WAFL Round 23 Preview

IT IS the second last round of the 2013 WAFL season with four matches to be played this Saturday highlighted by Swan Districts and East Fremantle battling over fourth position at Bassendean's Steel Blue Oval.

The winner of the Swans-Sharks clash on Saturday will sit in fourth spot come Saturday night and be in prime position to play finals football in 2013.

The other three matches on Saturday afternoon sees Perth take on Claremont at Lathlain's Brownes Stadium, South Fremantle host East Perth at Fremantle Oval and Subiaco play Peel Thunder at Leederville's Medibank Stadium.

PERTH (9-9, 6th) v CLAREMONT (16-2, 1st) – BROWNES STADIUM, SATURDAY 2.05PM

Selected teams

Perth's first third of its 2013 season was so impressive but the Demons now have hit the skids to be all but out of finals contention and Claremont can nail that door closed completely when the two teams meet at Lathlain's Brownes Stadium on Saturday.

Perth started the season so well winning its first three games, and five of its first seven with unlucky losses to East Fremantle and Claremont the only early hiccups.

That had everyone associated with the Demons excited about a potential first finals appearance since 1997 and that hope was again revived with a run of winning four of five games between Rounds 14 and 18.

However, losses since to East Fremantle, West Perth and East Perth by an average of over 45 points has all but ended any hopes Perth held of playing in the finals.

For Perth to still play finals, it will need to beat Claremont and South Fremantle by big margins in its last two games and hope that East Perth, East Fremantle and Swan Districts lose their last two matches to open up a spot in the top-four for them.

A win over the Tigers this Saturday will keep those faint hopes alive, but that is going to be a lot easier said than done.

Claremont has a fourth straight WAFL minor premiership secured as the Tigers shoot for a third straight flag so they will not be taking it lightly on the Demons particularly with so many players needing to play well to book in their individual places come finals time.

The two teams have met just the once so far this year with Claremont winning a thriller by five points back in Round 8 but the Tigers won all three meetings in 2012 even though the Demons scored an upset with a six-point win at Claremont Oval in Round 14, 2011.

Perth will need a miracle to make the finals from here requiring two massive wins against Claremont and South Fremantle, but the Demons' cause against the Tigers haven’t been helped out the selection table.

Ruckman Christian Eyres goes out of the team leaving Mitchell Lleyendekkers with the massive task of going up against Mark Seaby and Mitch Andrews virtually on his own.

Key midfielders Chance Bateman and Daniel O'Sullivan are also out of the Perth line-up with Matthew Hunt going out of the side as well that lost to East Perth by 48 points last Saturday.

Reese Richardson, Kieran Hug, Julian Jacobs, Joel Houghton, Joel Kalajzic and Brad Fry are all looking to break into the Perth line-up.

While Claremont does lose captain Andrew Browne, in-form defender Jesse Laurie and Tom Taylor from its team that beat Swan Districts by 59 points last Sunday, the Tigers have some more than handy inclusions to call upon.

Dual premiership 196-game veteran David Crawford is back after having the last month off so his experience will be invaluable to the Claremont defence with Browne, Laurie and Taylor the three outs this week all having been key parts of the back-line this year.

With just two weeks until the finals, spots are being heavily fought over in the Claremont line-up as well with Blake Anderson, Richard Cronin, Shane Edwards, Matthew Goyder and Keifer Yu all desperately trying to earn their way into the Tigers' side this Saturday against the Demons.

CLICK HERE for a full preview of Round 23 WAFL action.

Courtesy of www.wafl.com.au