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ROUND 18 PREVIEW V EAST PERTH

Friday, July 25, 2014 - 2:13 AM by CHRIS PIKE

EAST Perth sits on top of the ladder and has had two weeks off while the majority of West Perth's team played in Geelong on Tuesday night and the Falcons are only just clinging to any finals hopes, but strange things can happen in Perth derbies.

East Perth-West Perth clashes have become the most heated on and off the field in recent times in the WAFL and expect no different this Saturday afternoon at Medibank Stadium in the third derby of the season and likely the last grand final rematch from last year.

West Perth won last year's grand final after beating East Perth by 49 points and then the Falcons also thumped the Royals by 100 points back in Round 4 also at the Leederville venue.

East Perth bounced back recording a 16-point win on WA Day at Joondalup's HBF Arena and now the two teams get set to meet again.

The Royals have now won nine straight matches to sit a game clear on top of the WAFL ladder with a 12-2 record and needing to keep winning to hold off the chasing Subiaco.

East Perth is also fresh having had the bye last weekend following a solid 28-point win against East Fremantle.

Meanwhile, West Perth is coming off a disappointing showing on Tuesday night in Geelong in a Foxtel Cup grand final loss to Williamstown where the Falcons only managed to score one goal for the entire night and to end up losing by 63 points.

That means that the West Perth players backing up only arrived home in Perth on Wednesday night and have just had Thursday and Friday to prepare to take on East Perth on Saturday.

Before that, West Perth had lost its last two matches to Swan Districts and Subiaco, and four its last six to slip to a 6-8 record on the season to now be four games outside of the top four and desperately needing to find a way to beat East Perth to keep any slim finals hopes alive.

Not only does West Perth have to deal with having flown to Melbourne on Monday, played in Geelong on Tuesday night, flown back to Perth on Wednesday afternoon and now getting prepared to play the Royals on Saturday, the Falcons have plenty of injuries to deal with as well.

Kody Manning was already missing from the Foxtel Cup grand final on Tuesday night with a shoulder injury as were Nick Rodda and Steve Potente with knee complaints.

The experienced Andrew Strijk then copped a corked thigh early in the Foxtel Cup match on Tuesday night. While he was able to play on during the night, once it cooled down it hasn’t pulled up well and won't be playing on Saturday against East Perth to add to his 148 matches with West Perth.

Prolific ball-winning midfielder Shane Nelson is also struggling coming out of Tuesday night's clash in Geelong, but will be given every chance to get up and play on Saturday.

Half-forward Matt Johnson and versatile big man Shaun Marusic also go out of the West Perth team that both lost to Subiaco in the WAFL two weeks ago and in the Foxtel Cup grand final to Williamstown on Tuesday night.

Max Alexander, Corey Chalmers, Ben King, Aidan Lynch, Trent Manzone, Drew Rohde, Kris Shannon and Mitch van Berlo are all added to the West Perth squad to face East Perth on Saturday.

Alexander has played all three of West Perth's Foxtel Cup matches this season but is yet to make his WAFL debut despite having now played 40 reserves matches the last four years, but his chance could come on Saturday.

Chalmers is a lively small forward who has played in the Foxtel Cup this season but could also make his WAFL debut on Saturday with him having kicked 49 goals in 31 reserves matches, and before that 32 goals in 30 colts appearances.

King has come to West Perth this season from Gingin and played in the Foxtel Cup semi-final win over the Western Storm, and now could also be set for his WAFL debut on Saturday.

Lynch is another to have now racked up 37 reserves matches and to have played in the Foxtel Cup this year but awaits a league debut that could come Saturday with Mitch van Berlo, the younger brother of Nathan and Jay, also in the same boat.

Jordan Jones will also be playing his 100th match in the WAFL since being drafted by West Coast from the Geelong Falcons in 2008.

In between his two matches with the Eagles in the AFL, he played 47 WAFL matches with Peel Thunder before joining West Perth once delisted and now having played 49 games with the Falcons in the WAFL and another three in the Foxtel Cup to take his tally to 99 which will become 100 on Saturday.

East Perth had the week off last week to refresh with the bye while West Perth was gearing up for its Foxtel Cup grand final on Tuesday night.

With West Coast having the week off in the AFL as well then every one of the 22 players that will line up for the Royals will be fresh and raring to go up against a battered and bruised Falcons line-up.

Nobody at East Perth will be taking West Perth lightly, though, that is for sure despite the fact that the Royals will be fielding a strong side.

Sharrod Wellingham, Jamie Bennell and Josh Hill have all been named as emergencies for West Coast to take on Richmond at Patersons Stadium on Friday night, but unless there is a late change with the Eagles the trio should play again for East Perth against West Perth on Saturday.

Then West Coast big man Callum Sinclair returns to the East Perth team as does defender Blayne Wilson, small backman Adam Carter and wingman Will Magginness.

Classy left-footer Garry Moss should also be back after hurting his knee back in East Perth's Foxtel Cup semi-final loss to Williamstown at Patersons Stadium.

RESERVES TEAM
J Batterham, C Branch, J Embley, M Geraghty, P Harvey, S Healy, M Johnson, J Kirwen, S Marusic, B McNamara, M McPhee, L Meadows, J Mills, S Money, J Morrow, B O'Regan, D Sorgiovanni, T Sutherland, J Thrum, B Walton, B Wilhelm, T Young

COLTS TEAM
N Alexandre, A Allen, M Antonio, M Ashfield, N Beutel, K Coleman, M Douglas, J Gray, C Hinchcliffe, J Horgan, C Lynch, T Manners, W Michell, T Moulton, B Mountford, D Munns, M Peirce, D Robertson, L Roe, J Sheehan-Nel, A Smith, J Turner, M Walley