McDonald's WAFL Round 17 PreviewSaturday, July 18, 2015 - 2:50 AM - by Chris Pike

THE league-leading reigning premiers Subiaco have the bye leaving the rest of the competition to fight it out in Round 17 WAFL action with three matches to take place on Saturday afternoon, and the final Fremantle derby to be played on Sunday.

The three games on Saturday afternoon sees Swan Districts host West Perth at Steel Blue Oval with Claremont also taking on Peel Thunder at the Showground and East Perth facing Perth at Medibank Stadium.

Then the round concludes on Sunday at ATOM Stadium in the final Fremantle derby of 2015 with East Fremantle taking on South Fremantle.

SWAN DISTRICTS (7-7, 5th) v WEST PERTH (9-4, 2nd) – STEEL BLUE OVAL, SATURDAY 2.15PM
Selected teams 
Broadcast – 91.3 SportFM 

Clashes between Swan Districts and West Perth never fail to deliver some of the most exciting contests of any WAFL season, and this Saturday's contest at Steel Blue Oval should be no different.

There is plenty riding on the result for both teams as well with West Perth looking to win a fifth match in-a-row to further consolidate second position on the WAFL ladder.

A win for the Falcons would see them remain at least one game and percentage clear in second spot, and possibly two games clear of the rest of the competition if Claremont beats Peel Thunder.

Swan Districts, meanwhile, is clinging to fifth position despite having the bye last weekend on the back of a narrow win over East Perth and a tight loss to South Fremantle.

That sees the black-and-whites sit on a 7-7 record and to be inside the top five just because of a percentage advantage over South Fremantle, so Swans do need to win on Saturday over the Falcons to avoid the prospect of finishing the round again outside of the top five.

Swan Districts and West Perth meet twice now over the next month having played just the once so far this season, and that was back on the Anzac Day holiday Monday.

Swans looked home leading by 26 points at the 22-minute mark of the final quarter, but West Perth then put in a stunning five minutes kicking five goals to win by seven points.

Swan Districts had the bye last week on the back of a tight win over East Perth and from that team the black-and-whites have left out Ben Whitsed who got his chance after being a prolific ball winner in the reserves, but couldn’t get into the game against the Royals or limit the influence of Brant Colledge in a run-with role.

However, Swans look like regaining hard-running defender Jarrad Blight with the injury-plagued 24-year-old having been absence now since Round 6.

David McKay has put himself in the mix for his fifth league appearance with continued strong ball-winning form in the reserves for Swans including another 35 possessions, six tackles and a goal a fortnight ago against East Perth.

Dylan Nelson has been in good goalkicking form in the reserves for Swans so that has him a chance to get another opportunity in the league side after kicking four goals two weeks ago East Perth with Lindsay Murray another who is a chance to get a call up as well by coach Greg Harding.

West Perth loses veteran premiership midfielder Matt Guadagnin to a knee injury with scans this week confirming that the 31-year-old will have to undergo the second knee reconstruction of his career ending his 2015 season just as he was building into his very best form again.

Guadagnin joins fellow 2013 premiership players Rohan Kerr (back) and Jordan Jones (hamstring) on the sidelines now for the rest of the 2015 season.

However, the Falcons do still have plenty of depth with Trent Manzone continuing to display outstanding form in the reserves and he had another 30 possessions and five tackles last week against Perth to show he's ready for a call up whenever it does come.

Corey Chalmers missed last week against Perth but could come straight back into the league side for the Falcons to provide another mid-size goalkicking option while Drew Rohde has been a strong contributor this season, and was unlucky to be forced out of the team and could come back in.

Tyson Moulton is also a chance to make his league debut after some consistently strong form in the reserves at either end of the ground, and he kicked three goals from 14 possessions and five marks last Saturday against Perth to come into calculations this Saturday against Swan Districts.

CLAREMONT (7-6, 4th) v PEEL THUNDER (8-6, 3rd) – CLAREMONT SHOWGROUND, SATURDAY 2.15PM 
Selected teams 
Broadcast – KIX Digital

Claremont and Peel Thunder go to battle over third position on the WAFL ladder at the Claremont Showground on Saturday with the winner to go a long way to securing a finals position in 2015.

Peel currently sits in third position with an 8-6 record while Claremont is 7-6 so the winner will be in third place come the end of the round.

The Thunder can potentially go two games clear of the rest of the teams fighting for a spot in the top five while the Tigers could also set up their season nicely having played one fewer match so far than all teams aside from West Perth.

Peel's form continues to fluctuate but it has now won three of its last four games to now be in a strong position to play finals for the first time since joining the competition in 1997, and another win on Saturday over Claremont will make that much more likely to happen than not.

Claremont, meanwhile, had a horror start to the season losing its first five matches but the Tigers have been terrific since winning seven of their last eight games with the only slip up coming against the league-leading reigning premiers Subiaco in Round 13.

Claremont and Peel have already played one another twice this season and have recorded one win apiece.

The Thunder kept the Tigers winless with a 27-point win back in Round 6 at Bendigo Bank Stadium before Claremont got a measure of revenge with a dominant 72-pont victory at the Showground in Round 10.

Things are going so well at Claremont at the moment that the Tigers have won of their last eight games, and now look set to add two dual premiership midfielders to their team to take on Peel on Saturday.

Captain Jake Murphy returned for his first game since Round 3 in the reserves last Saturday against South Fremantle and was impressive with 27 possessions and seven marks meaning he looks a certain starter for his second league game of the season on Saturday.

Tom Swift played in Claremont's premierships of 2011 and 2012 as well but decided to take a break from top-level football the last two years to focus on his studies after being delisted by West Coast.

And things haven’t gone to plan on return in 2015 either so far, but he has now played three strong games in the reserves over the last month, including 32 possessions and nine marks last week against South Fremantle.

That has him on track to play his first league game with Claremont since the 2012 grand final win over East Fremantle even though he did play one Foxtel Cup match in 2013.

Darcy Cameron continues to put pressure on the big men from Claremont in the league team by continuing to do well in the reserves while Keegan Knott and Tom Willett keep putting pressure on as well with continued strong performances.

Matthew Goyder and Isaac Baum are two players to have lost their place in the Claremont side from the one that held on to beat South Fremantle last Saturday.

Fremantle making four changes to its team to take on Carlton at Domain Stadium on Saturday night means that Peel will have plenty of ins and outs to take on Claremont with as well.

Ruckman Jonathon Griffin, half-forward Hayden Crozier and half-back Cameron Sutcliffe were all terrific last Saturday for Peel in the win over East Fremantle and as a result have been called into the Dockers team to take on the Blues.

While they will be big losses for the Thunder against the Tigers, the four players dropped at Fremantle will all drop back to the WAFL with a point to prove and the best way they can get back into the AFL is by making strong contributions in a win for Peel.

Zac Clarke, Tendai Mzungu, Clancee Pearce and Paul Duffield were the four players dropped by Fremantle following the loss to Hawthorn in Launceston last Sunday.

That foursome will all play against Claremont with Zac Dawson to also return from a hand injury while Alex Silvagni looks set to comeback through the reserves following a hamstring tear.

EAST PERTH (6-8, 7th) v PERTH (1-13, 9th) – MEDIBANK STADIUM, SATURDAY 2.15PM
Selected teams 

If East Perth wants to remain a chance of playing finals in 2015 then it has no choice but to take care of the bottom placed Perth at Medibank Stadium on Saturday.

East Perth has won its last six games over Perth so the Royals have every reason to be confident heading into the clash with the wooden spoon bound Demons, but they can't afford a slip up or a loss on Saturday would likely end their bid for a fourth straight finals appearance.

East Perth has now lost its last two games to Swan Districts and Subiaco to have slipped to a 6-8 record to sit a game outside of the top five. A win on Saturday and the Royals will likely return to the top five, while a loss could spell curtains on 2015.

Perth, meanwhile, has lost its last nine matches since its only win of the season against Claremont in Round 5 to be four games clear on the bottom of the ladder and heading for a second straight wooden spoon.

Last time the two teams played was back on Anzac Day and on that occasion East Perth put in a dominant performance to win by 103 points at Lathlain Park.

That continued the Royals' dominance in recent years of the Demons with East Perth having won the six games over Perth by an average of more than 60 points.

With West Coast going in with a settled line-up against Collingwood at Etihad Stadium on Saturday, that means East Perth will have a reasonably settled side as well from the one that was competitive but still lost to Subiaco last Saturday.

Despite being named emergencies for the Eagles, Fraser McInnes and Brant Colledge should both remain in the East Perth team to take on Perth while Kane Lucas should return to further strengthen the Royals' on-ball brigade after missing last week's game against Subiaco.

Another Eagle Tom Lamb is likely to come in for the Royals as well after spending the past two weeks in the reserves. While he hasn’t set the world on fire against Swan Districts or Subiaco, he will more than likely step up to take on Perth on Saturday.

Callum Hart has been a regular fixture in the East Perth back-line this season and he will likely come straight back in after missing last week against the Lions as well with Tom Omodei, Clayton Giblett and Agid Gardoud in the mix again. Shayne Hille is one confirmed out for the Royals from last week.

Perth faces a big challenge to try to find its second win of the season but helping the Demons' cause is the return of captain Dene White and experienced key defender Chris Billings. Both will have big jobs to do for the Demons up against the Royals.

Kelvin Lawrence has continued some solid reserves form to put him in the mix for his first league game of the season since joining Perth from Peel Thunder.

Callum Walley has continued to work hard in the forward-line in the reserves at Perth to be in contention for another league opportunity while Sam Garstone and Sam McGillivray could both receive another opportunity as well.

Toby Gianatti has done some strong defensive jobs for Perth since joining from Peel this season, but he goes out of the side to take on East Perth on Saturday along with Cameron Jones and Blake Borrett.

EAST FREMANTLE (5-9, 8th) v SOUTH FREMANTLE (7-7, 6th) – ATOM STADIUM, SUNDAY 2.15PM
Selected teams 
Broadcast – Pirate88.com

With East Fremantle desperate to avoid an eighth straight defeat and South Fremantle needing to win to be a chance of returning to the WAFL's top five, all signs point to a fascinating final Fremantle derby of 2015 at ATOM Stadium on Sunday.

The two teams will also be playing for the Uittenbroek-Ciccotosto Cup for 2015 named in honour of two of the respective clubs finest servants, East Fremantle's Bob Uittenbroek and South Fremantle's Brian Ciccotosto.

There is plenty at stake in the contest as well and for the Sharks, finals might now be nothing but a faint hope, however, they will be wanting to avoid losing their eighth match in succession and to get the first win under caretaker coach Brad Dodd since he replaced Steve Malaxos.

South Fremantle, meanwhile, slipped to sixth position with a 7-7 record thanks to a four-point loss to Claremont last Saturday at the Claremont Showground despite the Bulldogs controlling the final three quarters kicking six goals to two after quarter-time.

However, South Fremantle couldn’t make up for conceding seven goals to two in the first quarter and will be determined to get off to a better start on Sunday to try and get a crucial win that could see the Bulldogs finish the round back inside the top five with five games remaining.

There have already been two terrific Fremantle derby battles this season starting on the Anzac Day holiday Monday with the Sharks ending up winning a tight contest by 17 points at Fremantle Oval.

The Bulldogs then turned the tables at ATOM Stadium in the Foundation Derby on WA Day coming back from a slow start to kick the game's last four goals to win a thriller by five points.

Those two games have continued the remarkable run in recent years where the last 10 visiting teams have all prevailed in the derby battles.

The last home team to win a derby was East Fremantle back in Round 7, 2012 when the Sharks thumped the Bulldogs by 85 points.

However, since then South Fremantle has won its last five visits to East Fremantle Oval and is looking to make it six on Sunday in an effort to return to the WAFL's top five.

East Fremantle put in an improved performance last Saturday against Peel but the end result was still the Sharks' seventh successive loss and from that side, defender Jordan Dorotich and the versatile Andrew Holmes go out of the team to take on South Fremantle on Sunday.

The Sharks' biggest concern continues to be kicking goals and as a result of that Jack Perham and Adrian Ricciardello both come into calculations to come back into the side to face the Bulldogs.

Perham has kicked 101 goals in his 70 games for East Fremantle, but has managed just eight in 12 matches in a disappointing 2015. He didn’t set the world on fire in the reserves last week with 15 touches and a goal, but he does have a good record in derbies which could help in him earning a recall.

Perham kicked three goals from 20 possessions and 11 marks in the last derby of 2014 while also booting five majors back in Round 19, 2013 and then five goals on Anzac Day 2012, four on WA Day 2012 and three in Round 21, 2012.

Ricciardello originally joined East Fremantle from South Fremantle in 2010, and while he has managed just eight league matches, he has continued to perform consistently in the reserves kicking over 100 goals in almost 100 games, and could be rewarded for some good recent form on Sunday.

Dion Anthony looks set to get another chance with the East Fremantle league side after strong form of late including another 30 possessions in reserves last week against Peel with Josh Cuneo and Jack Fletcher in the mix to return.

Matthew Bannister had 26 possessions in the reserves last week as well to put himself in calculations to make his debut in the derby after just six matches in the reserves having come from Scarborough in the amateurs earlier this season.

South Fremantle is doing well in most of areas of the ground at the moment but kicking goals has been a concern in recent times having kicked a total of 34 only in the last four games since booting 17 in a win over Perth back in Round 11.

Josh Pullman, Paul Mugambwa and Jacob Dragovich were all part of the forward-line that day, but have either been injured or back in the reserves in recent weeks while dual Bernie Naylor Medallist Ben Saunders has remained sidelined with a hamstring injury.

However, Pullman returned in the reserves last week and looked good with 15 possessions, seven marks and a goal so he looks set to return for the Bulldogs on Sunday in the derby to provide a strong marking target in attack.

Josh Branchi made his debut back in the Foundation Derby on WA Day also at East Fremantle, and he had a terrific influence that day and could return this Sunday for his third league appearance to add some extra height and flexibility to the Bulldogs side by supporting workhorse Brock Higgins.

Shaun Bewick couldn’t have gone back to the reserves and done much more than he has to put himself in the mix to return to the South Fremantle team as well, and he racked up another 41 possessions and 13 marks in the reserves last Saturday against Claremont.

There could be more excitement in the final derby of 2015 for South Fremantle as well with Callum Ah Chee set to make his league debut on Sunday against the Sharks.

Fresh off playing in the WA State 18s team at the National Championships and ahead of being drafted later in the year, the 17-year-old is on target to debut after 23 possessions and two goals in his first taste of senior football last Saturday in the reserves against Claremont.