Round 5 Men’s Preview v East Fremantle

Swan Districts did plenty right last Saturday at Steel Blue Oval bar get over the line and now will look to complete the job this Saturday back home against East Fremantle.

Swans did look on target for a lot of last Saturday afternoon when hosting Peel Thunder to get that elusive first win of the 2025 WAFL Men’s season before the visitors kicked the last goal of the game to secure the five-point win.

It was a heartbreaking way for Swan Districts to lose a fourth straight game of the season on the back of reaching the preliminary final last year, but the chance presents back at Steel Blue Oval this Saturday to open their account.

Swans are hosting an East Fremantle team coming into the match up in fourth position on the WAFL ladder having won three of four matches so far in 2025 including a 30-point win last Saturday at home to Subiaco.

Saturday’s game will be the first time the two teams have met since Round 19 last year which saw East Fremantle win by 36 points when they met on neutral turf at Arena Joondalup with both teams on the way to taking part in the finals soon after.

That meant that the Sharks have now won the last seven games against Swans with the last time the black-and-whites scored a win against East Fremantle being back on Round 8, 2021, which was also at Steel Blue Oval when they won by 44 points.

Swan Districts’ midfield looks set to be boosted with the return of Connor Blakely for Saturday’s game on the back of Zane Trew’s debut last Saturday against Peel.

Jake Pasini is also on track to play his first game of the season with Ayden Cartwright, Brenton Hilton and Luke Taylor also added to the squad for the game with East Fremantle.

The only out at this stage for Swans is 99-game on baller Josh Cipro after he kicked the first goal for the team last week against the Thunder and has averaged 21.5 disposals so far in 2025.

East Fremantle beat Subiaco by 30 points last Saturday and from that team have added Lachlan Blakiston, Finn Gorringe, Phoenix Knight, Ethan Paholski, Harry Pickett and Griffin Vladich to their squad.

Going out for the Sharks are Jackson McManus and Max Murphy.

The day’s action at Steel Blue Oval begins with the colts contest on Saturday morning getting underway between Swan Districts and East Fremantle at 9:25am.

Swans come into the game currently sitting in seventh position on the colts ladder with a 2-2 record as they take on a Sharks team who have played three matches for two wins to be in third place.

East Fremantle is fresh off beating Subiaco by 50 points last Saturday while Swan Districts is also coming off a 53-point victory at Steel Blue Oval last Sunday against Peel Thunder.

In that win, Blake Kelly, Cooper Dudfield and Levi Calcott all kicked three goals each for Swans with Liam Hrabar and Leon Kickett adding two, and Kelly had 30 possessions, Leo Steed 25, Soren Feast 22 and Hrabar 22.

Swan Districts will now be looking to make it consecutive wins in the colts and handing the Sharks a second loss of the season, and first since they went down to Claremont back in Round 2.

That leads into the reserves match up that begins at 11:55am also at Steel Blue Oval with Swan Districts looking to continue the unbeaten start to the 2025 season.

Swans have started the season impressively in the reserves beating West Perth by 41 points, East Perth by nine points, South Fremantle by nine points and then Peel Thunder by 45 points last Saturday at Steel Blue Oval.

The next test now for the black-and-whites is an East Fremantle team currently sitting in fourth position having won two of three matches so far in 2025 including a 51-point victory last Saturday against Subiaco on their home deck at The Good Grocer Park.