A TRIPLE treat of matches out West take place for the WAFL Women’s competition as Round 4 kicks off tomorrow. Unbeaten West Perth will take on a hungry South Fremantle, top four sides East Fremantle and Swan Districts will search for their third wins, while it is winless East Perth against undefeated Claremont at Leederville Oval.

FORM

East Fremantle is looking to bounce back from its first loss of the season, going down to Claremont in a grand final rematch last week. The Sharks take on a Swan Districts side that has beaten both sides it should, though looked a little vulnerable at times against East Perth. Regardless, the winner will move to 3-1 for the season heading into the Easter weekend bye.

TEAMS

CHANGES

East Fremantle has made three changes to its team with AFLW-experienced Serena Gibbs lining up at centre half-forward, while Jasmine Johansen and Brooke Repacholi are also into the line-up. The Sharks lose Larissa Versaci who went down late in last week’s loss, as well as Jayda Jones and Samara Pluschke.

Swan Districts have brought in some serious talent with Brianna Hyde and Emily McGuire returning to the lineup and adding firepower up front while Ava Stewart slots back into defence.

AFLW DRAFT TALENT

East Fremantle young gun Zippy Fish has been sensational throughout the 2024 season, while defenders Natasha Entwistle and Taya Chambers bring a competitive edge and some great athleticism to the backline. Tough bottom-age midfielder Carys D’Addario is in great form, while the smooth-moving Lily Paterson is a top-ager having a ripping season.

KEY PLAYERS

East Fremantle’s midfield of Fish, Chloe Wrigley, Amber Kinnane, Ashleigh Gomes and Sharon Wong is one of the most experienced, if not the most experienced, in the league. With few holes in the Sharks’ lineup, their wins start with their midfield, and if they get on top they are hard to stop. Swan Districts have talent across the board with defender Isabella Edgley in rock solid form, while D’Adarrio and Paterson have been outstanding between the arcs. Hope Ugle-Hayward and Courtney Zappara are the two dangers in the front half of the ground.

PREDICTION

The Sharks should be too strong in this one. Swan Districts are still young and developing while the Sharks are ready to go. Expect East Fremantle to bounce back from its loss to Claremont and move to 3-1 for the season.

FORM

West Perth is undefeated so far this season, overcoming the three bottom teams as the Falcons should on the improve. The Falcons face their stiffest test to-date with South Fremantle only having the one win – a 67-point belting of Peel Thunder – but played both grand finalists first up and will be well prepared for this game.

TEAMS

CHANGES

West Perth has lost a couple of young talents with reigning WAFLW Team of the Year representative Jessica Roper going down with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and will miss the rest of the season. Megan Norbury is also out due to injury, while Stacey Francis-Bayman is one of three additional outs. They regain the crucial services of co-captain Katherine Bennett, while State Academy member Samara Sallie comes in for her debut.

South Fremantle has opted for speed, bringing in Fremantle-listed winger Holly Ifould for her first WAFLW match, alongside AFLW teammate Tahleah Mulder. In exchange they have dropped two rucks against a smaller West Perth outfit, with Kate Newson and Charlotte Vandenberg both named as emergencies.

AFLW DRAFT TALENT

West Perth bottom-ager Mia Russo has been playing some consistent football for the Falcons and ill be a threat inside 50 again, while the Bulldogs have a stack of potential AFLW Draft talent. Headlined by AFLW Academy member Molly O’Hehir, both she and Renee Morgan have been playing well in midfield. Up forward, Noa McNaughton has been dangerous, while Jasmine Bazeley provides the explosive speed. Rucks Zoe Keley and Kate Newson are also members of the State Academy.

KEY PLAYERS

West Perth winger Taylor Ferguson is coming off a massive 30-disposal game last week and could have a huge battle with Fremantle-listed winger Ifould. The midfields are both strong with Megan Kauffman on fire for the Falcons, while Tarnica Golisano and Imahra Cameron go head-to-head with the likes of Morgan, Liusaidh Gilchrist and Lauren Vecchio.

PREDICTION

The improved season of the Falcons has been less surprising which is great as they deserve to be talked about as a likely finalist. Right now they have won the games they should, and with South Fremantle deemed one of the top three teams, a huge scalp here would be massive. In saying that, the Bulldogs’ run and talent across the board is likely to be too good, but hopefully it is in a close contest.

FORM

In what is tipped to be the one-sided match of the day, the red-hot Claremont takes on the winless East Perth. The Tigers are arguably premiership favourites after an unbeaten season fell short in the grand final. They are far too experienced for an East Perth side that showed promising elements against Swan Districts, but this is a different kettle of fish.

TEAMS

CHANGES

East Perth have rolled out the changes again at the selection table with five changes for Round 4. That includes losing midfielders Kayley Kavanagh and Jess Verbrugge, while regaining Emily Boothman and Jorja Elisseou.

The unbeaten Claremont have lost a couple of AFLW-experienced players in Mackenzie Webb and Jess Low, but have regained crucial goalkicker Adele Arnup, as well as tall, Amalie Moe.

AFLW DRAFT TALENT

Bottom-ager Lucy Greenwood is the one to watch for the Royals, with elite clean hands, a nice sidestep and plenty of X-Factor. Claremont has AFLW Academy member Claudia Wright playing off half-back, but she has been named on-ball for this round. Over-ager Bec Anderson kicked two early goals to kick-start the win over East Fremantle as well.

KEY PLAYERS

Reigning Dhara Kerr Medallist Jayme Harken is coming off another 30-plus disposal outing against the Sharks, while the inclusion of Emily Bonser to the midfield has been a great addition. Kate Orme and Jacinta Valentini provide great run in transition, while Arnup returning will be huge for the Tigers. West Coast draftee Jessica Rentsch will play her third game with the Royals and adds some pace inside, while Layla Firns and Taylah Suda were both impressive last round.

PREDICTION

Claremont ticks just about every box for a premiership contender, and the way the Tigers dealt with East Fremantle – arguably their greatest threat – last week was ominous. Even minus a couple of key players, it is hard to see any other result other than Claremont winning, and winning well. If East Perth can produce a similar effort to last week but with greater accuracy, then they can make life more difficult for the Tigers.