WAFL 2022 Preview – South FremantleWednesday, March 9, 2022 - 9:30 AM - by Chris Pike

IT has been a tremendous run over the past six years for South Fremantle with three preliminary final and three Grand Final finishes, including the 2020 premiership, but coming into 2022 there has been significant change for the Bulldogs.

Todd Curley arrived as coach at South Fremantle back in 2015 with a mission to not only return the Bulldogs to finals action for the first time since 2011, but to set them up for sustained success.

It's fair to say he has achieved that and more. South Fremantle returned to finals in 2016 and got to the next three preliminary final. They eventually broke through for a Grand Final in 2019 and now have played in the last three, including winning the premiership in 2020.

South Fremantle has finished in a top two position each of the past six seasons so that's quite the impressive run, but they have had significant personnel turnover now coming into the 2022 season.

Starting with the good news. Premiership player Steve Verrier returns as does Brendon Ah Chee following his time in the AFL at both Port Adelaide and West Coast Eagles. Lachlan Taylor has also come down from the Northern Territory to give the WAFL a try.

Captain Dylan Main will be virtually a new recruit too having battled a foot injury pretty much all of 2021 including missing the Grand Final loss to Subiaco. Ben Rioli will also be back after only playing 11 games in 2021. Zac Dent is another who managed only six games last year.

There are some significant losses, though, including a man who has become a heart and soul player in the ruck, Brock Higgins. He has retired along with premiership defender Blayne Wilson.

Matthew Parker has returned to Richmond full-time, Jesse Motlop is in the AFL and Jacob Dragovich and Cody Ninyette are among the other premiership players who have moved on coming into 2022.

It's certainly not time for doom and gloom for Bulldogs fans though. Four-time fairest and best winner is running around again, while Mason Shaw will again spearhead the attack to add to his 121-game, 273-goal career.

Hamish Free will get the chance to be the No. 1 ruckman following Higgins' retirement while the midfield will still be strong featuring Tom Blechynden, Jake Florenca and Nick Suban.

The back-line even with the loss of Wilson will be still anchored by Noah Strom, Chad Pearson and the emerging Toby McQuilkin while the Bulldogs will be hoping Blake Schlensog isn't listed late to an AFL club so he can provide that big man versatility.

COACH – Todd Curley (Eighth season, 94-48 record)
CAPTAIN – Dylan Main
FAIREST AND BEST 2021 – Haiden Schloithe

LOOKBACK ON 2021

Rarely does a team remain in premiership contention while getting younger and blooding new talent, but that's exactly what South Fremantle accomplished in 2021 despite the disappointment of a Grand Final loss.

The Bulldogs started the season well enough winning six of the first eight games before a surprise loss to East Perth in Round 10. But they built some form impressively in the back end of the season.

They did only narrowly secure second position, though, and a subsequent home qualifying final and double chance come finals time which ended up seeing them play at home in the preliminary final.

A 45-point win in Round 22 over the West Coast Eagles was just enough for them to stay ahead of Claremont in second position before then hosting the Tigers in an incredible qualifying final at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

South Fremantle prevailed when Jared Hardisty couldn’t kick truly after the siren for Claremont. The Bulldogs then regrouped from a rough second semi-final loss to Subiaco to hold Claremont goalless for three quarters in the preliminary final on the way to an 11-point win.

The Grand Final didn’t go to plan against Subiaco with a 44-point loss, but South Fremantle will feel they would have been more competitive had captain Dylan Main, Blayne Wilson, Brandon Donaldson, Blake Schlensog, Zac Dent and Ben Rioli not been unavailable through injury.

FULL SOUTH FREMANTLE 2021 SEASON REVIEW

INS AND OUTS

Incoming – Steve Verrier, Brendon Ah Chee, Lachlan Taylor 

Outgoing – Brock Higgins, Blayne Wilson, Matthew Parker, Jacob Dragovich, Jesse Motlop, Cody Ninyette

FEATURE FIXTURE

Well how can you go past South Fremantle's Round 1 match up against Subiaco in a Grand Final rematch at Leederville Oval on Saturday April 16. It's a venue that hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the Bulldogs against the Lions with South Fremantle losing to Subiaco at Leederville Oval in second semi finals in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021 along with the preliminary final of 2017. But they get a quick chance to earn a measure of revenge for last year's Grand Final to open the new season and to send a message of their intentions. 

PREDICTION

Given the significant changeover in personnel and the potential of still losing one or two more key players to the AFL, it's going to be a challenge for South Fremantle to stay in premiership contention in 2022, but you would be hard pressed to not still expect them to take part in finals action.