Round 18 WAFL PreviewFriday, August 2, 2024 - 9:01 AM - by Chris Pike

IT is a full round of WAFL action this Saturday and not only is there the derbies featuring East Fremantle v South Fremantle and East Perth v West Perth, the Peel Thunder match up with Claremont looms especially fascinating.

All five Round 18 WAFL matches will be taking place on Saturday afternoon as the race heats up for a position in the top five altogether, and then also at the pointy end of the table for those top spots to earn a finals double chance.

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First up on Saturday afternoon and it's the clash of the Mineral Resources Park co-tenants with the West Coast Eagles playing Perth.

Both teams might be out of finals contention but they won't want to be finishing 2024 with a wooden spoon with the Eagles looking for a fifth win and a Demons a fourth on the back of a string of competitive showings without quite getting over the line.

The derbies for the day then begin at Sullivan Logistics Stadium with East Perth at home to West Perth with the Royals a chance to reclaim top spot but the Falcons just want to snap a losing run of eight matches.

Both teams are looking to hit back with East Perth coming off a tough 59-point loss last Saturday at the hands of Claremont while West Perth had lost eight straight prior to the bye last weekend.

Next up will be Peel Thunder at home to Claremont at Lane Group Stadium in a match up featuring two in-form teams with plenty to play for.

Peel returned to top position with the hard fought win against Perth last Saturday while Claremont could well be playing as well as anyone in the competition right now having beaten East Perth by 59 points last Saturday.

However, at 8-6 the Tigers are still outside the top five and need to keep winning should they want to play finals in 2024.

Swan Districts is back home at Steel Blue Oval hosting Subiaco with the black-and-whites still not having lost in their last eight matches despite a nail-biting draw with South Fremantle last Saturday.

Swans remain in third position to be just two points behind the top two teams and a game clear of the fourth placed South Fremantle while Subiaco is looking to back up a win last week against West Coast.

The round then wraps up with a Fremantle derby between East Fremantle and South Fremantle at Fremantle Community Bank Oval with the winner to further consolidate a finals position.

The loser has the chance to slip outside the top five by Saturday night too should Claremont beat Peel so there is plenty on the line.

East Fremantle ruckman Lachlan Blakiston is playing his second derby and looking for a first win with the Sharks against the Bulldogs.

"Since coming across to the Sharks, I was eager to play in a derby. I had my first taste earlier in the year and while we didn’t get the win, it was a great experience," Blakiston said.

"It’s only fuelled my desire to win a derby. It’s a big game this weekend and I think we owe it to not only Bill, but each other. We know we are more than capable, and I’d love to get my first win against them."

WEST COAST EAGLES v PERTH – MINERAL RESOURCES PARK, SATURDAY 1.10PM

EAST PERTH v WEST PERTH – SULLIVAN LOGISTICS STADIUM, SATURDAY 2.10PM

PEEL THUNDER v CLAREMONT – LANE GROUP STADIUM, SATURDAY 2.30PM

SWAN DISTRICTS V SUBIACO – STEEL BLUE OVAL, SATURDAY 2.30PM

EAST FREMANTLE v SOUTH FREMANTLE – FREMANTLE COMMUNITY BANK OVAL, SATURDAY 2.30PM