ROUND 4 PREVIEW V SUBIACO

SUBIACO and West Perth are the last two WAFL premiers, have no love lost between them, have both won two of their opening three games of the season and that should all equate to quite the battle at Medibank Stadium on Saturday.

West Perth won the 2013 WAFL premiership before going on to miss the finals altogether last year and then starting 2015 in disappointing fashion with a loss to South Fremantle.

However, the Falcons have now bounced back well beating Peel Thunder and Perth the past two weeks to build some momentum into the clash with Subiaco on Saturday leading into the Round 5 bye and then clash with Swan Districts on the Anzac Day weekend.

Subiaco won the 2014 premiership while also being the warm outsiders going into the grand final against East Perth much like West Perth was the previous year.

The Lions then started the 2015 season in style beating Claremont by 45 points and East Fremantle by 47 but then came back to earth on Good Friday last week in the battle of the Leederville co-tenants losing to East Perth by 64 points.

There is also added interest in the contest following the early morning incident between players of both clubs a fortnight ago.

However, the WAFC and both clubs were quick to act on that situation, and with the majority of the players involved not playing on Saturday anyway, it will quickly be forgotten one the game is underway.

However, with the difference stark between a 3-1 or 2-2 start to the season, bot the Falcons and Lions will be throwing everything into scoring what could prove to be a pivotal win.

West Perth continues to have no luck with its key position stocks and now has lost another this week to face Subiaco with Marcus Adams out of the side.

Adams has been in outstanding form over the first three weeks of the season as a key defender. Despite making his name at centre half-forward for much of last season,

Adams has appeared right at home in the back-line with his strength, marking ability, spoiling prowess, ability to read the play and then set up attacks going back the other way all adding up to make him look like a natural defender.

Certainly at this stage of the season he would be a contender for a spot in the State team in that role in the WA side that will play South Australia at Lathlain Park on Saturday May 23.

However, he goes out of the West Perth team now this week to play Subiaco joining fellow key position players Max Alexander and Jordan Jones on the sidelines with that pair also having played defensive roles so far in 2015.

It will now require a makeshift back-line for the Falcons at least this week. Nick Rodda has looked right at home at centre half-back and will need to continue to do so but Drew Rohde might have to play back now after some impressive early season forward across half-forward.

It might also open the opportunity for Sam Rotham to make his league debut with the 194cm 18-year-old having settled seamlessly into playing in the reserves over the first week of 2015 having stepped up from 10 matches in the colts last year.

Ray Bartholomew, Corey Chalmers and Trent Manzone are also pushing to return to the West Perth line-up to face Subiaco on Saturday.

Premiership player and 173-game veteran Bartholomew has taken going back to the reserves the last two weeks on the chin picking up 39 touches in the two games while Manzone across half-back, and Chalmers across half-forward continue to play well to put themselves in the mix.

Subiaco has made at least four changes from its team that lost to East Perth by 64 points on Good Friday with Braden Fimmano and Reece Blechynden losing their places in the side after quiet games combining for just 18 possessions between them.

However, the loss of captain Kyal Horsley and star forward Shane Yarran will prove harder to cover.

Horsley worked hard still for 19 possessions and seven tackles on Good Friday against the Royals following a best on ground 35-disposal performance in Round 2 against East Fremantle.

The premiership captain will now miss the clash with West Perth as will Yarran through a one-week suspension following his hit on Will Schofield in last week's clash with East Perth.

Coming off an outstanding first season in the WAFL where he was a key player in the eventual premiership, Yarran has started 2015 in scintillating form kicking 13 goals from three games but now the Lions will need to cover for his absence against the Falcons.

Premiership full-forward Matt Boland remains out of the team and so does Chris Deluca, so Subiaco will need to rely on Clancy Wheeler, Michael Wood and Rhys Waters to lead the way with their goal kicking.

With at least four players going out of the Subiaco team, Ray Daniels, Dylan Elliott, Will Fetherstonhaugh, Aaron Heal, Hayden Kennedy, Simon Moore and Tom Smith are all in the mix to come in to play West Perth this Saturday.

RESERVES SQUAD
M Ashfield, M Crisp, B Denysiuk, M Douglas, B Fotheringham, C Franklin, K Fullgrabe, M Geraghty, J Gray, A Innes, J Kirwen, B McGillivray, S Money, T Moulton, D Munns, B O'Regan, C Papertalk, Z Saunders, T Sutherland, B Walton, B Wilhelm, C Yarran, H Yarran, S Zanetti

COLTS SQUAD
A Allen, M Antonio, A Charlie, K Coleman, R Dolman, E Hills, C Hinchcliffe, K Hindmarsh, J Horgan, E Larmett, C Lynch, T Manners, N Marinovich, J Moore, B Mountford, E Mullane, S Nelson, T O'Brien, M Peirce, G Popzeleff, D Robertson, J Rotham, T Smith, J Turner, M Walley, B Zanon