Anything and Everything Fremantle
Archive for August, 2011
Turnovers costly: Ballantyne
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in News
Fremantle forward Hayden Ballantyne has lamented his team’s shoddy ball use against Carlton on Saturday, saying the team needs to “learn how to kick the ball” before it can improve.
Ballantyne, who spent long periods in the midfield at Patersons Stadium, said he felt like he had let his team down with his ball-use, but he was not alone in wasting opportunities against the clinical Blues.
Coach Mark Harvey said polish and class were the differences between the sides on Saturday and Ballantyne agreed, saying skill execution had let the home team down.
“I’m a little bit disappointed. They hit their targets all day and they just punished us when we turned it over,” he said.
“Today was a big disappointment. We were in it for a long time and skills let us down. We did have a crack and we did try, it was just the little things that killed us.
“Learn how to kick the ball, that’s the big thing, personally for me anyway. The execution in that second and third quarters was just terrible and I feel like I’ve let the team down.
Harvey laments lack of intent
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in News
Fremantle coach Mark Harvey says his players were taught a midfield lesson by Carlton on Saturday, with his team dominated at stoppages despite the return of star ruckman Aaron Sandilands.
Sandilands played just his second game in 11 weeks after suffering a toe injury in round nine, and Harvey said he got everything he expected out of his ruckman, who finished with 15 disposals, 24 hit-outs and two late goals after a slow start.
However, his presence wasn’t enough to stop Carlton’s rampant on-ballers – led by the superb Chris Judd – from effectively ending Fremantle’s finals chances.
Harvey questioned his players’ intent early in the game and their disposal efficiency throughout in a loss that leaves Fremantle outside the top eight and with little hope of breaking back in.
“They (Carlton) just seemed to have three or four better midfielders at any one given time they could put in there. They taught us a lesson.” Harvey said on Saturday, with his team losing the clearances 43-25.
Freo no match for bouncing Blues
013 years
Fremantle 3.0 4.2 7.7 12.13 (85)
Carlton 5.5 7.10 11.16 16.19 (115)
GOALS
Fremantle: Ballantyne 2, Crowley 2, Sandilands 2, Pavlich, Clarke, Silvagni, Mzungu, Johnson, Barlow
Carlton: Betts 6, Gibbs, Armfield, Davies, Thornton, Walker, Judd, Garlett, Ellard, Yarran, Laidler
BEST
Fremantle: Barlow, Ballantyne, Silvagni, Broughton, Pavlich
Carlton: Judd, Gibbs, Betts, Murphy, Yarran, Thornton, Walker
INJURIES
Fremantle: Nil
Carlton: Bret Thornton (face)
SUBSTITUTES
Fremantle: Nick Lower replaced by Clayton Hinkley in the third quarter.
Carlton: Andrew Carrazzo replaced by Zach Tuohy at three-quarter-time.
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Farmer, Stevic, Chamberlain
Official crowd: 34,737 at Patersons Stadium
Sandi’s back, Faulks to debut
013 years
Fremantle has received a literally giant boost for Saturday’s match against Carlton with the inclusion of ruck champion Aaron Sandilands, while Peter Faulks is set to make his AFL debut.The other in for the crunch Patersons Stadium encounter is tagger Ryan Crowley, who is likely to be given a job against one of the Blues’ star midfielders.
Kepler Bradley is out injured, while Dylan Roberton has been omitted. Adam McPhee also misses after he was suspended for a week by the AFL tribunal.
Sandilands, who has only played one game since round 9 because of a toe injury, will partner round 20 Rising Star nominee Zac Clarke in the ruck against Carlton’s Robbie Warnock and Matthew Kreuzer.
Clarke and Jon Griffin, who is still unavailable because of injury, have more than ably deputised in Sandilands’ absence, but the three-time All-Australian’s 36 hitouts per game will be welcomed with open arms by Freo’s midfield unit.
WAFL Watch: van Berlo reaps rewards
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in WAFL
For the majority of this season, Jay van Berlo has had a strong focus on improving the attacking side of his game, having proven himself as a negating option in the past.
Fremantle’s coaches identified decision-making and ball-use as areas for the former rookie to address and he has played in a variety of wing, on-ball and high forward roles to develop.
Van Berlo was named Fremantle’s WAFL player of the round for his 16-possession game for West Perth in round 20 of the state competition, and assistant coach Simon Lloyd said the targeted work was starting to pay off.
“It’s been more about the offensive side with Jay and he’s playing in a role where he’s become a bit more proactive and he’s getting his hands on the ball more,” Lloyd said.
“That is allowing him to make decisions and use the footy, which is what we need.
“The more you put yourself in the environment and the more you train a specific skill, improvement will come.
McPhee accepts ban
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in News
Fremantle utility Adam McPhee will miss his team’s crucial clash with Carlton on Saturday night after accepting a one-match suspension for striking St Kilda’s Sam Gilbert.
McPhee was reported during the second quarter of Freo’s loss to the Saints on Friday night after collecting Gilbert’s head with an elbow.
The Saint fell to ground after the incident but was able to play out the game.
The match review panel classified McPhee’s actions as reckless, of medium impact and high.
The veteran’s initial penalty, which took into account his poor recent record, was a two-match ban, but that has been reduced to one game thanks to his guilty plea.
The tribunal will have Tuesday night off after Collingwood’s Ben Johnson and Port Adelaide’s Robbie Gray accepted reprimands for rough conduct and tripping respectively.
Zac’s star is rising
013 years
It almost seems a pre-requisite that modern-day draftees have a basketball history.
The phrase ‘basketball background’ appears in draft biographies almost as often as ‘hard-running’ midfielder or ‘strong-marking key forward.’
Fremantle’s Zac Clarke is the latest emerging star to step off the court and on to the footy field and admits he is still learning the game after coming to it relatively late.
“I did Auskick when I was a little tacker then focused on basketball most of the way through my childhood. I only picked it up when I was 15 again, just playing in the local junior footy team. I played a year or two then I went to Oakleigh under-18s,” Clarke said.
Sandilands coming to Dockers rescue
013 years
by DockerNow.com
in News
Fremantle could finally be boosted by the return of ruck giant Aaron Sandilands to face Carlton at Patersons Stadium on Saturday as they try to reignite their fading finals prospects.
It could not come any sooner for the ninth-placed Dockers, who could also be forced to recall an out-of-favour Ryan Crowley in a bid to shut down Brownlow Medal front-runner Chris Judd.
Judd’s form has been stunning in the past month and continued against Melbourne on Saturday.
He amassed 31 possessions and two goals to sound an ominous warning to Dockers coach Mark Harvey.
Sandilands, 28, has played just one match in nearly three months. He returned in round 14 only to aggravate a bout of turf toe and miss another five games.
A source close to Sandilands said the 211cm ruckman was hopeful of returning against the Blues with Fremantle’s 2011 campaign all but on the line. It is understood the club’s No.1 ruckman has returned to full training in the past week behind closed doors.
WAFL draft watch: Luke Blackwell
013 years
When Luke Blackwell was delisted from Carlton at the end of 2008, he knew there was little chance of making it back to the AFL.
Squeezed out of a midfield overflowing with talent the likes of Chris Judd, Marc Murphy and Bryce Gibbs, many in the WAFL were convinced Blackwell would be a great player for the league but was unlikely to get another shot at the elite level.
But then something changed in the minds of AFL recuiters.
With the demand for new players exceeding the yearly teenage talent pool, the eyes of the AFL world returned to the WAFL, VFL and SANFL.
The success of Subiaco’s Greg Broughton at Fremantle in 2009 has paved the way for other mature-aged players to find their way onto an AFL list. Michael Barlow, Andrew Strijk, James Podsiadly and Andrew Krakouer are just some of the players who have grabbed that opportunity with both hands.
While Blackwell hasn’t yet taken that next step, it may be a different story at the 2011 draft.
Another Hill in the sights of recruiters
013 years
The family name brought him to the notice of AFL recruiters but it was Bradley Hill’s strong under-18s carnival that should see him drafted.
The brother of Fremantle’s Stephen, Hill is one of 18 West Australians invited to the AFL draft combine in Melbourne immediately after the grand final.
Another 19 players have been invited to the State screening session.
WA under-18s coach Brad Wira believes Hill, who plays colts at West Perth, is virtually certain to be drafted after a powerful month of football that culminated in the match against Victoria Metro at Patersons Stadium in June.
“He has great endurance and speed and will test beautifully at the combine,” Wira said.
