R3 League Preview with Taylor Cowper

R3 League Preview with Taylor Cowper

East Fremantle play a historic game of footy this weekend when they take on the undefeated East Perth in Northampton on Saturday afternoon, at Purcher International Oval. The weekend continues the Festival of Football raising funds for the town after the devastation caused by Cyclone Seroja in April 2021.  The winner of the WAFL game will be presented with the inaugural TMS Seroja Cup. 

Northampton has been an integral part of East Fremantle’s country zone and has produced some major AFL talent including West Coast Eagle Josh Kennedy and Carlton super star Patrick Cripps.

The Sharks have terrific form heading into this game with a round 2 come from behind victory against Swan Districts at Blue Steel Oval. East Perth are the hot team in the competition at the moment after beating Swan Districts on Good Friday and thumping Perth by more than 14 goals last weekend.

Bill Monaghan is looking forward to playing a WAFL game in Northampton. “We are really excited. It has added meaning with us raising some funds for the community after the Cyclone and helping them get back on track. A couple of our guys are from the region and it’s a really rich area for East Fremantle history.”

Victorian recruits, Jackson McDonald and Matt Williamson will make their WAFL debuts against the Royals.  The Aberfeldie locals joined the club in late February and have built a solid case for selection during pre-season.

McDonald, an Inside Mid who has played 24 VFL games, has averaged 29.5 disposals in the Reserves this season. “Jackson is an exceptional runner. He would be in the top handful of runners in the WAFL. Inside and outside runner. He has VFL experience and is very creative with his hands. We are hoping his running ability will slot seamlessly into our midfield.”

Also being recalled to the side are Cody Smith and Lachlan Bailey who both return after playing in round one. “Both of these boys are slightly unlucky to miss spots after round one.  Cody had a bit of a cork and on restricted game time and didn’t train that week“.

Chris Walker is out of this game with an ankle injury. “Last night (Thursday) he went and had a scan. He has a combination of an ankle and calf injury that morphed into one thing. He was on crutches at the start of the week and we will wait to see what the scans say and plot a course for him. We don’t know what it is at the moment”.

Tom Monaghan, Jamie Meade and Michael Tassone are also out due to COVID protocols. 

League Bounce down is 1.30pm, Saturday the 30th in Northampton. The game will be broadcast live through the AFL App.