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SportFM will once again be your number one destination when it comes to the WAFL competition.
Each week SportFM will broadcast the traditional Saturday afternoon game of the round plus selected special fixtures including the opening game of the season Good Friday football between West Perth and Claremont.
SportFM will also broadcast the Demons first home game of the season against the West Coast Eagles.
Our team of experts have complied their thoughts ahead of the upcoming season.
Round one WAFL fast facts:
West Perth vs Claremont: West Perth have won their last four round 1 games at Joondalup including the last time they kicked off their season in round 1 against Claremont in 2018.
East Perth vs Swan Districts: This is the first time these teams have met in a round 1 game at Leederville Oval. The last time Swan Districts defeated East Perth in round 1 was in 1986.
Peel Thunder vs East Fremantle: This is the fourth time these teams have played in round 1 after previously commencing the season against each other in 2009, 2018 and 2021. Peel have won just five out of their 21 round 1 games.
Perth vs West Coast: Perth have lost their last 11 games which is their equal 5th longest losing streak. Good news for the Demons is that they have won their last three round 1 matches, defeating West Coast in 2019 & 2021 and Peel Thunder in 2020. The Demons have not had a 1-0 start four seasons in-a-row since a streak of six from 1966 to 1971. West Coast have also lost their last four games, which is their third longest losing streak in their short history.
Subiaco vs South Fremantle: In the last three games between these teams Subiaco have restricted South Fremantle to scores of 5.11 (41), 8.3 (51) and 4.5 (29). The three game aggregate for the Bulldogs of 121 points is their lowest over three games against the Lions since 1943-1944 when they kicked scores of 4.8 (32), 5.7 (37) and 4.4 (28). This is the first Grand Final rematch played in round 1 since 1998. (East Fremantle v South Fremantle).
See all WAFL FootyFacts exclusive round 1 statistical match previews and predictions: https://waflfootyfacts.net/previews/games.php
WAFL Records set in Round 1 fixtures:
In 1944, East Perth kicked the highest ever score in the WAFL 41.30 (276) against South Fremantle 3.2 (20). The margin of 256 is the biggest winning margin recorded in WAFL history and 71 scoring shots for the Royals is also the most a team has had.
In 1982, Swan Districts 20.28 (148) and East Fremantle 23.17 (155) combined for a league record 88 scoring shots.
In 2004, Peel Thunder has their entire score annulled against Claremont for playing an unregistered player. They kicked 10.11 (71) but the history books record their final score as 0.0 (0).
In 2021, Swan Districts kicked the most accurate score in WAFL history (> 10 scoring shots) when they kicked 18.1 (109) against Claremont.
All round 1 records: https://waflfootyfacts.net/round/idx.php?Round=R1
Upcoming milestones:
100 games:
Mark Hutchings (WP, EP, WC) 99
Bailey Rogers (C) 99
Ben Sokol (S) 99
50 games:
Connor Blakely (Peel, SD) 49
Kieran Hug (Perth, WC) 49
More upcoming milestones: https://waflfootyfacts.net/milestones.php
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