McDonald’s WAFL Preliminary Finals Preview

WEST Perth and East Perth are the fiercest of rivals and now the Falcons and Royals do battle on Sunday at HBF Arena in the WAFL preliminary final with a spot in the grand final against Subiaco at stake.

With Subiaco already having moved into the grand final for 2015 after winning last week’s second semi-final, West Perth host East Perth on Sunday at the Joondalup venue with the winner to advance, and the loser’s season over.

The reserves preliminary final will also be at HBF Arena with Subiaco taking on Swan Districts with the winner to advance to the grand final against South Fremantle.

The colts preliminary final will begin the day at HBF Arena with Swan Districts taking on Peel Thunder with a place in the grand final against Claremont up for grabs.

LEAGUE PRELIMINARY FINAL
WEST PERTH (13-7, 2nd) v EAST PERTH (11-9, 4th) – HBF ARENA, SUNDAY 2.10PM
Selected teams
Broadcast – Channel 7, 720 ABC Perth, 91.3 SportFM, KIX Digital

There are no more fierce rivals in WA football than West Perth and East Perth, and they meet in a preliminary final at HBF Arena on Sunday with the prize of a grand final on the line.

The game will be broadcast live on Channel 7 as well as radio stations 720 ABC Perth, 91.3 SportFM and KIX Digital.

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West Perth and East Perth most recently played in the 2013 grand final, and have had some remarkable contests since then as well with anything capable of happening both on and off the field.

West Perth missed the finals in 2014 in defence of its premiership, but ended up in second position at the end of the home and away season having won 13 of 20 matches.

The Falcons then beat Peel Thunder by 109 points in the qualifying final before losing by 55 points in last Sunday’s second semi-final to Subiaco with the team looking tired in the second half in what was their 10th successive match since their last bye.

East Perth has played the last two grand finals, losing to West Perth and Subiaco respectively, and has the chance to play in a third premiership decider in a row as the Royals chase their first flag since 2002.

If East Perth wins on Sunday to make the grand final, it will give inspirational co-captain Craig Wulff the chance to break the club’s games record of 269 held by Derek Chadwick.

The Royals had a slow start to 2015 winning just six of their first 14 games but they then won five of the last six matches to make the finals, and then beat Claremont and Peel Thunder in cut-throat finals to qualify for the preliminary final.

The clash will be the sixth preliminary final between East Perth and West Perth in history, with the most recent taking place in 2003 when the Falcons won by 56 points to end the Royals’ quest for a fourth straight premiership while going on to win the flag themselves.

The last final between the two clubs was the 2013 grand final when East Perth went in as warm favourites, but West Perth had the right game plan in the conditions and the right mindset to play hard, contested football to end up winning by 49 points.

The bitter rivals have played three fascinating contests so far in 2015 starting in Round 8 at HBF Arena when the Royals were leading by 42 points during the third quarter before the Falcons kicked the last 12 goals of the game to win by 38 points in stunning turnaround.

The next meeting was only several weeks later on WA Day at Medibank Stadium and there was no surrendering of a big lead on that occasion for East Perth, with the Royals running away with the eventual 48-point victory.

And then most recently in Round 19 also at Medibank Stadium, East Perth won a thriller over West Perth by four points thanks to young Eagles forward Tom Lamb kicking a goal with virtually the last kick of the game.