Tigers have their tails up

Claremont coach Michael Broadbridge believes his side's special country WAFL fixture against Swan Districts at the new Sounness Park facility on Saturday afternoon presents a terrific opportunity for the Tigers to get their season back on track.

The Tigers lost their first five games of the 2015 season but broke the drought with a 20-point win over West Perth last Saturday, and face a Swans outfit who are full of confidence after their impressive win over Peel Thunder last week.

The two sides will do battle at the $5.5 million facility in what will be the first WAFL game in the Great Southern since the Tigers played South Fremantle at Collingwood Park in 2009.

Broadbridge said his side were buoyed by the chance to bring a game back to one of their country zones.

"For Claremont to get down to the Great Southern region where we've had so many champions come from is great," Broadbridge said.

"Every game is a massive opportunity for us.

"We need to get the ledger back on an even keel and that's not easy.

In their first meeting since round 17 last year when the Tigers prevailed by three points, Broadbridge said the Swans presented a great challenge for his group.

"I think the competition is particularly even this year," he said.

"We certainly give ourselves a chance against every team we play.

"(Swans) have been really good for a number of years now and their best footy is just about the best in the competition, they will be a tough opponent."

Tigers captain Jake Murphy is no certainty to return from an ankle injury that has kept him on the sidelines since round 3 while John Williams and Shane McAdam are both pushing for a recall.

North Albany's Darcy Cameron and Gibson's Jordan McAllister are likely to be the only Great Southern products playing for the Tigers in the match.

"We have a number of talls in our team at the moment and they can't all play in the ruck," Broadbridge said.

"Darcy has given us a good target and his marking has really improved."

Swans coach Greg Harding said his side were out to stem a worrying trend of losses in country matches in recent years.

"It's a really important game for our finals aspirations," Harding said.

"We don't play many country games and our record in them isn't great.

"Someone gave me the stat that we have lost 18 of our last 21 games in the country so that is an added focus for us, history says our club doesn't win away."

Harding, who played locally for Royals and spent 17 years in Albany, said it was unlikely forward Tim Geappen would play but midfielder Aaron Elari, forward Ricky Cary, Adam Faulkner and first choice ruckman Nathan Blakely were all in the mix to return.

"Claremont have quality in every line and they are really formidable opposition," he said.

"We've had a real good injection of youth into our group and our group did a solid job against Peel.

"It's going to be a ripper game of footy."