Anything and Everything Fremantle
Posts tagged Miscellaneous
Coaches’ votes
012 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
Fremantle unwittingly embroiled itself in controversy by bringing in Aaron Sandilands as a last-minute inclusion against Richmond, but the move paid off with the 211cm ruckman outstanding in his comeback game from ‘turf toe’.
Sandilands replaced Jonathon Griffin in Freo’s team 10 minutes before last Saturday’s match at Paterson’s Stadium, with Tigers coach Damien Hardwick later questioning whether the change was “in the spirit of the game”.
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon responded to Hardwick’s comments by saying Griffin had been replaced after suffering a “bona fide” injury in his pre-match warm-up, having “tweaked” his groin.
But the AFL told AFL.com.au on Monday Fremantle was facing a fine if it could not satisfactorily justify the extent of Griffin’s injury.
Even if Freo is fined, it may be money well spent given Sandilands racked up 18 possessions and a game-high 33 hit-outs and nine clearances against the Tigers, in his first match since round 11.
Bring on the Roos
012 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
Chris Mayne says the prospect of facing a hot North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium with Fremantle’s finals destiny likely hinging on the outcome of Sunday’s clash is what the game is all about.
A Freo defeat would open the door for fast-finishing Carlton to nab the final spot in the eight with victories over Gold Coast (Metricon) and St Kilda (Etihad).
Win and Ross Lyon’s men can book their spot in September with a win over lowly Melbourne at Patersons Stadium in round 23.
“It’s going to be an enormous challenge for us, but that’s why you play footy,” Mayne said of the clash with the Kangaroos’, who can all but confirm a home final with a win.
“You want the challenge and you want to be able to go over to Melbourne, to Etihad Stadium, where we have played well, and take on a team that is contending for finals.”
Remember the titan?
012 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
Oh how quickly we forget.
There has been much speculation and opinion from various social media channels over the past few months that the Fremantle Dockers are a better side without Aaron Sandilands.
The same Aaron Sandilands that has not once, not twice but three times been deemed worthy by a panel of AFL experts to wear the coveted All-Australian jumper.
The same Aaron Sandilands who won the 2009 Doig Medal and finished runner-up in 2010.
The same Aaron Sandilands who people not long ago believed the team could not win a game of footy without.
The stats are there to back this claim.
Between Sandilands’ first All-Australian year of 2008, right up until mid 2011, the club played seven games without him and lost them all by an average of 54 points.
400 games for FREO!
012 years
On 1 April, 1995, captain Ben Allan led the Fremantle Dockers out onto the MCG to play Richmond in the club’s first official AFL game.
This Saturday, 18 August at Patersons Stadium, against the same opponent, the club reaches a significant milestone in its history when it plays its 400th official match.
Among our 164 wins was the first Derby success over the West Coast Eagles in round 16, 1999.
A first appearance in the finals came in 2003, when a young Freo side was defeated by a James Hird inspired Essendon at Subiaco Oval.
After a top four finish in 2006, club great Peter Bell captained the side to its first win in a final with victory over Melbourne in front of a joyous Subiaco Oval crowd.
A week later, Freo fell short of an historic berth in the AFL Grand Final when the Sydney Swans beat it in a Preliminary Final at ANZ Stadium in what still stands as a record crowd of 61,373 for games involving Fremantle.
Lyon sees rebuilt Silvagni in Freo’s future
012 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
Ross Lyon says defender Alex Silvagni is a big part of Fremantle’s future.
The courageous 24-year-old has had a disappointing second season of AFL, playing only one game so far, but Lyon said there were reasons behind that.
“At the start of the year he was down to about 70 per cent leg strength in his left leg, so he has been rebuilt,” he said on 6PR.
“Even over the summer he was only able to do 80 per cent of the program.”
The senior coach was looking forward to putting Silvagni through a full pre-season heading into 2013.
“I am really excited about him getting a full summer and plenty of work into his body,” Lyon said.
“He has put on 3kg over the year. He needs to be more powerful, so we want to get him up to 95 or 96kg so he can handle the big guys.
Spurr seizes the moment
012 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
Three weeks ago Lee Spurr travelled to Melbourne with the team as an emergency for the round 16 match against Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.
The 25-year-old recruit last played in round 8 but hadn’t done enough in his first three games of AFL to lock down a spot in the side.
Spurr was the warm-up emergency for the game against the Demons – a role that demands a player to prepare in every way just as any selected player would.
“It’s tough to know you’re emergency and that there’s a very good chance you won’t play,” Spurr said.
“But there’s that slight chance, and that’s part of being a professional.
“You’ve got to prepare as if you’re going to play and do everything to the best of your ability.”
With the bounce down just minutes away, senior coach Ross Lyon called Spurr into the rooms and gave him a message.
Sumich breaks his silence
012 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
Fremantle assistant Peter Sumich says the Dockers are a sleeping giant, needing on-field success to explode into one of the more powerful outfits in the AFL.
Sumich, the dual West Coast premiership player and long-time lieutenant of coach John Worsfold before he left the Eagles to join the Dockers for the 2012 season, said the Dockers required a “trophy in the cabinet” for the club to achieve its potential.
In an exclusive interview with The Weekend West ahead of today’s western derby Sumich also revealed:
– That the opportunity to work with Dockers coach Ross Lyon had been a key to his leaving the Eagles
– He had long held an ambition to work for the Dockers because of the link to his beloved home town
– That the Dockers were confident heading into today’s match, believing they were better prepared and balanced than they had been before round nine when the Eagles blew them away
Freo may dock at Cockburn
012 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
Cockburn is firming as the favoured site for Fremantle’s new training facility after the Dockers board agreed to do more research on the alternative site in the hope of establishing a preferred option by the end of September.
The club’s official position is still that there needs to be a compelling case to shift from the club’s spiritual home at Fremantle Oval.
But some at the club believe that the likelihood of greater government funding and the ability to establish a purpose-built facility from scratch at a potentially lower cost will create that compelling case.
Kepler: a hunched peg that fits Freo’s square hole
012 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
In considering the career – and abilities – of Kepler Bradley, it’s worthwhile examining exactly how inexact a science the AFL draft process remains.
Of the 70 players selected in the top-10 of the national draft between 2000 and 2006, 15 are already out of the competition having played 50 or fewer games.
On the other hand, 52 players selected at pick 50 or above from 2000 to 2007 have gone on on to play at least 50 AFL games, either with the club that drafted them or by moving on to another team. A total of 36 of those players are still in league (including last year’s Brownlow medallist Dane Swan).
Where Kepler Bradley fits into that equation (and the Fremantle team) is a most interesting proposition.
Fyfe no miracle worker
012 years
by DockerNow.com
in Miscellaneous
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon has urged fans not to expect miracles from returning midfielder Nat Fyfe, saying the 20-year-old will need time to reacclimatise to the ‘brutal’ AFL competition.
Fyfe, who encountered a series of shoulder dislocations earlier this year, hasn’t played since undergoing surgery in May.
After giving his reconstructed left shoulder a series of bruising workouts at training over the past fortnight, Fyfe will make his long-awaited return against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium on Sunday.
Despite being just 43 games into his AFL career, Fyfe has already established himself as Fremantle’s most important midfielder, with his elite ball-winning ability, slick disposals and excellent marking already drawing comparisons with Essendon great James Hird.
But Lyon said Fyfe’s lengthy spell on the sidelines meant it could take some time before the 2011 All Australian nominee rediscovered his top form.
