ROUND 7 PREVIEW V CLAREMONT

WEST Perth and Claremont head to Kulin to play the first County Sport Enrichment Scheme clash of 2016 and it's a crucial match for both clubs who played finals in 2015.

The Falcons and Tigers have both won two games through the opening six rounds of the season and the winner on Saturday should find themselves entrenched in the top five by the end of the round while the loser will have some hard work to do in coming weeks.

It will be the first time that Kulin has hosted a WAFL match as well but it is a town rich in history for West Perth with Simon Duckworth, Brayden Duckworth and Marc Crisp among those to have emerged from the region to have standout careers with the Falcons.

While famous for the Kulin Bush Races and the largest waterslide in regional WA, the new sporting facilities at Freebairn Recreation Centre will now provide another reason to visit the town and provide a terrific setting for a crucial WAFL match on Saturday.

West Perth is coming off its second win of the season last Saturday beating Swan Districts by 23 points to end a three-game losing slide following losses to Subiaco, East Fremantle and East Perth.

However, with a 2-4 record the Falcons can't afford too many more early season slip-ups making a win over Saturday crucial against Claremont.

The Tigers, meanwhile, also lost last Saturday against Peel Thunder to slip to a 2-3 record.

Getting off to a good start would be a priority for West Perth even more so against Claremont. The Tigers have dominated first quarters by 93 points in their five games this season while the Falcons have been outscored by an average of two goals in their six opening quarters.

The importance of a good start is emphasised by the fact that both teams have lost their last quarters convincingly throughout the season so far.

West Perth coach Bill Monaghan is looking forward to the trip to Kulin where he knows the facilities and hospitality will be first class.

"First of all, the country games are fantastic. The country people have a great association with WAFL footy and they deserve to see WAFL out there. The players like the experience as well. It's a three and-a-half hour bus trip but it's the same for both sides," Monaghan said.

"We'll aim to get there around lunch time and we'll stop on the way there to have a walk and a stretch. It's pretty full on because we get there and we are not far away from our meeting time and warm-up. It goes pretty quickly and from all reports the Kulin ground and facilities are in great shape, and it's a good facility.

"One thing they do really well in the country through the Royalties to Regions program is that they produce really good sporting facilities and it's the hub of the town or district most of the time. The hospitality that they put on for the players and coaches is always really good. If the weather is fine, we'll get a decent crowd as well and hopefully it will be a good showcase for WAFL footy."

Just how seriously West Perth is taking the contest and the need for the four points that could see them end the round in the top five is the fact that 149-game former captain and premiership defender Luke Tedesco has been dropped for the trip to Kulin.

Tedesco made his return to the side last week in the win over Swan Districts after missing the previous week's loss to East Perth due to attending his sister's wedding.

And he was looking forward to making the trip to Kulin where he has fond memories of attending the races and for the chance to catch up with former teammates Marc Crisp and Brayden Duckworth.

And of course to celebrate his 150th game with West Perth to earn life membership, but that will be now on hold for at least a week with Tedesco to play in the reserves on Sunday at HBF Arena instead.

Mitch Peirce is also out of the West Perth team after the first two league games of what appears set to be a long career.

Following the return of Shane Nelson last week in the win over Swans, another premiership star Kody Manning is set to be back from injury this Saturday against Claremont in Kulin. He has been out with a leg injury since the Round 2 win over Perth but appears fit and ready to go for Saturday.

Ruckman Seva Mozhaev, small forward Keegan Knott and speedy utility Kris Shannon were all dropped to the reserves last week but come back into calculations this week, particularly Mozhaev to help battle Mitch Andrews and Darcy Cameron in the ruck from Claremont after Tyler Keitel did an outstanding job against inexperienced Swan Districts big man Troy Yukich.

Sam Rotham is another who could come into the West Perth team to help combat Claremont's tall forwards Cameron, Beau Maister and Haydn Busher.

Claremont looks set to be buoyed by the return of 125-game premiership defender Brandon Franz after he missed just the one week with a knee injury. His return will take the pressure off the back-line to try to find match ups for West Perth forward Michael Lourey, Nick Rodda and Mark Hamilton.

Justin Speed, Matthew Palfrey and Alexander Manuel have also put themselves in contention for selection at Claremont after solid reserves form.

Last week against Peel, Palfrey had 15 possessions, Manuel 15 disposals and three goals, and Speed 17 touches, 14 tackles and a goal.

Claremont will lose Oliver Tate not only for this week but seemingly forever with the classy utility deciding to accept a full-time job back in his hometown of Ballarat leading to his immediate departure.

He had started the season strongly with 16 possessions a game and five goals, including three against Perth in Round 3.

ROUND 7
WEST PERTH (2-4, 6th) v CLAREMONT (2-3, 5th) – FREEBAIRN RECREATION CENTRE (KULIN), SATURDAY 2.15PM

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