantle in their last home game for 2013.

Peel now can't escape claiming another wooden spoon sitting two games clear on the bottom of the ladder with Saturday's game with Subiaco its last of the year, but there's no reason the Thunder shouldn’t head to Medibank Stadium confident of coming away with a win.

Subiaco has now also lost seven straight matches to have slipped to eighth position on the ladder and with an inexperienced side to take on Peel with, it's a contest that could be very well a toss of the coin between clearly the two bottom sides in the WAFL for 2013.

Subiaco has lost its leading goalkicker for the season so far Michael Wood from the team that lost to South Fremantle a fortnight ago prior to last weekend's bye.

Four young players are fighting to be included in the Lions side for the clash with Peel with Dylan Clarke, Dylan Elliott, Nick Hay and Simon Moore all hoping to get the nod from coach Jarrod Schofield.

Peel put in without doubt its worst and most non-competitive performance of the season in last Sunday's 93-point loss at home to South Fremantle.

As a result, there are plenty of changes at the selection table and not all of them have been forced by injury or by Fremantle.

Ruckman Jack Hannath does go up to play for the Dockers this Saturday night against Port Adelaide to replace Aaron Sandilands, but the Thunder will receive some good news maintain Jesse Crichton and regaining Hayden Crozier from Fremantle unless there is a late change.

Another Docker Alex Forster is out injured, though, as is small forward Matt Brown with yet another hamstring complaint suffered during the loss to the Bulldogs.

Toby Gianatti, Brennan Gillam and James Hawksley also go out of the Peel team for the final match of 2013.

Kelvin Lawrence, Corey Morris, Jordan Wythes and Aiden Field could all return for Peel to take on Subiaco with Kieran May, Russell Shore, Josh Mathers and Rhys Anzellino all a chance for a debut in the club's last game of 2013.