Fremantle ruckman Aaron Sandilands gets a better view of his side’s stoppage work than anyone else.
He has backed his teammates to rediscover its clearance prowess after it was beaten convincingly against Hawthorn on Sunday.
Fremantle lost clearances 30 to 49 at Aurora Stadium with sides increasing the congestion and tackling pressure in the middle to combat Freo’s clearance kings such as Nat Fyfe, David Mundy and Lachie Neale.
Sandilands said clearances were a strength of the side this year.
“We got beaten around the clearances at the weekend, including the centre square,” he said.
“We got a fair bit of first possession but at times turned it over.
“For us, owning the inside has been working pretty well for us this year.
“We did have a bad day on the weekend but over the season it has been one of our strengths.”
Sandilands said the side would not drastically alter its clearance structures despite the deficit at the weekend.
“I don’t think we’ll be changing huge amounts,” he said.
“We try and practice different setups all the time.
“It’s getting back to owning the inside and winning it, then getting it in our forward half to create pressure.
“The midfielder group will sit down and review it, hopefully we can get back on the horse.”
