Opposition Analysis - Fremantle
The beginning of success(ion)
Fast Facts
Who, when, where: Fremantle, Saturday 1.45pm, UTAS Stadium
Ladder: 10th (7-8), 92%
Last 5: LWWLL
Leading goal-kicker: Matt Taberner (27)
Most disposals: Andrew Brayshaw (388)
Last time we met: Freo def Hawthorn by 15 points (Rd 4, 2021)
It has been a wild fortnight for the Hawks, with Shaun Burgoyne’s historic milestone and the coaching announcement grabbing the headlines this week.
It can be easy to forget we are still in the middle of a season, and still trying to make the team great again.
We have a tough run home, so we will need to bank any win we can get. I’m confident we can get one against Fremantle this week.
How are they travelling?
Freo has won just three of their last nine after making a promising start to the season. The two wins in their last three games came against the Suns and Magpies.
The Dockers would have come into the season quietly confident that they could return to finals for the first time since we beat them in the 2015 Prelim. They are currently 10th, just two points outside the eight.
However, to get in, they’ll have to dislodge GWS, West Coast, or Sydney – and hope Richmond doesn’t jump in too. With a very tough run home (they play Geelong, Richmond, Brisbane, West Coast, Sydney, and St Kilda after us) I don’t see Freo making the leap.
Who’s missing?
Taberner is probably the biggest name on the injury list, missing with a calf injury. Of course, Nat Fyfe has a shoulder injury but is playing through it; this will be his 200th game.
Key defenders Brennan Cox (hamstring) and Joel Hamling (ankle) are missing. First-choice backmen Hayden Young and Ethan Hughes are close to returning from injury but will also miss.
Michael Walters isn’t injured, but he’s “gone missing” for most of the season. His disposal average is the worst it’s been since 2014, and this is the only season he’s scored less than one goal per game apart from his debut season, when he played three games. His output is so far down on his best that his coach has had to deny that he’s about to get dropped.
Who can hurt us?
Fremantle’s work in the clearances is almost unmatched. Freo’s clearances ratio of 1.13 (clearances won vs clearances lost) is second only to the Bulldogs.
A large reason for this is Freo’s ruckman Sean Darcy, who is having a brilliant season. His 30.1 hit-outs per match is equal with Nic Naitanui and only 1.1 behind Max Gawn. His tapwork – down to the likes of David Mundy, Nat Fyfe, Andrew Brayshaw, and Caleb Serong – makes the Dockers a force at stoppages.
Another threat the Dockers have is Luke Ryan. The backman loves an intercept mark and his quick distribution from the backline is a real weapon, releasing Freo’s quicker players on the counter. It all starts with Ryan and we would be wise to keep him accountable.
What can we exploit?
You may think we’ve struggled to score this season, but Freo have only scored one more goal than us in 2021. Their leading goal-kicker is still out, so the most prolific goal-scorer we’ll face is Lachie Schultz (17). With our backline in pretty good form, we should be confident we can keep them to a beatable score.
As I mentioned earlier, the Dockers are missing a lot of players from their backline. With Koschitzke, Jeka, and a resting ruckman, we should always have a mismatch in our favour, we just need to pick the right option going forward. This set-up will also help keep Ryan busy, as he will likely play as the third tall.
Venue
The major advantage of Launceston is not so much that it’s “our fortress”, rather that it’s “not Perth”.
Freo’s record away from Perth this season is pretty poor. They are 5-2 at Optus Stadium, and 2-6 interstate. They score less away from home (70 points per game vs 83) and concede more (87 v 77).
That 23-point differential would be enough to overturn our 15-point loss to them in Round four.
Final thought
Few teams will be happier to see the back of Alastair Clarkson than Fremantle. The only teams Clarko has a better winning record against are the Blues and Suns.
Boo on using the the GIF of disgraced former President