WAFL Round 19 PreviewFriday, August 1, 2014 - 12:30 PM - by Chris Pike

ROUND 19 of the 2014 WAFL season is highlighted by a top-of-the-table clash between East Perth and Subiaco while it also features the final Fremantle derby of the year and a battle to avoid the wooden spoon between Perth and Peel Thunder.

All four matches will take place on Saturday afternoon with East Perth playing Subiaco at Leederville's Medibank Stadium, West Perth hosting Swan Districts at Joondalup's HBF Arena, East Fremantle facing South Fremantle at the newly named ATOM Stadium and Perth taking on Peel Thunder at Lathlain Park.

Claremont has the bye with the Tigers entering the break in terrific form having won four of their last five matches.

EAST PERTH (13-2, 1st) v SUBIACO (12-4, 2nd) – MEDIBANK STADIUM, SATURDAY 2.05PM
Selected teams

Subiaco is the last team to beat East Perth but that was way back on Good Friday with the Medibank Stadium co-tenants now getting set to meet for just the second time this season with top spot on the WAFL ladder up for grabs.

East Perth is currently on a 10-match winning streak dating back to that loss to Subiaco in Round 5 with the Royals now sitting a game and percentage clear on top of the ladder while also having played one less match than the Lions.

However, Subiaco could make up that percentage gap potentially with a win on Saturday and be on top at least in the short term with three games of their season remaining.

Subiaco currently holds a 12-4 record and holds a massive percentage advantage over the third-placed Swan Districts, but the Lions will drop to third spot with a loss to East Perth on Saturday if Swan Districts is also able to beat West Perth.

The Lions are now also on a winning run of their own having won four straight matches, and six of their last seven since a run of losing three from four games between Rounds 7 and 10.

In that last meeting between the two teams on Good Friday, Subiaco kicked the only six goals of the first quarter but then by three quarter-time the Royals had worked their way on top and to lead by 15 points.

However, Subiaco finished strongly with the only six goals again of the final quarter to win by 24 points.

From last week's team that beat West Perth, East Perth loses Sharrod Wellingham, Jamie Bennell, Josh Hill, Jamie Cripps and Malcolm Karpany.

Cripps, Hill and Bennell have all been called up by West Coast to take on Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday night while Wellingham and Karpany both go out injured.

East Perth has some strong inclusions as well to take on Subiaco with Simon Tunbridge, Ashley Smith, Will Maginness, Brant Colledge, Callum Hart, Dylan Main, Tom Shanahan, Steven Wityk and Jacob Payne all in calculations for the final 22.

Tunbridge and Smith both return after being dropped by the Eagles while Colledge returns from injury and good reserves form has Maginness, Hart, Main, Shanahan, Wityk and Payne back in the mix.

Hart had 13 possessions and seven tackles in the terrible conditions of last week with Main finishing with 19 touches and 10 tackles, Maginness 31 possessions, Shanahan 18 disposals and 11 tackles, Wityk seven possessions, five tackles and five hit outs, and Payne 10 disposals and five tackles.

Subiaco will make at least three changes as well from the team that beat South Fremantle last Saturday at Fremantle Oval.

Abe Davey returns for his first league game since Round 4 and the half-back effectively takes the place of Joel Latham who up until this point has played every game this season since crossing to Subiaco from West Perth.

There is another straight swap with Chris Deluca replacing Joel Ashman as the small pressure, crumbing forward in the Subiaco line-up.

Josh Deluca, Will Fetherstonhaugh, Declan Jackson and Justin Joyce are all in the mix to return to the Subiaco side as well.

Josh Deluca hasn’t played a league game since Round 8 but kicked three goals in the reserves last Saturday while Fetherstonhaugh had 29 possessions, Jackson just seven and Joyce 18.

WEST PERTH (6-9, 6th) v SWAN DISTRICTS (12-4, 3rd) – HBF ARENA, SATURDAY 2.05PM
Selected teams

West Perth and Swan Districts meet for the third time this season on Saturday at Joondalup's HBF Arena with the Falcons desperate to get back to winning while Swans simply need to notch another four points to keep their top two hopes alive.

West Perth can no longer make the finals having now lost its last three matches and while Swan Districts does sit in third position on the ladder destined to take part in September action, the clash should still be a fascinating one between two teams with stark contrasts between their best and worst football.

Coming off winning last year's premiership, West Perth's 2014 campaign has never quite got off the ground despite threatening to a couple of different times.

Having now lost their last three games to Swan Districts, Subiaco and East Perth, West Perth has fallen to sixth position on the ladder with a 6-9 record to now be four games outside of fourth position with only five games of the year to go.

West Perth was still clinging to a hope of possibly winning the Foxtel Cup for 2014 and remaining in touch for the WAFL finals only two weeks ago, but since then they lost the Foxtel Cup grand final to Williamstown and went down last week to East Perth while kicking only three goals in total across the two matches.

Swan Districts, meanwhile, currently sits in third position with a 12-4 record and with the potential to improve to second spot on the ladder by Saturday night with a win over West Perth and if Subiaco comes up short against Subiaco.

However, the black-and-whites form certainly hasn’t stacked up in recent weeks to what they were able to deliver earlier in the season.

Swans won eight straight matches between Rounds 3 and 10 to set up the finals tilt, but since then have won just four of seven matches including having to come from significant three quarter-time deficits to beat South Fremantle in Round 13 and Perth last Saturday at Steel Blue Oval.

West Perth and Swan Districts have already played twice this season with Swans winning both encounters firstly by seven points on Anzac Day at Steel Blue Oval, and then by 29 points back in Round 15 also at HBF Arena.

Surprisingly, West Perth's form at home this season has left a lot to be desired as well despite a strong average crowd still of 2734 people, including 6201 on WA Day against East Perth and 5362 in Round 16 against Subiaco.

West Perth, though, has won just two of those eight matches at home so far in 2014 and the victories came against the second last Perth in Round 3 and then thanks to a scintillating fight back against the bottom-placed Peel in Round 8.

The Falcons have lost to Claremont by 12 points, South Fremantle by 23 points, East Perth by 16 points, East Fremantle by nine points, Swan Districts by 29 points and Subiaco by 25 points at HBF Arena throughout 2014.

West Perth is still without Nick Rodda, Andrew Strijk, Kody Manning, Steve Potente, Matt Fowler and Jack Thrum as the Falcons try to still get something out of a 2014 season that hasn’t turned out too well in recent times.

From last week's team who lost to East Perth in the mud at Medibank Stadium, Aidan Lynch, Luke Meadows and Jordan Mills come into the squad with no omissions at this stage.

Lynch has played two Foxtel Cup matches for West Perth but is yet to play a WAFL league game and that could change this Saturday.

The 19-year-old has now played 38 reserves matches and could be a handy addition to the Falcons team either in the midfield or across half-back.

Meadows is a chance to also add to West Perth's half-back line if he is picked to play the third league WAFL match of his career to also go with an appearance in the Foxtel Cup, and on the back now of 25 matches in the reserves for the 19-year-old.

Mills has been around a bit longer with the 23-year-old having now played 64 reserves matches, but he is yet to make his senior debut for the Falcons. He has done a long apprenticeship and now could earn his debut appearance this Saturday to add to West Perth's defensive unit.

Justin Simpson will return for Swan Districts after missing last week's win over Perth at home with the experienced defender to resume an outstanding 2014 season that sees him average almost 22 possessions a game and be one of, if not, the best defenders in the competition at chopping off entries inside-50 from the opposition and then setting up play himself coming out of the back-line.

Anthony Stephens, Rudy Riddoch and Jesse Manton are the other Swan Districts players vying for a position in the team as coach Greg Harding now looks to finalise what his final 22 come finals time will be.

Jacob Burnham is the only out of the team at this stage after the 21-year-old had just seven possessions in last Saturday's win over Perth.

EAST FREMANTLE (10-6, 4th) v SOUTH FREMANTLE (4-11, 7th) – ATOM STADIUM, SATURDAY 2.05PM
Selected teams

East Fremantle and South Fremantle meet in the final derby at the newly named ATOM Stadium on Saturday but the result might actually count for little in the big picture.

East Fremantle currently sits in fourth position on the WAFL ladder with a 10-6 record and appears set to play finals but the Sharks look set to finish in that fourth spot.

The Sharks are two games and significant percentage behind the second-placed Subiaco and third-placed Swan Districts so it's unlikely they can move up from fourth while they hold a comfortable three game and percentage hold over the fifth-placed Claremont so it would take something remarkable from here for them to not play finals.

South Fremantle, meanwhile, is well and truly out of finals contention with just the four wins from 15 matches so far in 2014 but the Bulldogs will want to finish on a high and beating the Sharks would be a good way to start that, while also ensuring they won't be able to finish up with the wooden spoon.

Derbies between the two in recent times has also seen the visiting side enjoying most of the success which might not bode well for East Fremantle in its first home game at the newly named ATOM Stadium.

Since 2000, South Fremantle has won 15 of its last 20 matches at Shark Park with the last two being particularly impressive and on big occasions – the Foundation Derby last year and this year on Anzac Day.

However, East Fremantle beat South Fremantle at Fremantle Oval back on WA Day comprehensively despite the final margin of only 15 points.

Not only is it a derby so it's naturally a big occasion, but it's a huge day for the East Fremantle Football Club with premiership reunions for the 1974, 1979 and 1994 league teams, the 1994 reserves and under 19s of 1974.

The Uittenbroek-Ciccotosto Cup will also be presented to the winning team of the league match while afterwards, the women's league and reserves team will also be playing off against one another on a day that features five derbies.

Jordan Dorotich loses his place in the East Fremantle team after just one possession in last week's loss to Claremont at the Showground.

That leaves Tyler Chalwell, Michael Edwards, Tom Hooker and Jake Schleicher all desperately trying to get a chance back in the Sharks league side, and then to stay there with finals on the horizon for 2014.

East Fremantle's reserves kicked just two goals in a loss to Claremont last week but Chalwell kept his name in the mix with 11 possessions and seven tackles while Hooker racked up 26 disposals to go with nine tackles and seven inside-50 entries.

Edwards worked tirelessly and finished with 36 possessions while laying eight tackles with Schleicher had 27 touches.

South Fremantle is still without experienced pair Ryan Cook and Adam Guglielmana for the third straight game with full-forward Ben Saunders and two-time premiership player and Simpson Medal winner Ashton Hams still needing to declare themselves fit to play after not seeing out last week's clash with Subiaco at Fremantle Oval.

Lewis Harvey goes out of the South Fremantle team after playing the last three games but having just six possessions and no score in last Saturday's loss to Subiaco.

Josh Pullman and Marlon Pickett are in the mix to return to the South Fremantle side with Jarrod Garlett and Jarrod Pickett a chance to make their league debuts.

Pullman has spent the last three weeks in the reserves after playing the opening 12 matches of the season in the league side, and he might be in line for a call up particularly if Saunders isn’t right to play after coming off on a stretcher late in the third quarter last week against Subiaco.

Marlon Pickett looks to be a certain inclusion for the Bulldogs after 25 possessions in the reserves last Saturday as he prepares to play his first league match since Round 10 after a quiet patch of form following a stunning start to his league career.

Garlett has stepped up from playing colts to start 2014 to now have played the last two matches in the reserves to give the 18-year-old a chance now to make his league debut against East Fremantle on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Jarrod Pickett is expected to a top draft pick later this year and now recruiters across the country will be eagerly awaiting to see how the 17-year-old goes playing league football with South Fremantle.

There would be no better way for the future star to make his league debut than by doing in the derby and he comes into the side having spent the last two weeks in the reserves including a 22-possession effort last Saturday in terrible conditions against Subiaco at Fremantle Oval.

PERTH (3-13, 8th) v PEEL THUNDER (3-12, 9th) – LATHLAIN PARK, SATURDAY 2.05PM
Selected teams

Unfortunately for Perth and Peel Thunder, the two teams find themselves in familiar territory at the foot of WAFL ladder with the loser of Saturday's clash at Lathlain Park to be a game clear in last position and to become the wooden spoon favourites.

Peel has occupied last place on the WAFL ladder for most of the season having started with seven straight losses before going on to win two of its next four games, and now having lost three of its last four leading into the bye last weekend.

Perth, on the other hand, won its first two games of the season but has won just the one game since then and is currently on a 10-match losing streak heading into Saturday's match at home to the Thunder.

The two teams have already met twice this season with Perth winning by 29 points in Round 7 and then Peel getting up by 19 points in round 13.

Unfortunately, both teams have been no stranger to the wooden spoon in recent times with Peel having finished last 10 times since entering the competition in 1997 while Perth has claimed the wooden spoon two times in that period as well.

Just in case Perth couldn’t be missing any more important, key players already, Jarryd Morton and Clem Smith now join the Demons absentee list to face Peel this Saturday at home.

That pair joins Mitch Morton, Jarrad Irons, Joel Leeson, Brett Hodge, Paul Bevan, Cale Morton, Brennan Stack, Nick Kane, Jared Rison and Haydn Busher, all among its best and most important players, out of the Perth team for this week.

Perth will be glad to welcome back experienced key defender Chris Billings to take on the bevy of Peel tall forwards which includes Scott Gumbleton, Jack Hannath, Michael Apeness and possibly even Craig Moller.

Former East Perth pair Rowan Brookes and Blake Borrett are in contention to return to the Perth team to face Peel with Brent Edmonds and Matthew Welburn also a chance to play.

Peel's team is significantly strengthened even from the one that lost to East Fremantle a fortnight ago with Alex Silvagni, Sam Menegola, Anthony Morabito, Jonathon Griffin, Colin Sylvia and Matt Brown all to return.

Silvagni will be playing his first match since partially puncturing a lung while playing for Fremantle against the Brisbane Lions back in Round 14.

Menegola was a travelling emergency when the Dockers went to Melbourne to face St Kilda and now he returns for the Thunder looking to continue some strong form this season when fit that has him closing in on an AFL debut.

Morabito became a great story when he made his AFL return with Fremantle but he now finds himself dropped following the loss to St Kilda a fortnight ago, and now back with Peel desperate to show good enough form to have considered again by Ross Lyon in time for the finals.

Griffin was called up by Fremantle to carry the ruck in the absence of Aaron Sandilands a fortnight ago, but he now returns to lead the ruck brigade for the Thunder this Saturday.

Sylvia was given ample opportunities by the Dockers to try and cement his spot in the side but now returns for Peel as well.

Experienced small forward Brown is also back for Peel while Josh Bootsma is a chance to make his WAFL league debut as well but if he does it won't be based on good form in the reserves the last two weeks since arriving at the Thunder after being delisted by AFL club Carlton earlier this year.