Round 10 Preview – Claremont v Swan DistrictsFriday, June 8, 2018 - 12:54 PM - by Chris Pike

CLAREMONT and Swan Districts meet for the first time in 2018 on Saturday at Claremont Oval with the Tigers needing a win to stay in the finals hunt and Swans looking to make it three wins in succession.

Claremont is back on home turn and needing to record its third win of the 2018 season to avoid remaining two games and significant percentage outside the top five.

But it won't be an easy task against a Swan Districts team who has done well to score impressive wins the past fortnight after a three-week break.

Swans didn't play for three weeks after losing to South Fremantle at Fremantle Community Bank Oval in Round 6, but have come out of the break in impressive form.

It started with a 13-point win against East Perth at Leederville Oval and then back at Steel Blue Oval last Saturday, Swans hit back from being 40 points down late in the second quarter to kick 12 of the last 13 goals, and the last eight, to come away 30-point winners.

That has Swan Districts on a two-game winning streak heading into Saturday's clash with Claremont with Swans sitting in fourth position on the WAFL ladder with a 5-3 record.

Claremont is coming off an 11-point defeat at the hands of Peel Thunder last Saturday also at Claremont Oval to sit in seventh spot at 2-6.

Saturday's game will bouncedown at 1.40pm and will be broadcast live on Channel 7 from 1.30pm.

As a result, the reserves game begins at 10.55am and the colts at 8.25am at Claremont Oval.

The game will also be just the second time Swan Districts have played at the redeveloped Claremont Oval. Their first appearance was in Round 13 last year with Claremont winning by 67 points. The Tigers also went on to beat the black-and-whites by 24 points in Round 22, 2017.

Swans' last win against Claremont was by 17 points in Round 7 last year while their last victory at Claremont Oval came back in Round 17, 2013 to the tune of 39 points.

Claremont has struggled in attack so far this season averaging just 72.9 points a game compared with 95.9 from Swan Districts with both teams comparable defensively with the Tigers giving up 92.0 points and Swans 89.4.

Claremont is also the third worst performing team in first quarters this season and the second worst in last terms but stack up well through the middle of matches.

Meanwhile, Swan Districts are the fourth best starting team in the WAFL, fourth in second terms, third in third quarters and third in final stanzas.

Claremont loses Tom Lee from its forward-line coming into the clash against Swan Districts having kicked 11 goals the past three weeks. But the Tigers do welcome back 153-game veteran Beau Maister who had kicked eight goals in two weeks before missing the past two matches through concussion.

Morgan Davies, Kaiden Gilbert, Alex Manuel, Shaquille Morton, Dylan Smallwood and Isaac Wallace are the other players added to the Tigers squad as they look for a third win of the 2018 season.

Declan McNamara, Ryan Murphy and Matthew Palfrey join Lee out of the Claremont line-up.

From the Swan Districts team that beat Perth by 30 points at Steel Blue Oval last Saturday, Brad Fullgrabe, Jack O'Sullivan, Ethan Maguire and Albert Dean have been added to the squad.

Fullgrabe is coming off 12 possessions, four tackles and 36 hit outs in the reserves last for Swans against the Demons where O'Sullivan also had 18 disposals and four marks, Maguire 30 possessions, seven marks and a goal, and Dean 24 disposals and six inside-50 entries.

Jackson Slater is the only out from the Swan Districts side at this stage.

CLAREMONT (2-6, 7th) v SWAN DISTRICTS (5-3, 3rd) – CLAREMONT OVAL, SATURDAY 1.40PM
Selected teams, live stats 
Broadcast – Channel 7, Footy Radio