Round 9 WAFL Preview v Subiaco

Tony Notte creates history on Saturday becoming the seventh man in WAFL history to reach 300 games but it's a crucial game in the season for Swan Districts too on the road to Subiaco.

While it's a memorable day with three-time Swan Medal winner and former captain Notte joining Bill Walker as the only two 300-game players in the history of the Swan Districts Football Club, even he will admit it won't be a day to savour without a victory to enjoy too.

Swans take on Subiaco on Saturday afternoon at Leederville's Sullivan Logistics Stadium with the game to get underway at 2.30pm.

Swan Districts come into the match up sitting in fifth position on the WAFL ladder on the back of last week's 13-point victory at Steel Blue Oval against West Perth to improve to a 3-4 record.

However, they are only sitting inside the top five thanks to percentage so need to keep on winning to avoiding slipping back out of a finals position.

Swans come up against a Subiaco team currently sitting in eighth spot on the WAFL ladder with a 2-5 record and having lost four straight matches, but with the Lions having been a powerhouse for so long and reaching a preliminary final in 2023, they can never be taken lightly.

The last two encounters between the two teams have been decided by under a goal with Swan Districts winning by two points in Round 14 last year while Subiaco prevailed by four points earlier in 2023 at Leederville.

The two teams split their meetings back in 2022 as well so it's been an even spread over the last two years adding to the intrigue for this Saturday's contest.

In typical fashion, Notte's focus is on the team and trying to get what would be just the 12th win in 36 matches of his career against Subiaco, and just a sixth in 19 attempts at Leederville.

"Subi have been the benchmark of the competition pretty much through my whole career and even now they still have great players across all lines," Notte said.

"We know this competition is so close that there's no easy games so we'll be expecting another really close and hard game against them like always.

"But the beers do always taste a bit better after a win so hopefully that's the case but it's more important that this could set up the rest of our season going into another bye.

"If we can put a little gap on a couple of times below us by getting a win and staying in the top five then that would be a nice position for us to be in after this weekend."

Swan Districts has had to make two forced changes to the team that beat West Perth last week with Seb Bright going out with a knee injury and Leigh Kohlmann after suffering a concussion.

Coming into the team for Swans to take on the Lions on Saturday are Ayden Cartwright and Luke Kelly.

Subiaco is attempting to snap a four-game losing streak and from the team that lost to East Perth, Noah Ash, James Sullivan and Jacob Wagenknecht come into the line-up.

Going out for the Lions to face Swan Districts are Campbell Henderson, Angus Dewar and mid-season draftee Luke Kentfield.

It's the colts contest that gets things underway at Sullivan Logistics Stadium on Saturday morning at 9.15am with Swan Districts coming off a narrow defeat at home to West Perth last Saturday.

Swans come into the game with a 2-4 record on the colts season as they take on a Subiaco team sitting in second place on the ladder at 5-2.

The reserves match up will then continue proceedings beginning at 11.45am with Swan Districts fresh off a first win of the season last week to the tune of 28 points against West Perth as reigning premiers.