WAFL Round 14 PreviewFriday, June 27, 2014 - 2:36 PM - by Chris Pike

THERE are just the three WAFL matches in Round 14 with two on Saturday featuring top four teams against the bottom two before Sunday's standalone fixture pits the fifth-placed side up against the one currently sitting in sixth.

The two matches on Saturday afternoon pits Swan Districts up against Claremont at Bassendean's Steel Blue Oval and Subiaco takes on Peel Thunder at Leederville's Medibank Stadium.

The standalone fixture on Sunday then sees South Fremantle host West Perth at Fremantle Oval.

East Fremantle and Perth have the bye as does East Perth ahead of its Foxtel Cup semi-final on Tuesday night against the VFL's Williamstown at Patersons Stadium.

SWAN DISTRICTS (10-2, 2nd) v CLAREMONT (3-8, 8th) – STEEL BLUE OVAL, SATURDAY 2.05PM
Selected teams

Swan Districts and Claremont have met in some classic encounters over the last five years and while heading into Round 14 only Swans appear heading for finals action, it should be a strong contest on Saturday at Steel Blue Oval.

Swan Districts were outplayed last Saturday in the wet for three and-a-half quarters before kicking six goals to nil in the final term to beat South Fremantle at Fremantle Oval to improve to a 10-2 record and to now move back to the top of the ladder with a win over Claremont on Saturday.

Claremont might be sitting in second last position with just three wins for the season, but the Tigers have been vastly improved over the past four matches which began with a competitive showing in a 26-point loss to Swan Districts back in Round 9 also at Steel Blue Oval.

The Tigers then beat Subiaco before only narrowly going down to West Perth and East Perth including dominating the league-leading Royals in the second half last Saturday to end up losing by 16 points.

That points to another competitive showing on Saturday as Swans and the Tigers continue their strong recent rivalry that began in 2010.

That year, Swans handed Claremont its first loss of the season with a 33-point win in Round 7 before the two teams played out a draw in Round 18 and then three weeks later the Tigers thrashed Swans by 73 points.

Claremont then scored three big wins over Swan Districts in 2011 before Swans beat the Tigers by a goal in Round 6, 2012. Claremont won by 97 points in Round 16, lost by nine in Round 12 and won the second semi-final by 32 on the way to a second straight premiership. 

Then last year, Claremont scored big wins in Rounds 3 and 22, but in between Swans beat the Tigers by 39 points at Claremont Oval before the black-and-whites also won the earlier meeting in 2014.

Swan Districts loses its two WA State 18s players Aidan Anderson and Connor Blakely as the pair finish off their time in the National Championships before returning to Swans for the rest of the 2014 season that has already seen both of them play some terrific league football.

Veteran forward Tim Geappen should be right to return for Swan Districts after missing last week's win over South Fremantle with a slight hamstring complaint.

Before he came off injured late in the third quarter of the Round 12 win over Peel, Geappen had been in his best form of the season with 10 goals, 40 possessions and 21 marks the previous two weeks, and then 15 disposals, seven marks and two goals so far in that win over the Thunder.

The 30-year-old 141-game veteran is now back to strengthen Swan Districts' forward-line with Jason Daniels, Laurence Grescos and Levi Ridley others making claims for selection by some strong reserves form with the black-and-whites.

Claremont will swap ruckman for ruckman on Saturday from last week's team that lost to East Perth with dual premiership big man Mitch Andrews coming back in for his first league game with the Tigers since Round 9 with Darcy Cameron going out of the side.

Forward Jack Richardson is also out of the Claremont team while Ben Daniher, Tom Ledger, Mitch McGovern and Tom Willett are all pressing for selection.

Last week in the reserves, Daniher picked up 13 possessions for Claremont, Ledger 20, McGovern 10 and Willett 17 but all had been in even more impressive form prior to that.

SUBIACO (8-4, 3rd) v PEEL THUNDER (2-9, 9th) – MEDIBANK STADIUM, SATURDAY 2.05PM
Selected teams

Subiaco and Peel Thunder might appear to be a mismatch on paper given the respective ladder positions of the two teams, but there is plenty riding on the result for both teams.

Subiaco currently sits in third position on the ladder with an 8-4 record but a loss on Saturday at home to Peel will put another dent in the Lions' hopes of still claiming a top-two berth and keep them just within striking distance of the fifth-placed West Perth.

However, a win on Saturday would almost be enough for Subiaco to lock away a finals berth in 2014 with seven more matches still remaining in the home and away season while seeing them remain a game and percentage ahead of East Fremantle, and within touch of the top two teams.

Peel Thunder won't be easy for Subiaco to overcome, though, with a strong looking squad on paper and also with the prospect of getting off the bottom of the ladder with a victory.

Despite currently sitting last with two wins from 11 matches, given Peel's competitiveness all season it has a decent percentage and could even end the weekend as high as sixth with a win as long as Claremont and South Fremantle lose to Swan Districts and West Perth respectively.

Despite Peel having only ever beaten Subiaco six times in 43 meetings and the Thunder winning just twice in nine attempts at Medibank Stadium, they actually have won two of their last three trips to Leederville against Subiaco.

Subiaco will make several changes from the team that narrowly lost to East Fremantle last Saturday with ruckman Frank Stockley returning from injury to partner with Andrew McDougall.

McDougall played his first league game of the season last week against the Sharks and was terrific with 17 possessions, 35 hit outs, five marks and five inside-50 entries.

Now he and Stockley will play in the same team together for the first time to give the Lions a strong big men department Lachlan Delahunty still to return from injury soon as well.

Shane Yarran looks set to return to the Subiaco line-up as well after missing the East Fremantle game following a superb first half of the season that saw him kick 21 goals in 11 matches.

Kyle Halligan, Dylan Clarke, Will Fetherstonhaugh and Craig Hoskins have all been in strong form in the reserves for the Lions as well to put themselves in contention for the league side.

Halligan kicked three goals for Subiaco last week in the reserves against East Fremantle while Clarke had 14 touches and two goals, Fetherstonhaugh 21 possessions and Hoskins 24 to go with six tackles and a goal.

At this stage, hard-running and long-kicking veteran Jarrod Kayler-Thomson goes out of the team with a shoulder injury with Rhett Kerr and Chris Deluca also out of the line-up so far from the side that lost to East Fremantle in the wet.

Peel is coming off its second win of the season and despite having four Fremantle players named out of its team at this stage, most should still line up for the Thunder against the Lions.

Matt Taberner, Tom Sheridan, Kepler Bradley and Anthony Morabito have all been named as outs for Peel from last week's win over Perth, but only Taberner has been included in Fremantle's team to play West Coast in the Western Derby at Patersons Stadium on Saturday night.

Sheridan, Bradley and Morabito have all been named as emergencies for the Dockers but only Bradley could be a late call up by Ross Lyon if he decides he needs his size defensively to take on the height in West Coast's forward-line.

Bradley has been in terrific form since returning from injury for Peel this season playing as a key defender with the likes of Taberner, Michael Apeness, Scott Gumbleton and the resting ruckman between Jonathon Griffin and Jack Hannath providing the tall targets up forward.

Peel's team will also be strengthened by the presence of Brady Grey who has been terrific in his first season on Fremantle's list as well as 110-game AFL veteran Matt de Boer.

Craig Moller could come in if Peel loses Bradley to Fremantle to provide another tall player with Rhys Anzellino, Cruize Garlett, Daniel Griffin and Corey Morris also in the mix for selection at the Thunder.

SOUTH FREMANTLE (3-8, 6th) v WEST PERTH (5-6, 5th) – FREMANTLE OVAL, SATURDAY 2.05PM
Selected teams

West Perth faces a must-win clash with South Fremantle at Fremantle Oval on Sunday to keep its finals hopes alive, but the Bulldogs have done well against the Falcons of late and will want to begin salvaging something out of a season that has slipped away.

As reigning premiers, West Perth has had an up and down 2014 season so far currently sitting on a 5-6 record in fifth position to be three games out of fourth place, but will be hoping to take some momentum out of qualifying for the Foxtel Cup grand final with a 74-point semi-final win over the Western Storm on Tuesday night.

A loss on Sunday for West Perth would just about end its finals hopes and chances of defending its premiership with only eight games remaining, but a win would keep the Falcons in touch with the third-placed Subiaco and fourth-placed East Fremantle.

South Fremantle will miss finals for the third straight year but the Bulldogs should be a better team than their 3-8 record suggests.

South Fremantle again let a win slip through its fingers last Sunday going down at home to Swan Districts by five points thanks to a scoreless final quarter after a dominant opening three quarters.

The Bulldogs might not be a chance of still playing finals, but are desperate to return to the winner's list to ensure that spirits remain buoyant down at Fremantle Oval.

Games between the two teams over the past six seasons have been fascinating with home ground proving to be more of a hindrance than help.

South Fremantle has won its last four matches against West Perth at Arena Joondalup, but the Falcons have won four of their last five games at Fremantle Oval including two of them by three points.

Overall since 2007, South Fremantle has won nine and West Perth eight of the 17 meetings between the two but only four of the Bulldogs' wins have been at Fremantle Oval where the Falcons have won five times.

There are no outs at this stage at South Fremantle from the team that lost to Swan Districts at home last Saturday, but clearly there are some senior players under pressure to hold on to their spots with some players looking to return to the line-up to face the Falcons on Sunday.

Enigmatic forward Paul Mugambwa is a chance to return from injury and play his first match since Round 6 while another key forward target Alistair Gillespie is pressing claims to come back in for just his second league match of the season.

In order for either or both to play, room will need to be made in the league side and Josh Pullman appears under the most pressure after just nine possessions and a behind against his former team Swan Districts last Saturday.

Mitch Carter missed the game against Swan Districts with a slight injury as well so he is vying to return to the side to face with West Perth as is Anthony Collica who didn’t play against Swans after a good game the previous week against East Perth.

While being supremely talented, Collica's body just hasn’t allowed him to have a good run in his career with him limited to two league games in 2012, two league and two reserves appearances in 2013, and now just three reserves and two league matches so far this season.

Only once in almost three seasons now has Collica been able to play consecutive matches at reserves or league level. This year, he played reserves in Round 1, 5 and 9 and in the league team in Round 10 and 12.

After 22 possessions, seven marks and a goal in Round 12 against East Perth, he couldn’t back up and play against Swan Districts last Saturday but now could return straightaway to take on West Perth on Sunday.

In order for either Carter or Collica, or both, to come in, though, they do need room to be made for them in South Fremantle's team with Shaun Bewick, Craig White, Ben Sokol, Jason Maskos and Jacob Martinez the most likely candidates after quiet games against Swan Districts.

From West Perth's team that won the Foxtel Cup semi-final on Tuesday night, only 13 players have been included in the Falcons' squad so far announced for Sunday's clash with South Fremantle.

Aidan Lynch was best on ground in that Foxtel Cup win but hasn’t made the cut for his league debut on Sunday with Brayden Antonio, Luke Meadows, Joe Morrow, Corey Chalmers, Max Alexander, Mitch van Berlo, Cameron Branch and Ben King not making the squad of 26.

However, there are very good reasons for that with Marcus Adams, Laine Rasmussen, Andrew Strijk, Dan Hunt, Luke Tedesco, Aaron Black, Jay van Berlo, Anthony Tsalikis, Kody Manning, Steve Potente, Nick Rodda, Shane Nelson and Jordan Jones all coming back in who didn’t play in the Foxtel Cup.

And from the team that lost narrowly to East Fremantle a fortnight ago, Adams is back for West Perth to add another key forward target with premiership on-ball pair Matt Guadagnin and Chris Keunen also returning from injuries that had kept them sidelined since the WA Day derby.

Mitch McPhee is also a chance to make his league debut with West Perth after an impressive three-goal performance in the Foxtel Cup semi-final victory over the Western Storm on Tuesday night.

At this stage there have been no outs named for West Perth but with Adams, Guadagnin and Keunen at least being confirmed starters, Jack Thrum, Kris Shannon, Trent Manzone and Matt Johnson might be among those players the coaching staff is weighing up for selection or not for Sunday's match.