WAFL & WAFLW Match Preview: Subiaco vs West Perth

WAFL: Round Four Match Preview vs West Perth

Subiaco head to Joondalup with a bit of confidence, as they look to knock off the reigning premiers in West Perth at Pentanet Stadium on Saturday April 29. With both sides hitting their straps after three rounds, the four points will be important to both teams going forward. Midfielder Stefan Giro comes back into the Lions’ side, while Noah Ash misses out as the only change.

FORM

Subiaco completed an impressive win over the then-top of the ladder Claremont in round three. It was a coaching performance Beau Wardman would be proud of, having his match ups right throughout the match. It means the Lions are 2-1 to start the season, as part of a bottleneck of sides ranging from second to fifth.

Meanwhile, the Falcons are coming off strong back-to-back wins over West Coast and Swan Districts. Like Subiaco, West Perth will be keen to win to get themselves ahead of the other teams on the ladder.

LAST TIME THEY MET

The Lions were beaten in the last round of the 2022 season by West Perth. Subiaco, who were out of finals contention, gave it their best, but were beaten by a strong side who would go on to win the WAFL Premiership. In a losing effort, Stefan Giro was strong with 30 disposals and eight tackles.

ONE TO WATCH

Subiaco’s strong showing last week was thanks in part to the return of key forward Ryan Borchet. In his first game back in the League side after injury, he showed no signs of rust, kicking five goals. Further to that, he showed presence up the ground, and showed off his mighty leap as a target up forward.

His game compliments that of Ben Sokol, and is important for the Lions.

WAFLW: Round Eight Match Preview vs West Perth

Subiaco’s Women’s side is also up against West Perth, hosting the Falcons at Leederville Oval on Sunday April 30. The Lions are undefeated against West Perth, but the two sides are different to the ones that played last year.

Both teams have had some positive results, and will look to continue it on the weekend. Subiaco will have to win without veteran Tiah Toth, who is out this week.

FORM

The Lions have kicked into gear after the bye, with back to back wins. After defeating East Perth, Subiaco traveled to Mandurah and took down Peel Thunder by 47 points. Skipper Tarni Golisano was dominant with 35 disposals, while Fina Dethlefsen was impressive on debut, kicking two goals. Meanwhile,

West Perth have had some good wins, but have struggled post-bye. They’ve had two losses in a row against Swan Districts and Claremont, and will be looking to bounce back.

LAST TIME THEY MET

Subiaco were 35-point winners over the Falcons when the two sides met at Leederville Oval in round 14 last year. Jess Ritchie impressed with nine disposals and five inside 50s.

Meanwhile, Tiah Toth was clean with 14 touches.

ONE TO WATCH

Relishing a change of role this year is Hanna Dethlefsen. She looked promising as a forward last season, but a move to the backline in 2023 has worked wonders for the Lions. Subiaco have conceded the third-least amount of points this year, and the 22-year-old has played a role in that statistic.

She’s averaging 10 disposals and over two marks per game.