A GRAND final rematch between East Fremantle and Claremont headlines a triple treat of WAFL Women’s action on Sunday. The Sharks and Tigers go head-to-head in the last game of the round, while earlier in the day, Swan Districts meets East Perth, and West Perth eyes off a third consecutive win when the Falcons clash with Subiaco.

FORM

Swan Districts bounced back from an opening round loss to Claremont by posting a strong win over Peel Thunder where the Black Ducks always looked in control. East Perth had a horror opening round performance against Subiaco with a 95-point loss, before being far more competitive against West Perth last week but fading in the second half.

TEAMS

CHANGES

Swan Districts have lost a couple of key players in Emma Humphries and Naomi Baker for the match, as well as Ava Stewart who had some nice moments last week. Coming into the side is Adi Griffith who slots straight into midfield, while Hannah Plummer and Kelly Polla are on the interchange.

East Perth has made the three changes with West Coast AFLW draftee Kayley Kavanagh entering the fray alongside Courtney Horsham and Tristin Ogonoski. Departing the side is the trio of Emily Boothman, Jorja Elisseou and Sian Vinicombe.

AFLW DRAFT TALENT

Swan Districts bottom-ager Carys D’Addario has had a brilliant start to the season and is one to keep in mind for next year, while top-age talent Lily Paterson and mature-age goalsneak Courtney Zappara are some talented options who could come under AFLW interest. East Perth has clever forward Lucy Greenwood, while mature-age young midfielder Jess Verbrugge is eye-catching.

KEY PLAYERS

D’Addario and Paterson are some of the key players for the Swans this season, while Zappara is so talented around goals. Fellow forward Taylah Edwards and rebounding defenders Isabella Edgley and Eliza Gelmi are other important players to the Swan Districts’ lineup.

East Perth will look to Kavanagh and fellow Eagle Jessica Rentsch who provided great run last week against the Falcons. Verbrugge makes a nice midfield trio, while Greenwood is the X-Factor in the front half of the ground for the Royals.

PREDICTION

Swan Districts should be too strong despite some key outs, and the inclusion of Kavanagh. The Royals were competitive in the first half last week against West Perth, but the Swans are pretty experienced and solid across the ground and should come away with a comfortable win.

FORM

West Perth enters its third consecutive match against a fellow bottom four team from last season, this time against Subiaco. The Falcons took care of Peel Thunder and East Perth after slow first halves and have moved to the top of the table. They come up against a Lions outfit that obliterated East Perth in Round 1 before going down to reigning premiers East Fremantle last weekend.

TEAMS

CHANGES

West Perth have made four changes with forward Brooke Hongell missing Round 3, while Teal Bennett, Dakoda Hallam and Isabel Strover have all been named as emergencies. The Falcons regain talented winger Jeevna Heer for the clash, while Elissa Price, Matilda Bain and Ritiha Dunn also come into the side.

Subiaco lose a trio of crucial players including in-form ruck Tess Lyons and AFLW listed duo Airlie Runnalls and Beth Schilling. Eagles fans do get a first look at former netballer Verity Simmons, as she comes into the Lions’ side along with Mikayla Smith, Bree Wills and former Falcon, Chloe Shearing.

AFLW DRAFT TALENT

Top-age winger Megan Norbury is the main one to focus on from a 2024 AFLW Draft perspective, with bottom-ager and Under 16s MVP Mia Russo one for next year. Alongside Russo, Subiaco tall forward Olivia Wolmarans is a dangerous proposition for any defence and has the potential to do a lot of damage.

KEY PLAYERS

Fans saw last week just how important Megan Kauffman is to any side as she dominated the midfield for the Falcons in a best on ground performance. Teaming up with the likes of fellow AFLW experienced players in Imahra Cameron, Emily Bennett and Tarnica Golisano makes the West Perth midfield deadly.

Subiaco also has some top-end talent at the moment with Maggie MacLachlan and Beatrice Devlyn ones who provide consistent drive out of defence and down the ground. Krstel Petrevski will add dash through the middle, while former North Adelaide ruck Isabelle Starmer will step up to the plate in Lyons’ absence.

PREDICTION

West Perth should get it done again here and move to 3-0, but Subiaco has some seriously talented players. The depth of the Falcons has significantly improved the last 12 months, and though they cannot afford to start slowly in this one, have finished well each match.

FORM

Both these teams come into the match undefeated as expected, with the top two title contenders set to add another chapter to their rivalry this season. Both sides got past the third best side in South Fremantle, while Claremont also accounted for Swan Districts, while East Fremantle proved too strong for Subiaco.

TEAMS

CHANGES

Claremont has wheeled out four changes after losing some quality players from the side for the clash. Last week’s best on ground Eva O’Donnell misses, as does dangerous forward Adele Arnup, young gun Juliet Kelly and versatile tall Amalie Moe. The Tigers fortunately regain Kate Orme and Emily Bonser for some AFLW experience alongside Hayley Colvin and Charlotte Adams.

East Fremantle has just made the two changes, bringing in the experienced Larissa Versaci with Rennie Meadmore in exchange for Tiani Teakle and Siena Jezierski-Brown.

AFLW DRAFT TALENT

Both teams have AFLW Academy members with roaming utility Claudia Wright in for her second game of the season after returning from injury last week, while Zippy Fish has been her explosive self for the Sharks. Over-age forward Bec Anderson is another State Academy member for the Tigers, while the Sharks have defensive pairing Natasha Entwistle and Taya Chambers as others who can break the lines.

KEY PLAYERS

Both teams are stacked with talent, as reigning Dhara Kerr Medallist Jayme Harken, Bonser and former Shark Anjelique Raison named on-ball. Eva Campo and Orme will provide some outside run, while Wright and Emily Elkington have that class up forward.

The Sharks provide plenty of speed through Fish, Chambers and Entwistle, while the experienced Ashleigh Gomes and Sharon Wong playing in more outside roles. Keys posts Leanne Gubbins and Sarah Wielstra are dangerous up either end, while Beth Beckett is in great form as well.

PREDICTION

Claremont has lost a fair bit of talent out of its lineup, but it is so hard to tip against the Tigers who just get the job done. They need to be more accurate this week against an equally talented Sharks outfit, but if they are, then they should sneak home. It is a lineball game though, with the Sharks needing a fast start to catch their opponents on the hop.