Anything and Everything Fremantle
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Ugly footy gets the job done for Dockers
May 16th
Former Fremantle hard man Troy Cook has compared the Dockers to Sydney’s 2005 premiership team and urged supporters to accept the unfashionable playing style which has given them one of their best starts to a season.
The Dockers have revamped the way they play under new coach Ross Lyon and closed down the chances for the opposition to score.
They lead the league for stoppages around the ground, are ranked second for the fewest inside 50s conceded and have one of the stingiest defences with just 76 goals kicked against them in seven matches.
But the tactics attracted the ire of fans during Sunday’s win over Port Adelaide as the ball was kicked sideways and backwards.
Michael Walters closing on AFL return, says Swan Districts coach Greg Harding
May 16th
Swan Districts coach Greg Harding believes Michael Walters is not far from a return to AFL football with the Fremantle Dockers.
The enigmatic forward, down for the much of the first three quarters in the Swans’ WAFL clash against Subiaco on Saturday, turned on his talents in the final term.
Walters had seven kicks and four marks, including a screamer over the top of the opponent who had his measure for much of the day, Kane Bloxsidge.
Season-defining month ahead
May 15th
Defender Zac Dawson says a good first seven weeks has Fremantle set for what could be a season-defining month of footy ahead.
Fremantle faces Hawthorn in Tasmania off a six-day break this Saturday, followed by clashes with form sides West Coast and Adelaide at Patersons, and a round 11 date with a resurgent Richmond at the MCG.
Dawson said five wins out of seven had his side in good shape for the challenging schedule before the round 12 bye.
“You’d take 5-2 at the start of the year,” he said.
“We’ve got probably the hardest month coming up, which everyone’s aware of.
“I think the next month will be a big key to the season. If we can have two or three wins out of the next four, it would go a long way.”
Dawson said Saturday’s clash at Hobart’s Aurora Stadium with Hawthorn, who have won four games this season, would be big a test, but one Freo was looking forward to.
Spurr’s second game one to remember
May 15th
Fremantle recruit Lee Spurr says his first home game was a memorable one for a number of reasons, the first being the important four points gained from the 40-point victory over Port Adelaide.
Spurr who came on as a substitute in his AFL debut against Gold Coast last week, said he relished the opportunity to play the entire game on Sunday.
“There was definitely a little less nerves today,” he said.
“We really took ownership of our team and it was a good feeling.”
The 24-year-old, who had faced many of the Power players during his stint in the SANFL, showcased his versatility by playing a variety of roles on Sunday.
“I played mainly on the wing and then pushed down back,” he said.
“I got involved in some spread and also had a bit of time up forward as a defensive forward, putting the pressure on at the stoppages.”
Wayward Freo frustrates Lyon
May 14th
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon is confident his team’s attacking prowess will improve after inaccuracy blotted a comfortable 40-point win over Port Adelaide on Sunday.
Captain Matthew Pavlich kicked four straight goals – including the 500th of his stellar career – in an impressive return to form, and Chris Mayne’s three goals took his season tally to 13.0.
But otherwise Fremantle’s radar was off, with an 8.14 return in the first three quarters keeping Port Adelaide in the game despite the home team’s inside 50 dominance.
Lyon praised an improved performance from his midfield, which was led superbly by returning ruckman Aaron Sandilands (43 hit-outs) and Stephen Hill (26 disposals), but said missed opportunities had been a frustration.
“In the third quarter I thought we dominated with 14 entries, and to not convert and kick 2.4 was quite frustrating,” the coach said.
“There’s some players hitting the scoreboard … so there’s a lot to like and plenty of things to improve upon.
Pav cements place as top Docker
May 14th
Matthew Pavlich yesterday became the first Fremantle player and only the 51st ever in VFL/AFL history to kick 500 goals.
Although it didn’t need that milestone to confirm his status as the best Docker of all time, it was a nice dollop of cream on the cake.
Michael Malthouse got people talking last week after appearing on Channel Seven and ranking his five most influential” West Coast Eagles of all time.
Of course naming Fremantle’s best half dozen or so is a much easier exercise.
Unfortunately for fans and a succession of coaches the Dockers depth has run far less deep since their arrival in 1995.
Unlike West Coast, where even the number one spot is hotly disputed by as many as five or six stars, Pavlich’s six Best and Fairest awards are like a rubber stamp to his being número uno in Freo’s galaxy.
Freo’s 500 reasons to smile
May 13th
FREMANTLE 2.8 6.9 8.14 12.15 (87)
PORT ADELAIDE 3.2 3.4 6.4 7.5 (47)
GOALS
Fremantle: Pavlich 4, Mayne 3, Crowley, Ballantyne, De Boer, Pearce, Sandilands
Port Adelaide: Butcher 2, Broadbent 2, P Stewart, Westhoff, Brad Ebert
BEST
Fremantle: Hill, Broughton, Duffield, Pavlich, Crowley, Johnson, Sandilands
Port Adelaide: McCarthy, Chaplin, Cassisi, Trengove, Rodan
INJURIES
Fremantle: Pavlich (knee)
Port Adelaide: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Fremantle: Dylan Roberton replaced Lachie Neale in the fourth quarter
Port Adelaide: Brett Ebert replaced Daniel Stewart at three-quarter time
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Ritchie, Margetts, Dalgleish
Official crowd: 30,079 at Patersons Stadium
Fremantle squad announced: Sandilands the big in
May 11th
Aaron Sandilands is the big inclusion to Fremantle’s squad for Sunday’s match against Port Adelaide at Patersons Stadium.The three-time All Australian was one of three additions to the team that defeated Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium last Saturday.
He has missed the past two games with a calf injury, but will return to lead Freo’s ruck this Mother’s Day Sunday.
The other players to be included in the 25-man squad were midfielder Jay van Berlo and defender Alex Silvagni, who have both been playing consistently in the WAFL this season.
Three players will be omitted when the final 22 is submitted at 2.30pm on Friday.
Make sure you’re online at 2.30pm tomorrow to find out the final 22 in The Freo Line-up with senior coach Ross Lyon
If Sandilands and Jonathon Griffin make the final cut, it will be the first time the ruck duo will have appeared in the same team together.
Man in the middle
May 11th
Fremantle’s midfield has made an inconsistent start to the season but the group is capable of improving quickly as star ruckman Aaron Sandilands returns, new stoppages coach Mark Stone says.
Sandilands has missed Fremantle’s last two games with a calf injury, but he declared himself a certain starter against Port Adelaide at Patersons Stadium on Sunday after training strongly this week.
He will look to ignite a midfield that Stone said had been “steady without being great”, with key clearance players David Mundy and Michael Barlow building form after subdued starts to the season.
“We’ve been a bit inconsistent as a midfield group and we’ve performed well in some games and not in others,” Stone told fremantlefc.com.au.
“We performed well against Carlton but we were badly beaten the week before against St Kilda, and we were probably beaten against the Gold Coast. We’re just a little bit up and down at the moment.”
WAFL Watch – Sam Menegola shines
May 11th
Fremantle rookie Sam Menegola’s impressive four-goal effort from the midfield in East Fremantle’s win over Perth has earned him Freo’s WAFL Player of the Week award.
The 20-year-old had 20 disposals to go with his four-goal haul.
Fremantle assistant and senior development coach Simon Lloyd said Menegola had good endurance abilities and has been learning to run to the right places during games.
“That’s the thing that has really developed in his game, where Sam’s running to,” Lloyd said.
“He’s running to some really usable positions and using that run to help out in defence and also kick goals.
“He’s getting a number of scoring shots when he plays that high forward role as his 4.2 showed on the weekend.”
Menegola spent a year on Hawthorn’s rookie list in 2011 and is currently a rookie at Freo.
Lloyd said it was easy to keep someone with Sam’s personal qualities in a positive mindset.
