ROUND 18 PREVIEW V CLAREMONT

WEST Perth returns to HBF Arena this Saturday not only to celebrate Sandover Medallist and premiership player Aaron Black's 100th game for the Falcons, but needing to beat Claremont to remain in second position on the WAFL ladder.

West Perth has won all seven of its games at HBF Arena so far this year as well and a win on Saturday for the Falcons will see them all but secure a place in the finals for 2015, and to consolidate second position on the ladder with five rounds of the season remaining.

Check out the following in preparation for the game:
Aaron Black's 100th game another significant milestone in young career 
The Sunday Times presents Kids Zone this Saturday 
Bill Monaghan Q & A Round 17 
Watch the Channel 9 commercial ahead of the game with Claremont 
Watch Falcons TV with Bill Monaghan and Aaron Black 

The Falcons currently sit in second position on the ladder with a 9-5 record but a narrow two-point loss to Swan Districts last Saturday at Steel Blue Oval means that suddenly they are not quite as secure in their spot.

West Perth does need to win against Claremont on Saturday to remain second or the winner of Peel-Swan Districts game on Sunday will likely replace them in second position, but a win could see the Falcons remain a game clear in that second spot.

Claremont, meanwhile, has still done well to win seven of its last nine games but a defeat at the hands of Peel Thunder at the Showground last Saturday has meant that the Tigers lost their place in the top five to slip to a 7-7 record.

Claremont now could finish the weekend in fourth position with a win over West Perth and if other results go their way, but a loss for the Tigers could see them potentially fall a game behind the team in fifth position, and two behind whichever teams ends the round fourth and above.

West Perth's first Sandover Medallist since 1993, and 2013 premiership player Aaron Black will celebrate his 100th game for the Falcons on Saturday as well.

While of interest is the return of Kepler Bradley to play with Claremont at HBF Arena for the first time since electing to sign with Claremont for 2015 after originally agreeing to return to West Perth at the end of his AFL career.

The two teams have met just the once so far this season and going into that Claremont had yet to record a victory in 2015, but the Tigers beat West Perth by 20 points at the Showground and that began their run of five straight wins.

They will now meet twice over the last five rounds of the season with the two teams to also do battle at HBF Arena in Round 23.

West Perth again loses some important players to injury but on the positive side does regain premiership player Andrew Strijk who missed last week's game with Swan Districts due to tightness in his calf.

Corey Chalmers should return after a week out injured and then a week in the reserves against Swans to further strengthen West Perth's mid-size forward stocks.

Tim Sutherland is a chance to make his debut to give West Perth some extra height to try and counter Claremont's big men department while Tyson Moulton continues to play well in the reserves to put himself in the mix to make his league debut.

Blake Wilhelm is the other in calculations to come into the West Perth team after some consistently strong form in the reserves as well.

Speedy small forward Kris Shannon has been in some terrific form during the best season of his career but he injured a hamstring last week against Swan Districts and now looks set to miss up to a month because of that while young defender Mitch van Berlo also goes out with a shoulder injury.

Claremont has an embarrassment of riches with its big men and it now appears time for Darcy Cameron to get another chance in the league team playing the role as back up ruckman to Mark Seaby and as a tall option in attack alongside Kepler Bradley and Beau Maister.

Cameron has put in some strong performances in the reserves since Andrews replaced him on the back of dominant form himself in the reserves, but Cameron had 15 disposals, eight marks, 54 hit outs and two goals last week against Peel Thunder to demand his first league appearance since Round 12.

Keegan Knott was another to demand a spot in the Claremont league side with strong reserves form, but a quiet game against Peel with just five possessions and he goes straight back out this week against West Perth.

Captain Jake Murphy has now strung together two good games in the reserves after injury sidelined him since Good Friday, and he now should come back into the league side against West Perth as well.

Defenders Lachlan Davey and Tom Willett, and exciting small forward Shane McAdam are also in the mix to come back into the Claremont line-up with the Tigers needing to win to return to the top five.

RESERVES SQUAD
M Ashfield, J Batterham, D Colbung, M Crisp, B Denysiuk, M Douglas, C Franklin, K Fullgrabe, M Geraghty, J Gray, M Hamilton, C Hinchcliffe, A Innes, J Kirwen, T Manners, B McGillivray, D Munns, C Papertalk, M Peirce, S Rotham, B Walton, H Yarran

COLTS SQUAD
N Alexandre, A Allen, M Antonio, K Barnsley, J Bennett, R Dolman, E Hills, J Horgan, J Jennings, E Larmett, C Lynch, N Marinovich, B Mountford, E Mullane, S Nelson, T O'Brien, J Porter, J Romanelli, L Saunders, J Turner, M Walley, L Ward, B Zanon