Anything and Everything Fremantle
Archive for August, 2011
Free-kick charity begins at home in Perth: Alves
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
Former St Kilda coach Stan Alves believes there is a systemic umpiring bias towards West Coast and Fremantle in matches played at Perth’s Patersons Stadium.
The Eagles’ 25:17 advantage in the free-kick tally on Saturday against Essendon was the fifth lopsided result in nine matches against visiting opposition. The Dockers have fared even better, winning the free-kick tally in seven of their nine non-derby matches at home.
For the season, West Coast has won 20 more free kicks – 195-175 – than it has conceded at home, while Fremantle’s advantage has been much more pronounced at 207-155.
Overall, in non-derby matches at Patersons Stadium this year, the West Australian teams have won 402 free kicks compared with their opponents’ 330.
Clarke on the rise
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
Another player to show a sharp spike in form is Fremantle’s spindly ruckman cum midfielder Zac Clarke.
Clarke played a total of eight mathes in his first two seasons with Freo. In this his third season with the club, he spent the early part of the season with East Perth before earning his call-up to the AFL team in round 11.
In his first few weeks with Fremantle Clarke had an average of two marks a match. In the past three matches, he’s had had an average of seven marks a game.
Clarke’s 12 marks in the abject loss to North Melbourne on Saturday was clearly the best tally of his career; his next best was last week’s five.
His 24 disposals were also clearly his best outing.
Clarke’s game was all the more meritorious because Aaron Sandilands returned to the team, leaving less scope for picking up possessions in ruck contests.
At 203cm, Clarke is certainly tall enough to be a ruckman, but he’s played his best footy so far as a running midfielder who takes the occasional knock.
In a difficult season for Fremantle, his rise has provided a rare shaft of light.
WAFL Watch: Ruffles returns
013 years
In the midst of Fremantle’s crippling run with injury, rookie forward Tim Ruffles provided a rare positive for the club at the weekend when he made his playing return from back-to-back knee reconstructions.
Ruffles was Fremantle’s WAFL player of the round after a long, arduous recovery from the knee injury he suffered against Hawthorn in round 21 last season.
Assistant coach Simon Lloyd said the 20-year-old, who was delisted last year and placed on Fremantle’s rookie list, had made the most of his time on the sidelines and had been well supported by his teammates and the club.
“It’s a really tough thing to go through, but we’ve been really pleased with Tim,” Lloyd said.
“You look at him now compared to two years ago, and there’s much more bulk to him. The feedback we’ve had from the conditioning staff is that he’s worked really hard and really diligently.
“We won’t be expecting him to set the world on fire, but the way he went about it on the weekend was a good start.”
Injury-crippled Freo bust salary cap
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in News
Fremantle will be forced to seek salary cap relief from the AFL because the club’s injury epidemic has blown the annual injury allowance out of the water.
Dockers chief executive Steve Rosich confirmed the move yesterday and AFL general manager of football operations Adrian Anderson said he wasn’t aware of any reason why the Dockers would not be granted an extra allowance, provided they had followed the league’s total player payments rules.
Rosich also said the club’s injury prevention and rehabilitation methods would be scrutinised as part of a normal annual review.
There may have been “one or two” decisions on injury management that would have been handled differently with the benefit of hindsight, he said.
Fremantle have an injury allowance of $374,000 to cover match payments for players who play in place of injured players on set contracts.
Pav set for surgery
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in News
Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich says his midfield role will have to be reviewed during the off-season as he prepares to have surgery on a hip complaint that has troubled him for a number of years.
Pavlich, whose season was effectively ended by a calf injury suffered against North Melbourne last Saturday night, is booked in for surgery on Thursday morning.
The 29-year-old said it would not curtail his preparations for the 2012 season, but the heavy midfield load he had been forced to carry this season may need to be scaled back.
“I have spoken to Harves (coach Mark Harvey) and our sports science guys quite a number of times about what the split should be,” Pavlich said from Fremantle Oval on Wednesday.
“This year was almost unmanageable given the fact we had so many injuries throughout our midfield, I needed to go in there for the team’s sake and was happy to do so.
Griffin wants to ruck for Port
013 years
Fremantle ruckman Jonathon Griffin wants to return to Adelaide where his AFL career began. But after starting with the Crows, and spending this season with the Dockers, Griffen, who was initially drafted from WAFL club East Fremantle, is said to be poised to request a trade to Port Adelaide despite being under contract beyond this year.
A lack of opportunity at Fremantle has prompted Griffin’s management to sound out Port, which has lost veteran ruckman Dean Brogan to retirement.
Apart from developing ruckman Matthew Lobbe, a 21-year-old in his second season, Port Adelaide is yet to find another big man ready to play at the elite level.
Griffin, who was expecting to partner Fremantle giant Aaron Sandilands for most of this season, has been overtaken in the pecking order by promising big man Zac Clarke, who has improved in his third season.
The 25-year-old Griffin was squeezed out of the Crows after playing 41 games in four seasons and was “given away” last year by Adelaide, which accepted overall selection No 61 for him.
Griffin, who has been limited in the second half of the season with a hip injury, has played seven games this year, most in the absence of an injured Sandilands.
Crowley and Johnson to get new contracts
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in News
The unprecedented test of depth being experienced by an injury-stricken Fremantle is likely to help long-serving pair Ryan Crowley and Michael Johnson secure contracts beyond this year.
Crowley, 27, and Johnson, 26, are out of contract at the end of this season and have had below-par years.
Both are expected to face Collingwood at Patersons Stadium tomorrow night as the Dockers come to grips with a massive casualty list that includes Matthew Pavlich (hip/calf), David Mundy (ankle), Hayden Ballantyne (hamstring) and Adam McPhee (foot). It grew yesterday when ruckman Jonathon Griffin was ruled out for the rest of the year because of a hip injury.
Dockers crushed by Roos
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in Match Results
North Melbourne 6.1 10.7 16.10 21.17 (143)
Fremantle 3.1 3.4 5.7 6.9 (45)
GOALS
North Melbourne: Pedersen 3, Edwards 3, Harper 2, Garlett 2, Goldstein 2, Rawlings 2, Wells 2, Thomas 2, Harvey, Adams, Greenwood
Fremantle: Johnson, Mayne, Fyfe, Mzungu, Ballantyne
BEST
North Melbourne: Swallow, Pedersen, Thompson, Bastinac, Harvey, Goldstein, Adams, Wells
Fremantle: Mundy, Suban, McPharlin, Mzungu, Clarke, Sandilands
INJURIES
North Melbourne: Jack Ziebell (ribs)
Fremantle: Matthew Pavlich (calf)
SUBSTITUTES
North Melbourne: Jack Ziebell (ribs) replaced by Cruize Garlett in the second quarter
Fremantle: Matthew Pavlich (calf) replaced by Nick Suban in the second quarter
Reports: Clayton Hinkley (Fremantle) for rough conduct on Aaron Mullett in the second quarter
Umpires: Stevic, Stewart, Meredith
Official crowd: 17,581 at Etihad Stadium
Freo’s midfield reunion
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in Team Selections
Sandilands wins the hitout. Barlow picks up the ball and hands off to Mundy who kicks Fremantle into attack.It’s a passage of play that hasn’t been called since Saturday 3 July, 2010.
But with today’s inclusion of 2010 Doig Medallist David Mundy, the vaunted on-ball combination will be reunited this Saturday night against North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium in a must-win match for both teams.
Adam McPhee also returns after serving a one-week suspension, along with midfielder Rhys Palmer and first-year player Jayden Pitt.
Paul Duffield, Clancee Pearce, Peter Faulks and Nick Lower are the players out of the side, all omitted.
Mundy has not played since he injured his leg in the early minutes of the round 12 clash with Essendon at Patersons Stadium.
His presence to a Fremantle midfield that has won the clearance count just twice in its last 10 games, including a 43-25 stoppage count loss to Carlton last week, will be important.
Grover gets set for 200
013 years
Veteran Fremantle defender Antoni Grover will play his 200th AFL match against North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.
Grover will become the fifth player to reach the milestone for Fremantle – following Shane Parker, Shaun McManus, Paul Hasleby and Matthew Pavlich – and the first Indigenous player to notch 200 games in the club’s 17 seasons.
The 31-year-old said his passion and competitive nature had allowed him to achieve longevity in the game after being recruited as a rookie in 1999.
“I never like to be beaten but I like to give my all for the club and for me personally,” he said. “I guess that’s something that comes from within.
“I don’t enjoy losing, so the last month hasn’t been as enjoyable, but I enjoy coming down to the club and walking through the doors every day. That’s the main thing.”
