TonyK
CibbuanoRound one preview: Fremantle v Western Bulldogs
March 28th 2009 17:58
VENUE and TIME: Subiaco Oval, Sunday 29 March, 7.10pm (AEDT)
HEAD TO HEAD: Played: 17, Fremantle 7, Western Bulldogs 10
LAST TIME: Western Bulldogs 17.12 (114) def Fremantle 17.9 (111), Round 8 2008 at Subiaco Oval
RECENT HISTORY: The Western Bulldogs have won three of their past four against Fremantle but only one of those wins has been at Subiaco Oval.
FORM: Fremantle lost to Richmond by three points in the first round of the NAB Cup then were thumped to the tune of 93 points by the Kangaroos. The Dockers responded with a controversial last-gasp win over West Coast before defeating Carlton in Bunbury. The Western Bulldogs have had a far from impressive preparation, with their only win coming against Melbourne in the last practice match of the pre-season.
MEDICAL ROOM: Fremantle midfielder Des Headland (calf) and forward Chris Mayne (ankle) are at least one to two weeks away while small forward Hayden Ballantyne is at least four weeks away after undergoing surgery on his wrist during the pre-season. For the Bulldogs, key defender Tom Williams (thigh) is a chance to play in round two while forward Scott Welsh (virus) will miss. Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney has had a limited preparation because of ankle problems but will play.
KEY MATCH-UPS: Ben Hudson vs. Aaron Sandilands
Sandilands has had an outstanding pre-season and looms as one of the main men the Bulldogs need to quell his influence if they are going to kick-off their 2009 campaign with a win away from home.
The Fremantle ruckman led the AFL for hit-outs last season with 646. There will be no stopping Sandilands from winning plenty of hit-outs but the Dogs will be hoping that Hudson can at least provide a contest and limit Sandilamnds’ effectiveness in tapping the ball down the throat of Rhys Palmer, Ryan Crowley and co.
For the Dockers it is vital that Sandilands mixes it up a bit and doesn’t become too predictable in where he taps the football - last year Fremantle was one of the worst clearance teams in the competition despite having the tallest player in the AFL on their list.
Brian Lake vs. Matthew Pavlich
Along with Sandilands, Pavlich, is the other player the Dogs must contain if they are going to secure the four premiership points.
The Fremantle skipper looms as the dangerman given that he has booted 14 goals in his past four matches against the Dogs
Lake always gets the opposition’s best forward and you wouldn’t expect it to be any different on Sunday.
Pavlich will fancy his chances of having a big game if Fremantle get the ball in quickly inside 50 because Lake conceded the second most amount of goals of any full-back in the competition last season.
Don’t be surprised if the Dockers clear out the forward 50 for Pavlich early so he can work his magic.
Luke McPharlin vs. Brad Johnson
With Welsh, who booted 43 goals last season on the sidelines, the Bulldogs will need their leading goal kicker in 2008 - Johnson - to have a big game.
Despite standing at just 182cm, Johnson is strong overhead, so McPharlin is the obvious candidate to match-up on the Bulldogs skipper given his athleticism and spoiling abilities.
The Bulldogs lack of a genuine key forward means they need to deliver the football cleanly inside forward 50 rather than bomb it to the square to give their forwards the best chance of kicking a winning score.
With this in mind, the Dockers will need to apply immense midfield pressure and deny the Dogs the time and space to spot up targets inside 50.
Ryan Crowley vs. Daniel Cross
Ordinarily Crowley would go to Adam Cooney but the Brownlow medallist has had a limited preparation.
While Cooney has had an interrupted pre-season, Cross has been impressive and was one of his side’s best in the win over the Demons with 29 possessions and one goal.
The last time these two sides met in round eight Cross played a key role in the Bulldogs’ thrilling three-point win, racking up a game-high 26 disposals.
Cross is damaging with his ability to win the football in close and use it cleanly by hand to find the likes of Ryan Griffen, Jason Akermanis, Nathan Eagleton and co. in space.
If the Dockers are going to be any hope of shutting down the Western Bulldogs’ band of runners they will need to limit Cross’ effectiveness at the stoppages.
Crowley will need to employ a tight tag on Cross and also push forward at every available opportunity and make Cross accountable.
VERDICT: The Dockers may have one of the worst records in the AFL in round one, winning just one of their last eight season openers but they are coming up against a Bulldogs side that has had a far from impressive pre-season. Mark Harvey’s men did plenty of fitness work over the summer so they should be able to match the hard-running Dogs for four quarters. Fremantle lost over 1500 games of experience during the off-season and will need their experienced campaigners such as Pavlich to perform if they are going to overcome a Western Bulldogs side that played in a preliminary final last year. Expect the Fremantle skipper to deliver in spades. Dockers by 14 points.
FREMANTLE V WESTERN BULLDOGS
FREMANTLE
B: Roger Hayden, Michael Johnson, Luke McPharlin
HB: Josh Head, Antoni Grover, Steven Dodd
C: Rhys Palmer, Paul Hasleby, Garrick Ibbotson
HF: Paul Duffield, Chris Tarrant, Byron Schammer
F: Brett Peake, Ryan Murphy, Matthew Pavlich
Foll: Aaron Sandilands, Ryan Crowley, David Mundy
I/C: Andrew Browne, Stephen Hill, Nic Suban, Kepler Bradley
Emg: Marcus Drum, Scott Thornton, Daniel Gilmore,
New: Nic Suban (Bacchus Marsh), Stephen Hill (West Perth)
WESTERN BULLDOGS
B: Dylan Addison, Brian Lake, Stephen Tiller
HB: Lindsay Gilbee, Dale Morris, Ryan Hargrave
C: Daniel Cross, Ryan Griffen, Josh Hill
HF: Robert Murphy, Mitch Hahn, Brad Johnson
F: Shaun Higgins, Will Minson, Jason Akermanis
Foll: Ben Hudson, Matthew Boyd, Adam Cooney
I/C: Callan Ward, Daniel Giansiracusa, Nathan Eagleton, Andrejs Everitt
Emg: Jarrod Harbrow, Tom Williams, Tim Callan
HEAD TO HEAD: Played: 17, Fremantle 7, Western Bulldogs 10
LAST TIME: Western Bulldogs 17.12 (114) def Fremantle 17.9 (111), Round 8 2008 at Subiaco Oval
RECENT HISTORY: The Western Bulldogs have won three of their past four against Fremantle but only one of those wins has been at Subiaco Oval.
FORM: Fremantle lost to Richmond by three points in the first round of the NAB Cup then were thumped to the tune of 93 points by the Kangaroos. The Dockers responded with a controversial last-gasp win over West Coast before defeating Carlton in Bunbury. The Western Bulldogs have had a far from impressive preparation, with their only win coming against Melbourne in the last practice match of the pre-season.
MEDICAL ROOM: Fremantle midfielder Des Headland (calf) and forward Chris Mayne (ankle) are at least one to two weeks away while small forward Hayden Ballantyne is at least four weeks away after undergoing surgery on his wrist during the pre-season. For the Bulldogs, key defender Tom Williams (thigh) is a chance to play in round two while forward Scott Welsh (virus) will miss. Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney has had a limited preparation because of ankle problems but will play.
KEY MATCH-UPS: Ben Hudson vs. Aaron Sandilands
Sandilands has had an outstanding pre-season and looms as one of the main men the Bulldogs need to quell his influence if they are going to kick-off their 2009 campaign with a win away from home.
The Fremantle ruckman led the AFL for hit-outs last season with 646. There will be no stopping Sandilands from winning plenty of hit-outs but the Dogs will be hoping that Hudson can at least provide a contest and limit Sandilamnds’ effectiveness in tapping the ball down the throat of Rhys Palmer, Ryan Crowley and co.
For the Dockers it is vital that Sandilands mixes it up a bit and doesn’t become too predictable in where he taps the football - last year Fremantle was one of the worst clearance teams in the competition despite having the tallest player in the AFL on their list.
Brian Lake vs. Matthew Pavlich
Along with Sandilands, Pavlich, is the other player the Dogs must contain if they are going to secure the four premiership points.
The Fremantle skipper looms as the dangerman given that he has booted 14 goals in his past four matches against the Dogs
Lake always gets the opposition’s best forward and you wouldn’t expect it to be any different on Sunday.
Pavlich will fancy his chances of having a big game if Fremantle get the ball in quickly inside 50 because Lake conceded the second most amount of goals of any full-back in the competition last season.
Don’t be surprised if the Dockers clear out the forward 50 for Pavlich early so he can work his magic.
Luke McPharlin vs. Brad Johnson
With Welsh, who booted 43 goals last season on the sidelines, the Bulldogs will need their leading goal kicker in 2008 - Johnson - to have a big game.
Despite standing at just 182cm, Johnson is strong overhead, so McPharlin is the obvious candidate to match-up on the Bulldogs skipper given his athleticism and spoiling abilities.
The Bulldogs lack of a genuine key forward means they need to deliver the football cleanly inside forward 50 rather than bomb it to the square to give their forwards the best chance of kicking a winning score.
With this in mind, the Dockers will need to apply immense midfield pressure and deny the Dogs the time and space to spot up targets inside 50.
Ryan Crowley vs. Daniel Cross
Ordinarily Crowley would go to Adam Cooney but the Brownlow medallist has had a limited preparation.
While Cooney has had an interrupted pre-season, Cross has been impressive and was one of his side’s best in the win over the Demons with 29 possessions and one goal.
The last time these two sides met in round eight Cross played a key role in the Bulldogs’ thrilling three-point win, racking up a game-high 26 disposals.
Cross is damaging with his ability to win the football in close and use it cleanly by hand to find the likes of Ryan Griffen, Jason Akermanis, Nathan Eagleton and co. in space.
If the Dockers are going to be any hope of shutting down the Western Bulldogs’ band of runners they will need to limit Cross’ effectiveness at the stoppages.
Crowley will need to employ a tight tag on Cross and also push forward at every available opportunity and make Cross accountable.
VERDICT: The Dockers may have one of the worst records in the AFL in round one, winning just one of their last eight season openers but they are coming up against a Bulldogs side that has had a far from impressive pre-season. Mark Harvey’s men did plenty of fitness work over the summer so they should be able to match the hard-running Dogs for four quarters. Fremantle lost over 1500 games of experience during the off-season and will need their experienced campaigners such as Pavlich to perform if they are going to overcome a Western Bulldogs side that played in a preliminary final last year. Expect the Fremantle skipper to deliver in spades. Dockers by 14 points.
FREMANTLE V WESTERN BULLDOGS
FREMANTLE
B: Roger Hayden, Michael Johnson, Luke McPharlin
HB: Josh Head, Antoni Grover, Steven Dodd
C: Rhys Palmer, Paul Hasleby, Garrick Ibbotson
HF: Paul Duffield, Chris Tarrant, Byron Schammer
F: Brett Peake, Ryan Murphy, Matthew Pavlich
Foll: Aaron Sandilands, Ryan Crowley, David Mundy
I/C: Andrew Browne, Stephen Hill, Nic Suban, Kepler Bradley
Emg: Marcus Drum, Scott Thornton, Daniel Gilmore,
New: Nic Suban (Bacchus Marsh), Stephen Hill (West Perth)
WESTERN BULLDOGS
B: Dylan Addison, Brian Lake, Stephen Tiller
HB: Lindsay Gilbee, Dale Morris, Ryan Hargrave
C: Daniel Cross, Ryan Griffen, Josh Hill
HF: Robert Murphy, Mitch Hahn, Brad Johnson
F: Shaun Higgins, Will Minson, Jason Akermanis
Foll: Ben Hudson, Matthew Boyd, Adam Cooney
I/C: Callan Ward, Daniel Giansiracusa, Nathan Eagleton, Andrejs Everitt
Emg: Jarrod Harbrow, Tom Williams, Tim Callan
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