TWO top three sides searching for a fifth win will lock horns tonight at Pentanet Stadium. West Perth and East Fremantle have only lost to Claremont thus far in season 2024, but the winner will go outright second, while the loser drops back to the chasing pack in third.

FORM

West Perth enters the match coming off its first loss of the season, going down to the red-hot Claremont at the same venue a week earlier. The Falcons will be keen to bounce back against another contending side in East Fremantle, who joined West Perth on a 4-1 win-loss record following a commanding victory over Peel Thunder. Like the Falcons, the Sharks have only lost to the Tigers.

TEAMS

CHANGES

West Perth has rolled out the changes for the Friday night clash with half a dozen moves made from the loss to Claremont. Kayla Van Den Heever comes in for her first game of the year, while Katherine Bennett, Tia Bergin and Megan Norbury all return as key ins for the Falcons. Jeevna Heer and Elissa Price are among the outs for the home side.

East Fremantle has kept it simple with its lineup, bringing back star top-ager Zippy Fish alongside AFLW-experienced Ashlee Atkins. The Sharks do lose Sharon Wong, while Brooke Repacholi is the unlucky omission.

AFLW DRAFT TALENT

Norbury returns to be West Perth’s top-age State Academy member, while the Sharks have a quartet of 2006-born state representatives. Taya Chambers and Natasha Entwistle have teamed up brilliantly in defence, while Tiani Teakle played one of her best games last week in the win over Peel Thunder. Fish will of course be one the Falcons look to contain in the game. From a bottom-age perspective, Mia Russo and Samara Sallie have both played important roles off respective flanks at either end.

KEY PLAYERS

The East Fremantle midfield that includes Fish, Ashleigh Gomes and Amber Kinnane going up against the Falcons’ trio of Bianca Webb, Emily Bennett and Imahra Cameron will be a fascinating dual. Chloe Reilly is in some great form up forward for the Sharks, while Brooke Hongell has shown she can do plenty of damage on the scoreboard up the other end.

PREDICTION

East Fremantle will be looking to grab second spot with a win here and not drop four points and percentage off the top two. The Sharks have the experience edge in big games and are the reigning premiers for a reason, while the Falcons will look to utilise the home ground advantage and all the experience they have taken the last few weeks.