WAFL Semi Finals PreviewFriday, September 5, 2014 - 6:34 PM - by Chris Pike

THE WAFL finals for 2014 begin this Sunday with East Perth and Subiaco looking to become the first team to qualify for the grand final while East Fremantle and Swan Districts are out to extend their seasons for at least one more week.

The second semi-final takes place at Medibank Stadium between the Leederville co-tenants East Perth and Subiaco.

The winner of that clash is straight through to the grand final while the loser will host next Sunday's preliminary final up against the winner of the first semi-final between East Fremantle and Swan Districts at ATOM Stadium. Both games bounce down at 2.15pm on Sunday.

The reserves' second semi-final will take place between Subiaco and West Perth at Medibank Stadium while the first semi-final features Claremont playing East Fremantle at ATOM Stadium.

And in the colts, the second semi-final sees Swan Districts take on Claremont at ATOM Stadium and South Fremantle faces East Perth in the first semi-final at Medibank Stadium.

SECOND SEMI-FINAL: EAST PERTH (16-4, 1st) v SUBIACO (14-6, 2nd) – MEDIBANK STADIUM, SUNDAY 2.15PM
Selected teams

East Perth and Subiaco were the two standout teams of the 2014 home and away season and now do battle at Medibank Stadium on Sunday with a grand final berth at stake.

East Perth won 16 of 20 games this season to finish two games and percentage clear on top of the ladder to be minor premiers for the first time since 2002.

That just happened to be East Perth's last premiership year and the Royals do have the experience of having made last year's grand final to West Perth to draw upon.

However, two of East Perth's losses this season came at the hands of Subiaco with the Lions the only team to have not tasted defeat against the Royals in the competition in 2014.

The first meeting was back on Good Friday and was a fascinating contest with Subiaco kicking the first six goals of the game before East Perth hit back to hold a 15-point three quarter-time advantage. The Lions hit back, though, with the only six goals of the final quarter to win by 24 points.

Then in Round 19, Subiaco again opened up a handy advantage early in the contest and then went on to lead all afternoon to win by 28 points.

Over the course of the season, Subiaco has been the highest-scoring team in the competition averaging right on 100 points a game, but East Perth only scored 27 points fewer throughout the 20 matches.

East Perth's defence was then the best in the competition conceding just 72 points a game while Subiaco gave up 79 points a match.

East Perth did have a slightly indifferent start to the season opening up with three wins but then lost to West Perth and Subiaco in successive games to hold just a 3-2 record.

However, the Royals then went on a winning streak of 10 matches to all but sew up the minor premiership before losing to Subiaco in Round 19, then winning three more games and then going down narrowly to the on-fire Claremont last Saturday in the final round.

Subiaco, meanwhile, opened up the season with five straight wins before a first loss at the hands of Swan Districts in Round 7.

Following that, Subiaco beat Perth but then suffered losses to West Perth and Claremont to have its season teetering a little. However, following a Round 13 loss to East Fremantle, the Lions went on a five-game winning streak to show their premiership credentials.

Much of the focus regarding East Perth has been on its West Coast-listed players and Jacob Brennan, Blayne Wilson, Patrick McGinnity, Fraser McInnes, Josh Hill, Dom Sheed, Callum Sinclair, Ashley Smith, Sam Butler, Adam Carter and Brant Colledge all look set to play in the second semi-final.

However, the Royals have a strong core group of WAFL players that their team is built around including Craig Wulff, Brendan Lee, Josh Smith, Paul Johnson, Steven Payne, Freddie Clutterbuck, Kyle Anderson, Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls, Dean Cadwallader and Nathan Blee.

From East Perth's team that lost last Saturday to Claremont, Anderson, Wilson, McGinnity, Blee, Hill, Sheed, Ashley Smith, Butler, Carter, Mitch Howlett and Colledge come into the squad.

Matt Gordon, Beau Chatley, Jackson Slater, Tom Shanahan, Steven Wityk, Julian Ameduri and Dylan Main all didn’t make the final squad of 26 for the Royals.

With its position in second spot secured, Subiaco took the chance to rest some key players last Sunday against East Fremantle.

Of those, Andrew McDougall, Chris Phelan and Chris Deluca are automatic returns to take on East Perth in the second semi-final and George Hampson will be as well provided he passes his final fitness test.

Scott Worthington could also be a surprise inclusion for the Lions if the left-footer from Kalgoorlie makes the final 22. If he does, it will be his first league game of the season after injury restricted him to just three reserves matches in 2014.

Kyle Halligan is also another dangerous half-forward who continues to press his case to be part of Subiaco's league side with Tom Smith the only player out at this stage from the line-up that took on East Fremantle.

However, Subiaco's reserves have been dominant in 2014 and pressure continues to be hot for spots in the league side with the likes of Rob Forrest, Reece Blechynden, Ray Daniels, James Garcia, Simon Moore, Will Fetherstonhaugh, Luke Norriss, Joel Ashman, Joe Scafidi, Craig Hoskins, Matt Bogensperger and Dylan Clarke continuing to perform well.

FIRST SEMI-FINAL: EAST FREMANTLE (12-8, 3rd) v SWAN DISTRICTS (12-8, 4th) – ATOM STADIUM, SUNDAY 2.15PM
Selected teams

East Fremantle and Swan Districts have indifferent form coming into the finals but by Sunday night one of them will be into a preliminary final and the other will have had their season ended for 2014.

East Fremantle and Swan Districts met just the twice during the season with each scoring a thumping win over the other.

Swans thumped the Sharks at Steel Blue Oval by 60 points in Round 8 and then East Fremantle got a win back in Round 22, just two weeks ago, by 62 points at ATOM Stadium.

East Fremantle and Swan Districts have not been the most regular of finals opponents over the years either.

Sunday's clash will just be the third ever first semi-final meeting with Swans winning in 1983 and the Sharks in 1987 while they have met in two second semi-finals splitting a win each in 1962 and 1984.

The two teams have played off in five grand finals, though, but not since 1984 and their most recent finals battle was the 2012 preliminary final at Steel Blue Oval which the Sharks won by 27 points before losing the grand final to Claremont.

While only 0.72 of a per cent separated the two teams over the course of the season, Swan Districts was significantly better offensively and East Fremantle better defensively.

The Sharks conceded just 80 points a game during the season while Swans gave up 87, but Swan Districts scored an average of 88 points a game and East Fremantle scored just 81.

That sums up the great strength of both teams as well with East Fremantle's back-line of Andrew Stephen, Steven Dodd, Tom Howlett, Matthew Jupp, Sam Read and Brock O'Brien outstanding while Swan Districts has three outstanding and dangerous forwards with Tim Geappen, Ryan Davis and Ricky Cary.

East Fremantle was struggling after Round 8 this season sitting on just a 3-4 record and with work to do in order to be in finals contention, but the Sharks then found some form between Rounds 9 and 15.

East Fremantle beat Perth, South Fremantle, Peel Thunder, West Perth and Subiaco in that period of six straight wins to set up its tilt at the finals, but the Sharks were never quite able to keep it going through the second half of the season.

Since Round 15, East Fremantle beat Peel, West Perth and Swan Districts but lost to Eat Perth, Claremont, South Fremantle and finally Subiaco in the last round of the season.

Swan Districts lost its opening game of the season to East Perth but did so in encouraging fashion and then went on to win its next eight matches to set up the season.

The winning run came to an end against Subiaco in Round 11, but Swans then steadied winning three of their next four and four of their next six to guarantee a finals berth.

However, from there Swans lost their last four matches against West Perth, East Perth, South Fremantle and East Fremantle to limp into the finals.

East Fremantle's State midfielder Jamie McNamara injured a shoulder late in last Sunday's game against Subiaco and is facing a race against time to be right to go for the Sharks this week, but all signs are pointing towards him giving it a go playing with the help of some pain killers.

If he is unable to play, then Mitch Boyle looms as his likely replacement given his running ability.

Big man James Bristow looks likely to be an automatic inclusion as well after missing the final round and he will team up with veteran Rob Young with the pair to then share the duties of playing as a marking target up forward and in the ruck.

Lively forward Tim Bristow and Ryan Lester-Smith are also in the frame for selection with East Fremantle but are unlikely to crack into the final 22 with coach Steve Malaxos settling on a forward-line that includes the resting ruckman along with Jack Perham, Tyler Chalwell, Brett Peake and Boston Williamson.

Swan Districts' hopes of turning its poor form to close the season around isn’t helped by the loss of two key players to injury.

Inspirational captain and full-back Tallan Ames is out with a hamstring injury while State midfielder and the hard-running Blaine Boekhorst is also missing due to a knee injury.

More youth is the answer for Swan Districts at the selection table in response to the loss of the two key players as well.

Jacob Burnham, Jesse Manton, Laurence Grescos, Ethan Hughes and Tom Smirk are among the players that coach Greg Harding is considering bringing in for the first semi-final on Sunday.