WAFL Round 6 PreviewFriday, April 25, 2014 - 1:18 AM - by Chris Pike

THE WAFL is commemorating Anzac Day in Round 6 of the 2014 season starting with two terrific contests on Friday and then two more clashes on Saturday featuring four teams desperate to get back on the winner's list.

The Anzac Day WAFL action begins at Bassendean's Steel Blue Oval with Swan Districts hosting West Perth and then East Fremantle Oval will host the first Fremantle derby of 2014 between East Fremantle and South Fremantle.

The two matches on Saturday afternoon then feature Claremont taking on Peel Thunder at the Claremont Showgrounds and East Perth is playing Perth at Leederville's Medibank Stadium.

Anyone wearing military uniform or medals as well as kids under 16 admitted will be admitted FREE.

SWAN DISTRICTS (3-1, 3rd) v WEST PERTH (2-3, 5th) – STEEL BLUE OVAL, FRIDAY 2.45PM
Selected teams

Swan Districts and West Perth have locked away what is set to become a traditional Anzac Day fixture and it's a massive game for both clubs this Friday at Bassendean's Steel Blue Oval.

Swans come into the game having now won three straight matches after losing their opening clash to East Perth so a win again on Friday will improve the black-and-whites to a 4-1 record and really set up the rest of their 2014 season.

West Perth, on the other hand, has had an up and down start to its premiership defence in 2014.

The Falcons lost their first two games, then won the next two including a 100-point thumping of East Perth and then came back to earth last Saturday with a disappointing 23-point loss at home against the previously winless South Fremantle.

That sets up a tantalising fixture on Anzac Day between the two teams with it being the second straight year they have met on the day. Last year at Arena Joondalup, Swans finished right over the top of the Falcons to end up winning by 28 points.

The rivalry between Swan Districts and West Perth over the past decade has been a remarkable one as well including a classic in 2007 where Adam Lange and Adam Campbell kicked eight goals apiece, a 2008 night fixture decided when a West Perth trainer interfered with play and a preliminary final that same year where the Falcons coughed up a 35-point lead.

On that day, the game ended early when the siren went prematurely and had to be restarted, and since the fascinating matches have continued including a draw in 2009, first semi-final clash in 2009, and three tight and hard fought contests last year between the teams that finished second and third on the ladder at the end of the home and away season.

Swan Districts has now won three straight matches and it is a team playing on great heart and spirit, and which is also gelling tremendously well together.

As a result, there is no reason for coach Greg Harding to look to make changes and he will be going in with the same 22 that beat Perth last Sunday by a point with Rudy Riddoch, Nathan Broad and Laurence Grescos named the three emergencies.

Veteran Swan Districts forward Tim Geappen is also free to play after escaping suspension at the WAFL tribunal on Thursday and receiving a reprimand stemming from last Sunday's thrilling win over Perth.

West Perth remains without 164-game premiership midfielder Matt Guadagnin and Andrew Krakouer is set to be given his second straight league appearance to build on his showing last week against South Fremantle, and to also take on his former side on their home turf.

Unless there are any late changes, the three additions to the West Perth squad from last week Kris Shannon, Matt Spencer and Jack Thrum will remain as emergencies.

However, with Geappen cleared to play for Swan Districts and the black-and-whites' forward-line also consisting of Ricky Cary and Tony Notte, Spencer could well come in to the Falcons' line-up.

If he does, it will be his first WAFL league match overall since he played in the 2010 grand final for Swan Districts, and it will be his league debut for West Perth after joining the Falcons over summer.

The 29-year-old key defender has played four matches in the reserves so far this year and been in solid form.

With Ben Saunders having kicked seven goals against the West Perth defence last week, Spencer could very well be the ideal addition to the team to come in and give support to 155-game premiership defender Dan Hunt who is in outstanding form.

EAST FREMANTLE (3-1, 2nd) v SOUTH FREMANTLE (1-4, 7th) – EAST FREMANTLE OVAL, FRIDAY 3.00PM
Selected teams

East Fremantle and South Fremantle have now built up a second traditional derby each year to take place on Anzac Day and this Friday's battle at East Fremantle is looming as another classic.

Both the Sharks and Bulldogs are coming into the contest in winning form with East Fremantle having won three of its first four games of the season including a solid win on Good Friday over Peel Thunder in Mandurah.

Meanwhile, South Fremantle lost its first four games of the season despite being a chance to win three of those four, but the Bulldogs got on the board last Saturday with an impressive 23-point win over West Perth at Arena Joondalup.

It is going to be a tremendous day of commemoration of Anzac Day in Fremantle all day long.

It begins in the City of Fremantle with the Dawn Service at Monument Hill at 5.30am followed by the Anzac Day parade at Esplanade Reserve at 10.15am.

Then at East Fremantle Oval, a live band along with a kids game that will begin from 1pm with the Anzac Day ceremony beginning at 2.40pm and then the battle over the Sir Hughie Edwards Cup beginning at 3pm.

East Fremantle and South Fremantle have now played in Anzac Day fixtures since 2009.

In that first encounter in 2009, South Fremantle won a thriller by a goal thanks to a late Toby Bairstow goal after a controversial deliberate out of bounds decision paid against Rob Young. A crowd of 5484 turned out on that occasion.

East Fremantle then won by 56 points in front of 3335 fans at East Fremantle Oval in 2010 before the Bulldogs bounced back in 2011 winning by 29 points in front of 4225 spectators at Fremantle Oval.

In 2012 back at East Fremantle Oval, the Sharks scored a thumping 85-point win with 2408 people watching and then last year, East Fremantle also won by 29 points in front 3985 fans at Fremantle Oval.

South Fremantle might have only won 45 of 94 matches overall at East Fremantle Oval, but since 2000 they have won 14 of the last 19 including last year in the Foundation Derby by 67 points.

That run included the Bulldogs winning 11 straight matches at Shark Park between 2001 and until Round 21, 2008.

East Fremantle is coming off a win over Peel Thunder back on Good Friday where it controlled the majority of the contest, but Tom Howlett didn’t play that day and is a certain starter for the Sharks on Anzac Day against the Bulldogs.

A big job will await Howlett as well on either Ben Saunders, Paul Mugambwa or Josh Pullman as well in the back-line.

Michael Edwards and Jayden Schofield have been in good form in the reserves for the Sharks as well, but it's a hard team to break in to right now.

South Fremantle is also coming into the Anzac Day derby in winning form having got on the board last week against West Perth.

There is also little reason for change at the Bulldogs but Kris Miller, Ben Sokol and Jason Maskos are pressing for a return to the league side after being dropped back to the reserves the last couple of weeks as coach Paul Hasleby searched for a winning formula.

CLAREMONT (1-3, 8th) v PEEL THUNDER (0-4, 9th) – CLAREMONT SHOWGROUNDS, SATURDAY 2.05PM
Selected teams

Claremont and Peel Thunder have just one win between them heading into Saturday's clash which doubles as the first WAFL fixture at the Claremont Showgrounds since 2005.

Claremont has been the dominant WAFL team over the past four years with four straight minor premierships, three grand final appearances and two premierships to its credit, but the Tigers of 2014 are a much different looking outfit.

The result has seen Claremont so far record just the one win in 2014 and that came against reigning premiers West Perth in Round 2 at Arena Joondalup.

However, either side of that win Claremont has suffered heavy losses against Perth (65 points), Subiaco (80) and East Fremantle (75).

Meanwhile, Peel has been competitive only losing by a combined 89 points in four matches against East Perth, Swan Districts, Subiaco and East Fremantle.

The Tigers and Thunder will meet for the first WAFL game at the Showgrounds since Round 1, 2005 when Claremont beat West Perth in a thriller by a solitary point in front of a massive crowd of 7812.

Before that, no WAFL fixture had been played at the Showgrounds since 1926.

With Claremont Oval currently being redeveloped, the venue will be Claremont's home in the meantime.

The tossing of the coin will be done by Claremont’s oldest surviving former player and war veteran, 90 year old Bud Byfield. 

The best Claremont player on ground will be awarded the Ralph Honner Award, named after former player lieutenant Colonel Ralph Honner for his services to the club (1926 – 1932) and more importantly to his country through his outstanding services from 1936 to 1944 in active service. 

Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Honner D.S.O, M.C is better known as the inspiring hero of Kokoda.

Claremont is coming off the bye following three heavy losses in three of its first four matches, and as a result coach Michael Broadbridge has swung the changes for the first match of the season at the Showgrounds.

Experienced pair John Williams and Brandon Franz go out of the Claremont team from the side that lost to East Fremantle a fortnight ago with Matthew Davies, Keifer Yu and Brenden Abbott the others not in favour of the new coach.

Dual premiership ruckman Mitch Andrews is set to come in to play his first league game of 2014 to help add plenty of size to the Tigers' line-up with Mark Seaby and Darcy Cameron still in the side.

Mathew Aitchison has played just the one league game this season for Claremont and on that occasion he was outstanding keeping West Perth's Matt Guadagnin quiet and it was no coincidence that the Tigers' scored their only win of the year on that day.

Aitchison now has recovered from a hamstring strain and will likely get a job on one of Peel's prime movers.

Sam Fong, Matthew Goyder, Keegan Knott and Bernard Sneeuwjagt are all a chance to come back into the Claremont team as well with Jayden Brooks and Luke Cameron a chance to make their league debuts.

Once again, Peel has plenty of changes to make coming off another competitive albeit losing performance on Good Friday against East Fremantle.

Tom Sheridan is out of the Peel team after picking up a game-high 32 possessions last week against East Fremantle with Michael Apeness another Docker also out of the line-up.

Unless they get a surprising late call up for Fremantle, though, to play on Friday night against North Melbourne at Patersons Stadium, Garrick Ibbotson, Jack Hannath and Alex Silvagni should play again for Peel against Claremont.

James Hawksley injured his hamstring in the second quarter for Peel on Good Friday so it out of the team as is wingman Brennan Gillam.

Kepler Bradley has previously played 33 WAFL matches for West Perth including the 2003 premiership, but the Fremantle big man is set to play his first game of 2014 after hamstring injuries and that will mean it's his Peel Thunder debut as well.

Fellow Dockers Matt Taberner and Michael Wood are also back in the Peel side with Cruize Garlett, Russell Shore, Kristin Thornton, Aiden Field and Sam Barndon also pushing for selection.

It is going to be a very tall Peel line-up with the likes of Hannath, Craig Moller, Jonathon Griffin, Bradley, Silvagni and Taberner. That will certainly test Claremont in the air, but might also make things difficult for the Thunder at ground level.

Overall, though, with the additions of Bradley, Garlett, Thornton and Taberner and only the loss of Sheridan who had much impact last week, it's likely the best team Peel has fielded in 2014 and gives the Thunder a real chance of notching their first win of the campaign.

EAST PERTH (3-2, 4th) v PERTH (2-2, 6th) – MEDIBANK STADIUM, SATURDAY 2.05PM
Selected teams
 
East Perth and Perth both started 2014 strongly, are now on losing runs and that sets up a tantalising fixture on Saturday at Leederville's Medibank Stadium.

East Perth started the season so well with wins against Peel Thunder, Swan Districts and then a 75-point thumping of South Fremantle, but the Royals have now since been thrashed by 100 points against West Perth and then overrun on Good Friday by Subiaco.

Perth, meanwhile, won its opening two matches against Claremont and South Fremantle, but the Demons have now lost to West Perth and Swan Districts in its last two matches.

East Perth might have lost its last two games, but its great strength over the rest of the competition is with the talls it has the potential of fielding any given week.

On top of their own Josh Smith and Paul Johnson, East Perth has the potential of having Scott Lycett, Callum Sinclair and Jeremy McGovern as well, but some selections by West Coast aren’t in the Royals' favour this week.

McGovern has been in terrific form as a key defender so far this year for the Royals and will make his AFL debut for the Eagles against Carlton on Saturday in the absence of suspended captain Darren Glass.

Lycett starred with five goals for the Royals on Good Friday in the loss to Subiaco and as a result has been recalled by West Coast to face Carlton as well leaving East Perth without its biggest key defender, and an in-form big man who has been mixing his time between the forward-line and ruck.

Jacob Brennan, Sam Butler and Patrick McGinnity are the three emergencies for the Eagles, but unless there is a late change all should line-up for the Royals against Perth.

Of the trio, only Butler has been in good form and he had another 27 possessions last week against Subiaco. However, it will be a strange experience for Butler who will play his first WAFL game against Perth where he previously played 51 matches.

Eagles forward Fraser McInnes is in the same boat as well after playing his first 37 matches in the WAFL with Perth up until this year.

East Perth might be without Lycett and McGovern, but does have reigning Bernie Naylor Medallist Josh Smith returning after missing the loss to Subiaco with small Eagles forward Josh Hill also dropping back.

Will Magginness, Jacob Payne, Tom Shanahan, Beau Chatley, Dylan Main and Julian Locantro are the other East Perth players pushing for selection in the league line-up.

Perth could bring in key defender Chris Billings to play his first league game of the season and first since Round 24, 2012 to help match up on the likes of Smith, Johnson, McInnes and Callum Sinclair.

Matthew Hunt, Christian Eyres, Joel Leeson and Clem Smith all vying to return to the Demons' line-up with Eyres in the mix for his first league game of the 2014 to lead the ruck that he did so well in during 2013.

Mitchell Lleyendekkers did well the first three games, but he is currently out injured and Ben Power did well on debut last week against Swan Districts but a combination of Eyres and Power could be needed against Johnson and Sinclair this Saturday.

Small forward Callum Collard goes out of the Perth team despite having kicked 10 goals so far this season with Reese Richardson also out for the Demons to face the Royals.