WAFL 2025 Season PreviewThursday, April 3, 2025 - 9:12 AM - by Chris Pike

WITH no reason to suggest last year's top teams won't again be around the mark and with the likes of South Fremantle, West Perth and Perth having impressive off seasons, the 2025 WAFL season is shaping up as a tight and fascinating one.

Round 1 of the 2025 WAFL season sees all five matches take place this Saturday with four of them in the traditional 2:30pm time slot.

That sees East Fremantle unveil its redeveloped The Good Grocer Park home ground up against the West Coast Eagles while Subiaco plays East Perth at Sullivan Logistics Stadium, Swan Districts hosts West Perth at Steel Blue Oval, and Peel Thunder takes on Claremont at Lane Group Stadium.

The round then wraps up on Saturday night at Mineral Resources Park with Perth playing South Fremantle from 7:10pm.

CLAREMONT

Last season: Lost first semi-final. 11-7 record, fifth position

Coach: Ash Prescott (Ninth season, 119-53 record)

Captain: Declan Mountford

Fairest and best 2024: Bailey Rogers

Year after year, Claremont puts itself in a position to contend for that elusive first WAFL premiership since 2012 and there's no reason to suggest 2025 won't be the season the Tigers breakthrough.

Claremont has now taken part in the finals for seven straight seasons which has included them making the grand final in 2020 and 2022, losing in preliminary finals in 2019 and 2021, and being eliminated in first semi finals in 2018, 2023 and 2024.

While there has been plenty of heartbreak thrown in over that seven years, the Tigers deserve to be commended for backing up to put themselves in a position to contend year after year, and for the core group of players to have stuck together.

That continues in 2025 with the retention of Sandover Medal winning trio Callan England, Bailey Rogers and Jye Bolton along with captain Declan Mountford, gun ruckman Oliver Eastland and Alec Waterman, Lachlan Martinis, Tyron Smallwood and Declan Hardisty.

That is as impressive of a senior core as there is in the competition with the next group continuing to emerge including Joel Western, Ronin O'Connor, Ben Elliott, Sam Alvarez, Anthony Davis, Talon Delacey and Zac Mainwaring.

Having key targets in attack has perhaps been Claremont's lone soft spot in recent years but that doesn't look likely to be an issue in 2025 with Jaiden Hunter on deck after his time at the Sydney Swans to team up with Kalin Lane, Kieran Gowdie, Max Minear, West Love and Sam Van Rooyen.

This will be Ash Prescott's ninth season coaching Claremont and he has won a final in each of the previous eight, including last year where the Tigers eliminated East Fremantle before falling heartbreakingly short in the first semi-final to eventual premiers, Peel Thunder.

With that core group, the new tier continuing to emerge and then the recruits headed up by spearhead Hunter, and the Tigers are going to take some stopping in 2025.

EAST FREMANTLE

Last season: Lost elimination final. 12-6 record, fourth position

Coach: Bill Monaghan (Seventh season, 56-48 record)

Captain: Kyle Baskerville

Fairest and best 2024: Milan Murdock

In a lot of ways East Fremantle's premiership defence never really got off the ground in 2024, but the Sharks still made finals and despite the departure of some experience, there's great excitement surrounding them coming into 2025.

The first piece of excitement for the Sharks is that they have now moved into their redeveloped home ground, now named The Good Grocer Park, and they will have a home base to play out of starting in Round 2 against Peel Thunder after a season-opening derby.

What having a home ground will do for an East Fremantle that won a premiership without one is anyone's guess, but you would have to think it's nothing but a positive and on the playing stock front, there's plenty of good news for the Sharks as well.

While the loss of premiership captain Matthew Jupp and Sandover Medallist Blaine Boekhorst leave the most significant gaps, the Sharks have retained a large portion of their key playing stocks and have made some important additions.

The most significant of those could well be bringing across versatile defender Jack Avery from Perth, where he was named to the WAFL Team of the Year back in 2023 before an injury-interrupted 2024.

He is a natural rebounding defender and also has good enough size to play on some opposition talls while being a standout playmaker with Austin Hodge another recruit who will fit right into that defensive unit.

The Sharks did win the 2023 premiership without a pure ruckman with Reuben McGuire and Hugh Dixon filling that role admirably, but they had struck gold in 2024 with the unearthing of Lachlan Blakiston.

However, his season is now over following a shoulder injury with the Sharks hoping Luke Strnadica can stand up. With senior players including new captain Kyle Baskerville, dual Simpson Medallist Milan Murdock, Jono Marsh, Harry Marsh, Tom Bennett, Cody Leggett, Cam Eardley, Tom Joyce, Jarrad Jansen and Lachlan Bailey, and the Sharks have all the tools to get back to being a flag threat.

EAST PERTH

Last season: Lost Grand Final. 14-4 record, minor premiers

Coach: Ross McQueen (Third season, 27-12 record)

Co-captains: Hamish Brayshaw, Christian Ameduri

Fairest and best 2024: Mitch Crowden

East Perth had a standout 2024 season before a heartbreaking grand final loss and now the Royals have the departure of some midfield stars to try and cover to be back in the mix again in 2025.

The build back into being a premiership contender has been impressive from East Perth especially over the past two years under coach Ross McQueen.

They got back to playing finals in 2023 in McQueen's first season in charge but you could see what they were building and it all came to fruition in 2024 as they ended up as minor premiers with a 14-4 record.

The Royals then won straight into the grand final with a second semi-final win against Swan Districts, but on grand final day they couldn’t stick with Peel and there's been mixed news over summer since.

A lot of what East Perth had built was around having the best midfield group in the competition with ruckman Scott Jones, and then gun on-ballers Hamish Brayshaw, Mitch Crowden and Angus Schumacher backed up by the likes of Christian Ameduri, Angus Scott, Tom North and Michael Randall.

The departures of Crowden, Schumacher and Randall now for 2025 will be tough to cover, but there's still clearly enough experience and quality through the midfield to keep the Royals strongly competitive.

The Royals back-line is a little unheralded but with key backs led by Harrison Macreadie and Corey Watts, and then the run and creativity provided by Stan Wright, Kye Willcocks and Jacob Msando, and they are well stocked in that area.

The forward-line has also been boosted in 2025 with the addition of Ben Middleton and return of Sebit Kuek while Mitch Schofield will be back off a long-term injury and there's still Shayne Hille, Sam Van Diemen, Tom Medhat, Liam Tedesco and Tom Graham.

The changes create opportunities especially in the midfield but with a strong back and forward-line, and Jones leading the ruck, and East Perth will be around the mark again this season.

PEEL THUNDER

Last season: Won premiership. 13-5 record, second position

Coach: Adam Read (Second season, 16-6 record)

Captain: Ben Hancock

Fairest and best 2024: Neil Erasmus

Peel Thunder proved unstoppable in the last three weeks of the finals last year to claim the club's third WAFL premiership and now they are attempting to complete back-to-back flags for a second time.

Peel has got its partnership with the Fremantle Dockers perfectly worked out with the Thunder having their own strong core group of experienced WAFL players along with some exciting young talent, and then welcoming in the AFL-listed players who are the icing on the cake.

Combine that with a strong Fremantle team and with a relatively small injury list and it creates a strong Peel line-up that all came together in the back end of the 2024 season for that premiership triumph.

Peel won four of the last five games heading into the finals to secure second position and despite a hiccup in the qualifying final against Swan Districts, then beat Claremont, Swans in a preliminary final rematch, and East Perth in the grand final on the way to celebrating the premiership at Optus Stadium.

That allowed for Blair Bell to get the fairytale farewell having been part of all three premierships in 2016, 2017 and 2024 while Peel will also lose Tom Emmett, Matt Taberner, Bo Allan, Ethan Hughes, Nathan Wilson and Brady Grey from that premiership team.

However, captain Ben Hancock along with fellow Peel locals Jacob Hewitt, Michael Sellwood, Corey Tregenza, Jack Sears and Scott Tuia remain on board from that premiership team.

Peel also welcomes back 118-game creative veteran Traye Bennell for the 2025 season while having recruited Joel Rush and Sean Hunter to ensure they have good depth regardless of what Dockers players are available from week to week.

There's enough natural talent and experience there with Peel for second-year coach Adam Read to keep his team competitive as they chase back-to-back premierships, and then the availability of Fremantle players could determine just how far they end up going.

PERTH

Last season: 4-14 record, ninth position

Coach: Mark Stone (First season)

Co-captains: Corey Byrne, Charlie Constable

Fairest and best 2024: Corey Byrne

Perth has had a lot of new eras beginning since they last won a WAFL final almost 30 years ago, but there's good reason for optimism for the Demons in 2025 under new coach Mark Stone.

Stone takes over as coach permanently having filled in for Peter German in the back end of the 2024 season and as a renowned strategist through his lifetime in coaching, there'll be no doubting the Demons players will be well armed with a game plan each time they take the park.

Having enough talent to actually carry out what the coach asks of them and turning that into wins is going to be the challenge, but it all starts in the middle and the on-ball brigade is going to be Perth's strength it appears in 2025.

Being able to bring in enough talent to offset the departures has been Perth's biggest obstacle for a generation, and it has been no different coming into this season, but they have made some impressive signings.

There's no getting around Jack Avery, Charlie Thompson and Kristian Cary being significant losses, but Perth has done well to limit the damage and add some key pieces.

Bringing in former Geelong AFL midfielder Brandon Parfitt is a significant signing and helped by him having a history with last year's recruits Charlie Constable and Sam Simpson.

Perth has also brought in Michael Randall after he played in the grand final for East Perth last year while Tyrone Thorne is a former fairest and best winner at Peel and Conrad Williams is a 21-year-old fresh off Fremantle's list.

All of that points to Perth having good experience and talent to work with for the new coach, especially in the midfield, and if their defence can hold firm and they can find regular avenues to goal with Aaron Clarke the spearhead, plenty more than last year's four wins are on the cards.

SOUTH FREMANTLE

Last season: 10-1-7 record, sixth position

Coach: Craig White (First season)

Captain: Chad Pearson

Fairest and best 2024: Isiah Winder

South Fremantle has a new coach for the first time in a decade and the Bulldogs have loaded up for the 2025 season to try and ensure they are quickly right back in the finals.

Todd Curley became South Fremantle's longest serving coach over the past decade while taking them to the 2020 premiership and three grand finals in a tremendously successful era, but all good things have to come to an end.

It felt like the right time for all involved for a fresh start by the end of 2024 after two seasons out of the finals with Curley now returning to an assistant coaching role at the Fremantle Dockers, and a familiar face replacing him.

Craig White has taken over the helm at South Fremantle with the same club he won two premierships with and played 192 games at before honing his coaching craft in the Perth Football League.

The Bulldogs have made some impressive signings too coming into the new season with Trey Ruscoe on board after playing for the Eagles WAFL team, Jamaine Jones signing after his time at West Coast, and Ethan Hughes joining following 107 AFL and 86 WAFL games while at the Fremantle Dockers.

Hamish Free also returns after his time at North Melbourne to give South Fremantle a strong ruck presence, and then there remains a core of captain Chad Pearson, Tom Blechynden, Matthew Parker, Glenn Byron, Brandon Donaldson, Jake Florenca, Dylan Main, Toby McQuilkin, Zac Strom, Noah Strom, and reigning fairest and best Isiah Winder.

The immediate future of 216-game champion Haiden Schloithe remains unclear following a cancer scare, but South Fremantle does look to be ready to take a significant leap forward with White at the helm in 2025.

SUBIACO

Last season: 6-12, seventh position

Coach: Beau Wardman (Seventh season, 65-40 record)

Captain: Greg Clark

Fairest and best 2024: Galen Savigni

Subiaco's quest to build themselves back into a powerful force continues in 2025 and the Lions have put plenty of things in place to ensure a rapidly improved season after a disappointing 2024.

No dominant era lasts forever and after Subiaco went through a run of winning five premierships and playing in seven grand finals between 2014-2021, there has been some tougher times over the previous three seasons.

The Lions missed finals with seven wins in 2022 before getting back to finishing second in 2023 but losing twice in the finals to Peel Thunder, and then dropping back again in 2024 with just the six victories.

Naturally a lot of that is the gradual loss of those premiership heroes which has continued coming into 2025 following the retirements of Ben Sokol, Leigh Kitchin and Angus Dewar, and now with ever-reliable defender Drew Rohde also departing.

Firming up their ruck stocks was a big focus coming into 2025 as well for Subiaco after Zac Clarke's departure following a dominant 2023 season. The Lions have brought across Jedd Edwards from East Perth where he played 12 WAFL games previously.

Subiaco also welcomes back Stefan Giro from injury so he's like a new recruit, but the signings the Lions have made are impressive as well including Jack Cooley, Archer May, Jarrod Richards and Oliver Dixon along with the returning Kyle Stainsby.

There's also natural improvement within the group for Subiaco after Jordan Lockyer played just two games, Kyron Hayden one, Ben Golding 10, Jack Mayo 10, Taj Schofield 13, Greg Clark 14 and Luke Foley 14.

So with a better run on the injury front, their remaining experienced players holding down the fort and some young talent coming through, Subiaco will be expecting to be right back in the finals mix as they are accustomed to in 2025.

SWAN DISTRICTS

Last season: Lost preliminary final. 11-1-6 record, third position

Coach: Andrew Pruyn (Third season, 20-1-18 record)

Co-captains: Jesse Turner

Fairest and best 2024: Nik Rokahr

Swan Districts were so close to breaking through in 2024 having earned the right to host the preliminary final and now will be determined to continue that upward trajectory in 2025.

It had been a long build back to premiership contention for the black-and-whites as they reached a preliminary final for the first time since 2012 on the back of winning their first final altogether since 2017 a couple of weeks earlier.

In the second season of coach Andrew Pruyn, Swans finished the 2024 season in third position with 11 wins and a draw before then beating Peel Thunder in Mandurah in the qualifying final.

After losing to East Perth, Swans still had earned the right to host the preliminary final at Steel Blue Oval before eventual premiers Peel proved too strong, but there's still an enormous amount to build on coming into 2025.

The great strength of that Swan Districts team was the midfield which included Sandover Medallist Nik Rokahr, Jye Chalcraft, Jesse Turner, Josh Cipro, Jackson McLachlan, Jehb O'Donohue and prior to his suspension, Aidan Clarke along with ruckman Nathan Blakely.

The back-line was also rock solid led by games record holder Tony Notte, Jake Pasini, Will Collins, Tony Stephens, Bryce Watson, Lewis Tester, and when healthy, Brandon Erceg.

Leigh Kohlmann was outstanding as a spearhead kicking 53 goals in 17 games while Tom Edwards was an excitement machine alongside him, but he's now with Essendon in the AFL.

The loss of Rokahr fresh off his Sandover Medal winning season hurts, but the return of Zane Trew after his time with West Coast softens that blow as does the return of former Fremantle Dockers and Gold Coast Suns AFL on-baller Connor Blakely.

Considering Turner and Clarke both missed that preliminary final through injury and suspension, there's no reason to expect anything but Swan Districts continuing where they left off in 2025.

WEST COAST EAGLES

Last season: 4-14 record, wooden spoon

Coach: Kyal Horsley (Second season, 4-14 record)

Co-captains: Jack Eastough, Shannon Lucassen

Fairest and best 2024: Harley Sparks

It has been tough going in the WAFL in recent seasons for the West Coast Eagles but they will be looking for a better run just on the injury front in 2025 and their competitiveness will naturally improve.

It was already an improved 2024 season for the Eagles despite again claiming the wooden spoon. They did manage to win four games and only ended up in last spot thanks to percentage with their 4-14 record equal with both West Perth and Perth.

There's no getting away from how challenging things have been ever since the Eagles rejoined the WAFL competition back in 2021 after sitting out the COVID impacted season of 2020.

The Eagles have only won nine of 72 games since with an average losing margin of 64.2 points, but their competitiveness did improve in 2024 with a better percentage of 57.2 and with the four victories which they will look to build upon further.

Subiaco champion Kyal Hosley is coming into his second season as coach with the Eagles having appointed Jack Eastough and Shannon Lucassen as co-captains for 2025 following departure of Jackson Nelson, who didn’t end up playing a game through injury in 2024.

While Trey Ruscoe (South Fremantle) and Jason Gillbee (West Perth) have also moved on after one season and there are some players including Jai Culley, Coby Burgiel, Andrew Gaff, Zane Trew and Jamaine Jones who played a lot with them last year that no longer on West Coast's AFL list, the Eagles have added some talent.

South Fremantle premiership forward Caleb Datson heads the list of inclusions that includes Tom Edwards-Baldwin and Max Mumme while they have done their best to try and keep a core of WAFL players together.

It's also an increasingly youthful West Coast AFL list which the WAFL team will look to help bring along quickly and win some games along the way on top of that.

WEST PERTH

Last season: 4-14 record, eighth position

Coach: Jason Salecic (Second season, 4-14 record)

Captain: Luke Meadows

Fairest and best 2024: Luke Meadows

After eight straight years of taking part in the WAFL finals, West Perth has now missed the past two seasons and will be looking to make up for that in 2025 to get back in the mix.

The Falcons won the premiership with remarkable scenes at their spiritual Leederville home back in 2022. It looked as though it might be the start of a dominant run, but it hasn’t been the case.

In fact, West Perth hasn’t made the finals despite 11 wins in 2023 but then slipping back with just four victories in 2024 including going on a 10-game losing streak.

That wasn’t the way that premiership captain Jason Salecic was hoping to start his tenure as coach after taking over from Darren Harris, but West Perth will now be doing all they can to rapidly improve to get back in the finals hunt in 2025.

Their superstar premiership trio of Tyler Keitel, Shane Nelson and Aaron Black are on deck once more with Keitel just about an unbackable favourite to claim a fifth Bernie Naylor Medal in his 179-game career as the league's leading goal scorer.

Simpson Medallist Luke Meadows assumes the captaincy on the back of a fairest and best winning season as a powerful midfielder in 2024 but aside from that there is mixed news on the personnel front for the Falcons coming into the new season.

West Perth has lost some key players including Connor West, Scott Nelson, Koopah Todd, Noah Pegoraro and Tristan Hobley, but there are some more than impressive additions.

That includes the recruitment of Jason Gillbee (Eagles WAFL), Blake Waight (Glenorchy, Tasmania), Matthew McKenzie (North Adelaide, SANFL) and Roan Steele (Casey, VFL).

Josh Rotham also returns after his time at the West Coast Eagles where he played 72 AFL games with his brother Sam back on deck too along with premiership midfielder and fairest and best winner Mitch Peirce.

That all ensures that the West Perth list looks strengthened in 2025 and with the motivation to get back into the finals mix, they should be big improvers after a season to forget last year.