Round 7 WAFLW Preview v East Perth

Swan Districts broke through for its first win of the 2023 WAFLW season last Sunday and will be looking to build on that now on Friday night up against the competition's newest team, East Perth.

It will be a first ever meeting for Swan Districts against East Perth with the Royals only entering the WAFLW competition in 2023.

East Perth has found the going tough over its opening five matches while Swan Districts also lost its first four matches of the season before breaking through with a tremendous win against West Perth last Sunday at Steel Blue Oval.

Swans will now take on the Royals at Leederville Oval this Friday night to open the Round 7 action with the game to get underway at 6pm.

Meanwhile, the Rogers Cup contest for Round 7 will see Swan Districts take on Perth at Lathlain's Mineral Resources Park on Saturday from 11.30am.

That will also be the first time that Swans have played the Demons in the Rogers Cup after Perth just joined the competition for the 2023 season.

Swans lost their first four matches of the WAFLW season to Peel, Subiaco, Claremont and East Fremantle, but got on the board with an impressive win last Sunday against West Perth which they will now look to turn into consecutive wins come Friday night against East Perth at Leederville Oval.

East Perth comes into the game having lost its opening five matches in its first WAFLW season.

The Royals have struggled kicking a combined 4.13 in the five matches and just the three behinds in total in the last two games, but they will be confident of a more competitive showing on home turf on Friday night.

Friday night's game is the first ever meeting between the two teams in the WAFLW competition and up until Swans beating West Perth last Sunday, both teams had been winless to start the 2023 season.

Swans had a difficult start to the 2023 season with losses to Peel Thunder by five points, Subiaco by 47 points, Claremont by 24 points and then 53 points to South Fremantle in Round 4 prior to the Easter break.

That seemed to do Swan Districts the world of good and they came out to beat West Perth by 51 points at Steel Blue Oval last Sunday to open their account for 2023 with the chance to now make it consecutive wins on Friday night.

There was a lot to like in that victory for Swans with a best on ground performance from Taylah Edwards who finished with three goals, 20 possessions and eight marks.

Lily Paterson also kicked two goals for Swan Districts with Ruby Mahony collecting 20 disposals, Jaime Henry 20, Abbygail Bushby 18, Isabella Edgley 17, Jasmine Ware 16 and ruck Sarah Wielstra 14 to go with 23 hit outs.

The Royals, meanwhile, started life in the WAFL competition with a 48-point loss at home to West Perth before losing to South Fremantle by 66 points at Fremantle Community Bank Oval in Round 2.

East Perth then lost at home to Peel Thunder by 25 points in Round 3 but that also proved the last time the Royals kicked a goal.

The last two games in the WAFLW have been even more challenging for East Perth scoring one behind in a 66-point loss to East Fremantle and then managing two points last Saturday in a 57-point loss at the hands of Subiaco in the battle of Leederville Oval co-tenants.

So with East Perth having managed just a total of the three behinds in their last two matches in the WAFLW competition, the challenge is ahead of them to put up a strong showing at home to Swan Districts on Friday night.

There are just the two changes for Swan Districts coming out of last Sunday's breakthrough win for the black-and-whites for season 2023 against West Perth.

Naomi Baker and Daisy Rigby are the two players coming into the Swan Districts team to take on East Perth on Friday night.

Then going out for Swans from that victory against the Falcons are Jaime Henry and Emma Nanut.

East Perth is coming off a goalless showing against Subiaco last Saturday and from that team there are plenty of changes for the Royals coming into Friday night's home clash with Swan Districts.

Jessica Bolton, Emily Boothman, Jessica Davidson, Bronwyn Hansen, Taylah Horsham, Tristin Ogonoski, Makayla Rogers, Mahli Turland and Eliza Van De Velde all come into the East Perth line-up.

Then going out of the Royals team are Kasey Bindon, Makayla Cocking, Holly Gill, Bianca Glanville, Lacey Holdsworth, Leah Keating, Kelsey Lang, Chloe Sauzier and Matilda Sim.