CHANNEL 9 WA DAY DERBY PREVIEW V EAST PERTH

WEST Perth has the chance to win a sixth straight match and to sit three games clear inside the WAFL's top five with a win over arch-rivals East Perth in the Channel 9 WA Day Derby at HBF Arena on Monday.

West Perth and East Perth enter the WA Day Derby at HBF Arena in vastly contrasting form but history shows form counts for little in traditional derby clashes and the Royals will be hoping to prove that true once more.

The Falcons had a slow start to the 2016 season winning one of their first five games but they have now got some key players back from injury and the wins have come as a result.

West Perth enters Monday's WA Day Derby on a five-game winning streak following victories against Swan Districts, Claremont, Peel Thunder, Subiaco and Perth.

East Perth, meanwhile, has lost its last two games to Peel Thunder and Subiaco where the Royals kicked just three goals to lose to the Thunder and nine in a 99-point loss at the hands of the Lions last Saturday at Medibank Stadium.

Those run of recent result has seen West Perth replace East Perth in the top five with the Falcons sitting on a 6-4 record and the Royals slipping to 4-6.

That makes the result of Monday's derby massive with the Falcons capable of opening a three-game gap with a win while the Royals will close to one game of getting back into the top five with a victory.

Not that a WA Day Derby needs any extra spice but the fact that West Perth can close in on top two spot with a win and consolidate themselves in the five or be in danger of falling out of a finals spot altogether, and that East Perth needs a win to remain in touch certainly adds plenty of extra motivation.

There has already been one derby in 2016 and on that occasion East Perth beat West Perth by 60 points in Round 5 at Medibank Stadium. But the Falcons have not lost a game since then while the Royals beat Perth the next week and got over Swan districts in Round 9, but have lost their other three matches since.

West Perth is on a five-game winning streak and things have dramatically improved for the Falcons on the injury front in recent weeks making spots in the league side all the harder to come by.

Premiership hard Kody Manning was a late withdrawal for last week's game against Perth and he is an automatic inclusion now that he is fit to take on East Perth in the WA Day Derby on Monday at HBF Arena.

His selection becomes automatic with the absence of captain Jay van Berlo with his withdrawal for the Falcons all but ruling him out of next Saturday's state game against Tasmania at Steel Blue Oval as well.

There are plenty of other players pressing their claims to break into West Perth's team as well with Luke Tedesco, Kris Shannon, Corey Chalmers and Nathan Alexandre all added to the squad to take on East Perth on WA Day.

Last week in the reserves against Perth at Lathlain Park, all four players did their chances at selection no harm with Tedesco finishing with 21 possessions, Shannon 26 disposals, Chalmers 26 touches and five goals, and Alexandre 10 possessions and a goal.

Two big losses to Peel and Subiaco has East Perth desperate to bounce back against West Perth on Monday and there will be plenty of changes in the Royals team from the one that went down to the Lions by 99 points last Saturday.

East Perth's job of bouncing back to maintain touch with the top five could be made harder if midfielder Kane Lucas travels to Melbourne with West Coast ahead of the clash with the Western Bulldogs on Sunday.

Lucas had another 29 possessions despite the big loss last week and is averaging almost 26 disposals a game in 2016 for the Royals.

Xavier Ellis will likely travel with the Eagles meaning he likely won't play with East Perth after being in the side for three of the last four games.

Hard-running wingman Steven Payne is also out for East Perth following just 22 possessions combined the past two weeks with Callum Hart and Jordan Snadden also out of the side to take on West Perth.

Patrick McGinnity will be an important inclusion for East Perth having averaged over 20 possessions and kicking nine goals in his eight games so far this season. Lewis Jetta will also play with the Royals for the third time this season.

Will Maginness, David Roche, Simon Tunbridge, Malcolm Karpany, Tom Gorter, Mitch Lague, Kurt Mutimer and Tom Omodei are all in the mix at the selection table for the Royals as coach Jaymie Graham searches for a winning formula.

If Maginness is picked it will be his first league game since 2014 and he has built up some solid reserves form including 22 possessions, eight marks and a goal last week against Subiaco.

Roche played five league games earlier in the season and is a chance to return following 24 disposals, 11 marks and two goals last week.

Tunbridge could also play his first league game of the year following 18 touches and two marks last Saturday in the reserves while Karpany had 23 disposals, Gorter 24 possessions, Lague 27 touches, and Mutimer 28 disposals and a goal.

CHANNEL 9 WA DAY DERBY
WEST PERTH (6-4, 5th) v EAST PERTH (4-6, 6th) – HBF ARENA, MONDAY 2.15PM
Broadcast – 91.3 SportFM 

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