Round 17 WAFL Preview v South Fremantle

It's another significant day this season for Swan Districts with Tony Notte setting a new games record but it's a big game as well for the black-and-whites hitting the road against South Fremantle. 

Going into last week's bye and Swan Districts were the hottest team in the WAFL on a seven-game winning streak as they now look to take that form on the road with them against the Bulldogs on Saturday at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

Coming into Saturday's match up with South Fremantle and Swan Districts is sitting in third position on the WAFL ladder with the 9-4 record.

Depending on other results this weekend, Swans have the chance to move into a top two position as well if they can make it an eighth consecutive victory which would be the first time they have done that since the 2014 season.

It's also the second time the two teams have played this season in the space of six weeks with Swan Districts winning back in Round 11 at Steel Blue Oval for the inaugural John Todd Memorial Cup by 27 points in an impressive performance.

In that win, Brad Lynch kicked a career-best four goals while Jackson McLachlan added three and Tom Edwards two with Nik Rokahr racking up 29 possessions, Josh Cipro 27, Aidan Clarke 26, Jake Pasini 25, Jarvis Pina 23, Jesse Turner 23, Jye Chalcraft 22 and Nathan Blakely 19 with 18 hit outs.

Swan Districts also won both meetings between the two teams last year which included breaking a drought at Fremantle Community Bank Oval with an 18-point victory back in Round 4.

This will be the first time Swans have returned to the venue since with that victory the first time they had won at the port since 2014 which ended a nine-game, nine-year losing run at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

Swan Districts running machine Jarvis Pina is in his third season with Swan Districts and is having a standout year either coming off half-back or on the wing averaging 20.4 disposals a game.

Having learned some tough lessons as a group the last two years, Pina is enjoying the way Swans are finding ways to now win those tight games in 2024.

"Last year we lost a lot of close ones especially early and we went away over summer to nut out why that was so we could try to better than in the same situations again," Pina said on 91.3 SportFM.

"Now over the last month or so we've played in a lot of close ones and have been on the right side of them and there's a belief in the group.

"We've had a lot of big games lately too so that's an extra reason to get up and win, but we're just building really well at the moment and I think our best footy is still to come so I'm really excited as to what this group can do."

Pina has now played almost three seasons of his career with Notte who will play his 306th game with Swan Districts on Saturday to sit alone as the club's games record holder.

Pina can't say enough about Notte as a player and a person.

"He's just a star isn’t he. He's probably the best footballer I've played with I think for a consistent amount of time," Pina added.

"To do what he's doing at his age is absurd and many obviously couldn’t do it that's why he's where he is.

"Him as a person as well, he is such a good guy and is so generous with his time and will literally speak with anyone on the list. He's also a good dad, a good husband and you can't fault him, he's just a great person."

Coming off the thrilling seven-point win against Claremont at home two weeks ago and then the bye, there are no outs to the Swan Districts team to take on South Fremantle on Saturday at this stage.

The four additions to the extended squad are Max Chipper, Matthew Germs, Luke Taylor and Jiah Reidy who missed the win two weeks ago against the Tigers through concussion.

The day at Fremantle Community Bank Oval gets underway on Saturday with the colts match up starting at 8.55am with Swan Districts coming into the contest with a 6-5 record to be in fourth position.

The reserves game then follows at 11.25am and that sees Swan Districts looking for a third win of the 2024 season on the back of winning the premiership last year.