Archive for April, 2011
Hill climbs
0Stephen Hill arrived at Fremantle at the end of 2008 a shy, skinny recruit with modest goals, but much has changed as he approaches the first milestone of his young career.
Hill, who will play his 50th game when Fremantle hosts the Western Bulldogs on Anzac Day, remains quietly spoken, but that is his way. He has grown to be a comfortable and confident AFL player.
After a reluctant beginning, the 20-year-old admits he has “come out of his shell” and is a better footballer for it.
“Feeling more comfortable just makes you feel more relaxed out on the football field and helps you get the best out of yourself,” Hill told afl.com.au this week.
“It probably took me a little while. The first couple of years I was still settling in and was a young player and I probably kept to myself a little bit.
“Now I’m settled in, I feel like a part of the team. I’ve learned to take the game on a bit more and I’ve come out of my shell, so my communication on the field is a bit better.”
Fremantle is no longer out of mind
0Out of sight, out of mind – that’s been underrated Fremantle’s powerful start to the new season, unless of course you are closer to the Indian Ocean than the east coast.
On the eastern side of the country the Dockers are rarely spoken of as serious challengers to Collingwood. They are certainly not rated by most in the same way as Geelong, Hawthorn or even Carlton and Essendon.
Last year the Dockers, for so long second-rate citizens behind West Coast in Western Australia, flew under the radar early before injuries cruelled any meaningful deep finals participation.
Led brilliantly by coach Mark Harvey after Fremantle entered 2010 a perceived basket case, they remained in the top four for 15 of the first 16 rounds before staggering due to a growing collection of battered and bruised key players.
But the Dockers did manage to win their second finals match in 16 years in the competition.
Dockers consider new club for Clarke
0Ruckman Zac Clarke could be moved to another WAFL club as WA’S two AFL sides crack down on the management of their players in the local competition.
As West Coast and Fremantle push for AFL reserves teams in the WAFL, State league clubs have been warned by the Eagles and Dockers about the way particular players have been managed in the lower grade.
Under a service agreement overseen by the WA Football Commission, WAFL clubs must strive to adhere to the wishes of West Coast and Fremantle when fielding AFL-listed players in their teams.
But Claremont have been contacted by the Eagles over the playing time of Tom Swift in a recent State league match. And Fremantle are not happy with East Perth and their handling of Clarke in recent matches.
The Dockers earmarked Clarke to be Aaron Sandilands’ main ruck back-up but the 21-year-old Victorian has played just eight matches in three seasons.
Spider’s tall order
0It has been seven years since giant Fremantle and North Melbourne ruckman Matthew Burton played the last of his 147 AFL matches, but the man known as ‘Spider’ has found his way back to the game he loves.
Since retiring at the end of the 2003 season after 70 games with Freo and 77 with the Roos, Burton has forged a successful career in business as a financial adviser.
It is an industry the 40-year-old is passionate about and he became a shareholder in the company Zest Wealth Advisers in 2006.
Still, leaving the game was tough for Burton and, when the opportunity presented to re-enter the AFL system this year and mentor the man who eclipsed him as the AFL’s tallest player, it simply made sense.
“It’s logical (that I’m working) with Aaron Sandilands,” says Burton, whose 210cm frame is as rare in the business world as it was on the football field.
Pavlich is our Kelly Slater, says Dockers
0Fremantle coach Mark Harvey has backed Matthew Pavlich to become the Kelly Slater of the AFL, saying the Dockers skipper’s meticulous attention to detail will allow him to blossom for years to come.
Pavlich has coped well with the extra workload of playing as a big-bodied midfielder this year, showing no signs of slowing down after 240 games and 12 years at the top level.
Slater, who at 39 years of age is on track to secure a record 11th world surfing title this year, and 35-year-old Essendon defender Dustin Fletcher have proven that sportsmen can flourish and even improve as they move into their mid-to-late 30s.
Fremantle squad named for Len Hall Game
0New recruit Nick Lower comes into the 25-man squad at the expense of Nick Suban, who broke his fibula in the third quarter of last Sunday’s game against North Melbourne.
Jack Anthony, Jesse Crichton and Michael Walters have also been included on an extended interchange bench.
The final 22 will be named on Saturday due to Fremantle’s Monday fixture.
Feisty Freo forward Hayden Ballantyne said Monday’s Anzac Day clash against the Western Bulldogs would be a true test of the side’s top-four credentials after an impressive 3-1 start to the season.
Fremantle, which has beaten the Brisbane Lions, Adelaide and North Melbourne so far this season, hosts the Bulldogs at Patersons Stadium on Monday night in the annual Len Hall Game.
Jack Anthony struggling to break in
0Former Collingwood forward Jack Anthony may be forced to bide his time in the WAFL for an extended period as Fremantle’s pint-sized attack continues to flourish.
Anthony, who crossed from the Magpies to Fremantle at the end of 2010 on a three-year deal, is yet to play an AFL match for the Dockers after struggling to hit the scoreboard during the pre-season.
The 23-year-old has been in solid form for WAFL club Subiaco, booting four goals in the team’s six-point loss to Claremont last week.
But with goalsneaks Hayden Ballantyne and Chris Mayne in good touch and Matthew Pavlich, Adam McPhee, Kepler Bradley, Nat Fyfe and Stephen Hill regularly scoring goals, Harvey sees no need to select an out-and-out key forward.
“I think the real strength of the team is to not have a goalkicker as such or a main man to go to,” Harvey told Perth radio station 6PR.
Fremantle best equipped for Bulldogs
0By Kim Hagdorn
Fremantle coach Mark Harvey has declared his Dockers in their best shape for years to beat the Western Bulldogs in a big ANZAC Day clash on Monday.
The fourth-placed Fremantle have not beaten the Bulldogs since Round 15 of 2005 and have lost the last six clashes, including home engagements in 2008 and ’09.
The Dockers have not been successful over the Rodney Eade coached Bulldogs in four attempts since Harvey took over Fremantle late into 2007.
“The Bulldogs have always been a challenge for us over the last couple of years, I think probably this time in we’re probably the best equipped to play them and be able to handle the way they play,” Harvey said on Perth radio 6PR.
Pavlich ok for Brownlow
0Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich is eligible to win this year’s Brownlow Medal again after successfully having his striking charge downgraded at the AFL tribunal on Tuesday night.
Pavlich’s strike on North Melbourne’s Liam Anthony on Sunday had been assessed by the match review panel as a level two offence in that it was ‘reckless’, ‘high contact’ and ‘low impact’.
While a discount to the charge for his previous good record meant Pavlich was not at risk of suspension, it carried enough demerit points to rule him out of contention for the Brownlow.
Addressing the tribunal via video link from Perth, the Fremantle skipper pleaded guilty to the charge of striking, but contested the call that it was ‘reckless’.
In doing so, he argued that the incident should have been assessed as ‘negligent’, thereby downgrading it to a level one offence.
Mayney’s mentor
0As another training session ends, Freo skipper Matthew Pavlich remains out on the ground to practice kicking for goal with young forward Chris Mayne.
Like professional golfers working on their swings by hitting hundreds of balls onto a driving range, the pair go over and over their routines.
This has been a common sight throughout 2011 so far. Pavlich has acted as a mentor for the 22-year-old Mayne, who was promoted to the Freo Leadership Group in 2011.
Fremantle’s captain aims to improve his own game, but he also thrives on helping younger players reach the next level. Before and after every kick, he talks Mayne through the process.
“Pav speaks about being mentally prepared whenever lining up for a shot,” Mayne said.
“He tells me to be aware of negative thoughts that can enter your mind while lining up for a shot, especially at crucial stages of the game when you can worry about missing.
“Pav says that as soon as negativity creeps into your mind, you have to flick the switch and concentrate on only two things -picking a target to aim at behind the goals and momentum on the approach.