Round 10 Preview - Subiaco v East FremantleSaturday, May 20, 2017 - 12:13 AM - by Chris Pike

IT IS top against bottom as Subiaco hosts East Fremantle at Leederville Oval on Saturday in the 7mate televised match of Round 10.

Subiaco enter the clash having won seven straight matches while East Fremantle has lost its opening seven games of the 2017 season.

But that doesn’t mean the Sharks can't cause an upset. 

With the likes Brock O'Brien, Jayden Schofield, Cameron Eardley, Ryan Lester-Smith, George Hampson, Matthew Watson, Jonathan Marsh and Andrew Stephen, they certainly have enough talent to take it up to the Lions on paper.

However, Subiaco is in some supremely ominous form topped off with last Saturday's 39-point win over South Fremantle at Leederville Oval.

That victory sees the Lions sit on top of the ladder entering Round 10 on the back of winning seven straight games.

The Lions opened the season with a 39-point loss to South Fremantle, but have since beaten Perth, West Perth, Peel Thunder, East Perth, Claremont, Swan Districts and South Fremantle to be on a seven-match winning streak.

Those wins have come at an average of 42.6 points with Subiaco averaging a score of 104.3 in the seven wins while conceding only 61.7. Since giving up 116 points in Round 1 to South Fremantle, Subiaco's highest conceded score since was the 88 by the Bulldogs last week.

East Fremantle, meanwhile, has lost all seven of its games last year and dating back to the latter part of 2016, has now lost 14 of its last 16 matches.

This season the Sharks have lost their seven games by an average of 51 points while scoring a league-low 66.4 points a game and conceding a competition-high 117.3 points.

Over the course of the season, Subiaco's best quarters have been the third with the Lions averaging 31 points in them while conceding just 16. 

East Fremantle's second halves have been particularly troubling with the Sharks averaging just 34 points for after half-time while giving up 66 on average.

Beating Subiaco is something that East Fremantle has struggled with for much of this century as well.

Between Round 12, 2002 and Round 21, 2010 the Lions won a remarkable 20 consecutive matches over the Sharks.

After Subiaco went on to win the next five games again, East Fremantle did actually go on a three-game winning run over the Lions and won four out of five for a stretch.

But a surprise 80-point win last year was East Fremantle's only win since with Subiaco again winning six of the past seven games over the Sharks including by 78 points late last year.

Overall since East Fremantle win in the middle of 2002, Subiaco has won 32 of the 38 games against East Fremantle.

Both teams will also have a host of players looking to confirm their place in the WAFL state side to take on the VFL at Melbourne's North Port Oval next Saturday.

Corey Adamson, Lachlan Delahunty, Kyal Horsley, Leigh Kitchin, Jordan Lockyer, Chris Phelan, Liam Ryan and Clancy Wheeler are all currently in the squad from Subiaco.

Speaking of Phelan, if he passes a fitness test to play he will celebrate his 150th game with Subiaco to earn life membership. But he remains in doubt to play both for Subiaco against the Sharks and in next week's state game.

George Hampson and Jonathan Marsh are East Fremantle's two players in the squad and will need massive performance if the Sharks are to take it up to Subiaco.

Subiaco will be forced into at least one change after Angus Litherland went off injured before half-time last week against South Fremantle.

Premiership player Joel Latham could be an automatic inclusion with Michael Braut, Greg Clark and Daniel Perkins also in contention at the selection table.

East Fremantle could unveil two more debutants to take the total to 11 this season with Zac McCarrey and Jye Clements added to the squad to face the Lions.

Josh Cuneo, Joel Kalajzic, Jesse Mirco and Tom Omodei area also a chance to come in for the Sharks.

Jesse Adamini, James Harrold and Sam Read are three confirmed outs following East Fremantle's 87-point home loss to East Perth last Saturday.

SUBIACO (7-1, 1st) v EAST FREMANTLE (0-7, 9th) – LEEDERVILLE OVAL, SATURDAY 1.40PM
Selected teams, live stats 
Broadcast – 7mate