Where and when: Optus Stadium, Sunday, March 30, 3:10pm (WST)
TV: Live on 7 and 7plus in WA, nationally on Fox Footy and Kayo (see broadcast guide here)
Last time we met: West Coast 11.9 (75) defeated by Fremantle Dockers 17.8 (110) at Optus Stadium, round 20, 2024.
The last time these two teams met, the Eagles fell to the Dockers by 35 points in what was a story of two halves. The Eagles were up at the half time break following a ferocious start, before Fremantle produced an unanswered five-goal burst to take the lead and the bragging rights. As always, it was a physical and hotly-contested face-off, with Tim Kelly, Elliot Yeo and Harley Reid all impressing through the middle. Fremantle’s star midfielder Caleb Serong was awarded the Glendinning-Allan medal, managing 32 touches and a goal.
What it means for the Eagles: The Eagles will be looking to secure their first win of the season when they come face-to-face with crosstown rivals Fremantle. West Coast produced an enthusiastic showing last weekend against reigning premiers Brisbane, and displayed significant improvement from their round one loss to the Suns. Andrew McQualter’s new game plan is starting to gel, and the Eagles will be hoping they can piece it all together and get over the line on Sunday.
The stat: The Eagles were plus-18 in groundball gets in the first half against Brisbane in round two, their best first half since 2015.
The match-up: Bailey Williams v Luke Jackson
In this weekend’s battle of the bigs, Bailey Williams will come face to face with Fremantle’s versatile ruckman Luke Jackson. With Williams holding a one-centimetre height advantage over Jackson, it will be an exciting matchup between the two athletic and high-leaping talls. Williams contributed well in last weekend’s spirited performance against the Lions, and will be backing himself in to make an impact this weekend.
It’s a big week for: Jack Williams
Emerging tall forward Jack Williams will suit up for his first game of 2025 on Sunday after working hard on the training track to break back into the 23. He kicked 16 goals from 18 games in 2024, booting three majors on two separate occasions, and has shown promising signs while developing his forward craft.
Big call: The West Coast Eagles will win the 60th RAC Derby with a nail-biting four-point victory.
