Teams Locked! R13 WAFL Preview

East Fremantle head to Joondalup this weekend to take on the reigning premiers, West Perth, in a crunch game in the race for the top 5. The Sharks currently sit 2 games clear of the 6th placed Falcons, who will be desperate to stay in the finals hunt. 

West Perth enjoyed a bye last round while the Sharks made easy work of the undermanned West Coast team, kicking over 200 points in a 184 point mauling. 

In the previous clash earlier in the season, West Perth lead all day after a strong start to post a 15 point win. The Falcons currently enjoy a 3 game winning streak against the Sharks, including the 2022 Qualifying Final. 

Last time out, the strong West Perth defence held key forwards Jonathon Marsh, Hugh Dixon and Dillon O’Reilly goal-less, with Cody Leggett kicking 3. The Sharks will be looking for improved output from their key forwards, who come in with good form on the back of hauls against West Coast last week. 

Down back, we’ll again see the competitions premier defender in Matthew Jupp take on the premier forward in Tyler Keitel. These 2 have gone toe to toe over the years and the clash is always a great battle within a battle. Through the midfield, Milan Murdock, Harry Marsh, Fraser Turner and Jarrad Jansen will go up against the formidable Shane Nelson, Luke Meadows, Aaron Black and Mitch Peirce. 

The Reserves take on top 5 team West Perth in a key game for our season. The Reserves have had 2 weeks to stew on a poor performance against Swans and need to win to hold onto the bottom of the final 5. The 4th placed Colts take on the 5th placed Falcons in another crunch clash- with both sides still without the State 18s squad members. 

The games are played at Pentanet Stadium in Joondalup and both teams will be celebrating NAIDOC round.