On Saturday night, the Lions became just the fifth team in 60 matches to defeat Geelong with their 43 point win, while Fremantle could only register a pathetic 13 points in a 117-point humiliation at the hands of Adelaide.
The stats look good for the Lions, who have won the team’s past four encounters, although they have not played the Fremantle at Subiaco since 2005.
In team news the Lions will welcome back Jared Brennan from his one week suspension and he looks a direct swap for vice captain Jed Adcock who will miss the rest of the season with an ACL injury.
Daniel Rich (32 possessions) and Ashley McGrath (30) are two Western Australians who will head home coming off career-high tallies against the Cats.
Fremantle have been ravaged by injury, but superstar Matthew Pavlich is listed as a test for a calf injury that has kept him out for two weeks, while giant ruckman Aaron Sandilands was due to just miss the Adelaide loss with a hamstring problem.
Lions’ 2002 premiership player Des Headland also missed Fremantle’s last match with a hamstring problem but is hopeful of returning.
Forward Scout:
The club: Fremantle
2009 to date: What shaped as a promising season is quickly turning into a nightmare for Freo. Sitting last, thanks to Melbourne’s back-to-back victories, Fremantle is low on personnel, form and confidence. Despite horrendous road losses to Collingwood and Adelaide in the past month, Fremantle is a completely different team at home and have been in position to beat both Geelong and Carlton at Subiaco.
The coach: Mark Harvey took over the Fremantle job exactly two seasons ago, with a win in his first match against Adelaide in Round 16, 2007. Unfortunately the first-up win was not a sign of things to come for the former Essendon premiership player. He has stuck to a youth policy that has developed three or four quality midfielders in 2009 and is publicly very supportive of his players despite a trying season to date.
The gun: While he has missed the past two weeks and will undergo a test for a troublesome ankle injury, six-time All-Australian Matthew Pavlich is not only the class, but the heart and soul of the club. Prior to his injury he was not enjoying his most productive season, Capable of turning a match, Pavlich is one of the best contested marks in the competition and is a thumping shot for goal. He can also move effectively into the middle of the ground, or into defence, when required.
The sleeper: In a struggling outfit, Paul Haselby still manages to be one of the premier midfielders in the AFL. With a young midfield around him, the 28-year-old often attracts the opposition’s best stopper and still manages to shine. Haselby is strong, has clean hands and uses the ball well and demands close attention.
The bolter: While many AFL thought Fremantle would take current Lions star Daniel Rich with the No.3 pick in last year’s National Draft, the WA club opted for another home town man in Stephen Hill. He has a slighter frame than Rich but has showed plenty of promise in his first season, playing all of Freo’s 15 games. Hill has good speed and endurance and shows plenty of class with his raking left boot. He is damaging with the ball and excels on the wide open spaces of Subiaco.
Strengths: Fremantle is young and can play an effective running game when on song. It plays Subi well with the likes of Hill, Matt de Boer, Garrick Ibbotson and Nic Suban giving plenty in their young careers to support Haselby in the middle. There is also experience down back with Chris Tarrant and Dean Solomon.
Weaknesses: With injuries and a list review, Fremantle has gone with an extremely young team that leaves them vulnerable to the bigger bodied, more experienced teams. The Lions are not the biggest team in the AFL, but their aggression at the ball against Geelong would be enough to give them an edge over Freo.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
