WAFL Round 2 PreviewFriday, March 28, 2014 - 4:23 PM - by Chris Pike

WITH a player reaching the rare WAFL milestone of 300 games, the reigning premiers unfurling their premiership flag, the regional centre of Geraldton hosting a match and Swan Districts making its first appearance of 2014 all mean that it is a massive Round 2 of action ahead.

Round 2 of the 2014 WAFL season begins on Friday night at Fremantle Oval when Kris Miller celebrates his 300th match as South Fremantle hosts Perth. Bounce down is 7pm.

There are then three matches on Saturday afternoon with East Fremantle taking on Subiaco in Geraldton, West Perth playing Claremont at Arena Joondalup and East Perth facing Swan Districts at Leederville's Medibank Stadium.

Peel Thunder has the bye.

SOUTH FREMANTLE v PERTH – FREMANTLE OVAL, FRIDAY NIGHT 7PM
Selected teams

Friday night football returns to Fremantle Oval to open Round 2 WAFL action with Perth looking to continue its outstanding opening weekend form and spoil South Fremantle's celebration of Kris Miller's 300th match in the process.

Night football has always been a popular fixture at Fremantle Oval and there is no better way for South Fremantle's first home match of season 2014 to take place than under lights this Friday night against Perth with bounce down at 7pm.

South Fremantle's season didn’t get off to the best start last Saturday night in a 38-point loss to Subiaco at Leederville's Medibank Stadium either, so the Bulldogs will be desperate to get their first win on the board this Friday night especially after losing the opening seven matches of 2013.

Perth won't be an easy opponent, though, with the Demons coming off a 65-point win over Claremont last Saturday.

The Bulldogs over time have enjoyed their home games at Fremantle Oval on Friday nights, though, and have a good run in recent times against the Demons.

Since 2004, South Fremantle has won 23 of the 34 night matches hosted at Fremantle Oval.

South Fremantle and Perth have played out some remarkable contests in recent years under lights at the port as well with the Bulldogs storming back from being 50 points down at three quarter-time to win in Round 2, 2012 while the Demons scored a one-point win in 2011.

However, Perth also recorded a strong 41-point victory at the port in 2009 in another recent Friday night fixture.

Perth might have won all three matches over South Fremantle in 2013 but before that between 2002 and 2012, the Bulldogs won 17 out of 24 matches in a dominant period against the Demons.

South Fremantle has no outs at this stage from its team that lost to Subiaco last week with Toby Bairstow, James Laurino and Brendan Verrier coming into the squad.

Meanwhile from the Perth team that thumped Claremont at home last Saturday, Sydney Swans AFL premiership player Mitch Morton comes in to make his debut for the Demons while former South Fremantle colts premiership player Sean Lynch is a chance to line-up as well.

And of course just in case South Fremantle needed any added motivation to win, Kris Miller will become just the sixth player in WAFL history to play 300 matches when he runs out for his 147th appearance for the Bulldogs.

Miller is on the verge of becoming the first player in history to reach 150 games at two clubs and with a career already consisting of a premiership and four fairest and best awards, he will go down as one of the WAFL's all-time greats.

WEST PERTH v CLAREMONT – ARENA JOONDALUP, SATURDAY 2.05PM
Selected teams

West Perth will be looking for its first win of the 2014 WAFL season at home this Saturday when the Falcons host Claremont on the day that the 2013 premiership flag will be unfurled at Arena Joondalup.

Both the Falcons and Tigers lost their opening round matches last weekend with West Perth's comeback from 33 points down in the last quarter just falling short against East Fremantle while Claremont put in a disappointing showing to lose to Perth by 65 points at Lathlain Park.

West Perth does lose premiership forward Marc Crisp to suspension from last week's game against the Sharks with James Batterham, Seva Martin, Brayden Antonio and Drew Rohde coming into the initial 25-man squad.

Claremont, meanwhile, loses Trinity Handley, Sam Fong, Liam Smith and Bernard Sneeuwjagt from last week's team that lost to Perth.

Coming into the Tigers squad are Brenden Abbott, Mathew Aitchison, Keegan Knott, Jordan McAllister, Jack Richardson, Henry Roberts and Corey Yeo. 

Not only is Saturday's match the home-opener at Arena Joondalup for West Perth, but it will also be the day when the Falcons unfurl the premiership flag from 2013 in front of the loyal supporters and members who watched on in last year's grand final victory over East Perth at Patersons Stadium.

Claremont and West Perth both finished 2013 as the top two teams on the ladder at the end of the home and away season with the Falcons winning the second semi-final clash at Claremont Oval on the way to the premiership while the Tigers went on to lose the preliminary final to East Perth.

From that second semi-final game last year, West Perth will only be without Jason Salecic, Crisp, Mark Hutchings, Josh Mellington and Kody Manning from that winning side.

Luke Tedesco, Matt Johnson, Marcus Adams, Anthony Tsalikis, Brayden Antonio, James Batterham, Seva Martin and Drew Rohde are the players to come into the squad of 25 for this Saturday's clash at Arena Joondalup from the second semi-final line-up.

Meanwhile, there have been huge changes at Claremont since that day and none more so in the coaching box with Michael Broadbridge replacing premiership coach Marc Webb.

Then from the playing group, Ian Richardson, Paul Medhurst, Jack Bradshaw, Fong, Nick Winmar, Blake Anderson, Handley, David Crawford, Chad Jones, Mitch Andrews, Jesse Laurie, and James Thomson all played in the second semi-final and won't be in the side at Arena Joondalup this Saturday.

Yeo, Brandon Franz, Keifer Yu, Tom Willett, Matt Orzel, Jack Richardson, Steven Edwards, Tom Ledger, Abbott, Mathew Aitchison, Maximillian Bentley, Darcy Cameron, Knott, McAllister and Henry Roberts are the new faces in the Claremont team from that day.

EAST FREMANTLE v SUBIACO – GERALDTON 2.05PM
Selected teams

East Fremantle and Subiaco both recorded impressive Round 1 victories, and each are looking to return to finals action in 2014 so getting the new season off to a 2-0 start will be the perfect way to do that.

The Sharks beat reigning premiers West Perth by three points last Saturday at East Fremantle Oval while the Lions scored an impressive 38-point triumph over South Fremantle at Leederville's Medibank Stadium to set up a terrific contest this Saturday in Geraldton.

The regional centre of Geraldton has previously hosted seven WAFL matches dating back to 1985 and this will be the second time that East Fremantle and Subiaco have met there.

The first occasion was way back in Round 4, 1988 when Subiaco recorded a 49-point victory, however the Sharks have generally done well in fixtures in the area that is now part of their club zone.

East Fremantle has recorded victories over Claremont in 1985, Claremont in 1995, Perth in 2005, Claremont in 2008 and West Perth in 2011.

The only losses the Sharks have suffered in Geraldton came at the hands of the Lions in 1988 and West Perth in 2003.

So heading into the contest this Saturday against Subiaco having won six of eight matches in Geraldton and the Sharks' team will also consist of players from the area including Jack Perham and Mitch Boyle for this week's contest.

The biggest crowd in that time has been almost 8000 to watch the Sharks beat the Tigers in 1985, and it is hoped another healthy attendance shows up on Saturday to watch two in-form WAFL teams in action.

Coming off playing in the 2012 grand final, East Fremantle ended up missing the finals altogether in 2013 but the Sharks have welcomed some key players back this year and the hunger is strong to bounce back.

Bradd Dalziell, Jamie McNamara and Brock O'Brien are back at the Sharks this year and were all terrific last Saturday against West Perth while James Bristow and Danny Chartres are handy recruits with good size and versatility.

East Fremantle hasn’t made any changes from the team that beat the Falcons either with only Tyler Chalwell, Richard Bourne and Sean Henson coming into the extended squad of 25.

Meanwhile, Subiaco hasn’t made the finals since losing the 2011 grand final to Claremont and now in his second year in charge, it appears Jarrod Schofield has a squad that he is happy with and that he believes can contend for a finals berth.

Interstate recruits Matt Boland and Lachlan Delahunty had a good impact in last week's win over South Fremantle, particularly Boland who provided a tall option up forward and kicked four goals.

Experienced premiership players Shaun Hildebrandt and Wayde Twomey have both made an immediate impact in the Subiaco line-up as has Frank Stockley in the ruck who has come across from West Perth.

The Lions will welcome back their new captain Kyal Horsley for his first WAFL appearance since heading to the Gold Coast Suns with Brad Stevenson and Tom Smith a chance to come into the line-up as well.

EAST PERTH v SWAN DISTRICTS – MEDIBANK STADIUM 2.05PM
Selected teams

East Perth and Swan Districts last met in the 2013 first semi-final with the Royals and Swans now backing up for the first time clashing in 2014 on Saturday at Leederville's Medibank Stadium.

East Perth won that first semi-final last year by 28 points at Bassendean's Steel Blue Oval on the way to making the grand final before losing to West Perth.

The Royals started the season well this year with a win over Peel Thunder at Mandurah's Bendigo Bank Stadium last week and are expected to be a premiership contender again this season.

Meanwhile, Swans have lost a host of key players coming into the 2014 season but will be blooding a bevy of young and local products throughout the year, and could very well throw up some surprises.

From the 2013 first semi-final, East Perth will still have Blayne Wilson, Kyle Anderson, Craig Wulff, Steven Payne, Josh Smith, Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls, Mitchell Fraser, Paul Johnson and Freddie Clutterbuck from that winning side.

However, West Coast's Patrick McGinnity, Jeremy McGovern, Sam Butler, Jacob Brennan, Will Schofield, Fraser McInnes, Ashley Smith, Dom Sheed and Adam Carter come in to top up the team nicely.

From the side last week that beat Peel, East Perth does lost Brad Sheppard, Scott Lycett, Brant Colledge and Simon Tunbridge with Sheed, McGinnity, Wilson, Steven Wityk, Jacob Payne, Trent Hodgson and Matt Gordon all looking to come in.

Swan Districts has had mass changes over summer with Kyle Hams, Tom Roach, Shaun Hildebrandt, Brett Robinson, Wayde Twomey, Ryan Davis, Dayle Garlett, Rory Lobb, Andrew Embley, Charlie Cameron and Jamie Bennell all gone from the first semi-final team.

However, Swans do have some quality experienced personnel with Tallan Ames, Matt Riggio, Justin Simpson, Graham Jetta, Tony Note, Tim Geappen, Aaron Elari and Travis Casserly in their side who they will be relying on heavily to lead the way.

Swans did have the bye in Round 1 and now will be looking to open their season by making a statement against a strong Royals outfit.