Sandi v Nic Nat
All the talk in the build up to this game was about the battle between the tall timber of Fremantle’s Aaron Sandilands and West Coast’s Nic Naitanui as both men returned from long-term injuries. Sandilands started strongly, gathering 7 disposals to quarter time, and ended with 12 disposals and 23 hitouts, as he shared ruck duties with Zac Clarke (10 disposals, 11 hitouts). Naitanui managed 17 hit-outs up to halftime, finishing with 26 for the game, as the hitout count stayed even throughout the match. Fremantle won the clearances despite having three fewer hitouts, but West Coast’s pressure on the ball carrier meant they weren’t able to make the most of the advantage.
Freo‘s Ball Use
Fremantle started the game in a lively manner, pinning West Coast in their defensive half, as they moved the ball on quickly from stoppages. This dash and dare across the ground saw Freo kick the opening goal, and lead at quarter time. Fremantle moved the ball with more purpose then in previous weeks, and this was evident as they improved their effective disposals percentage from last week. Against Sydney, Fremantle had 73 per cent disposal efficiency, but improved that to 76 per cent against West Coast.
Match report: Kennedy sparks Eagles win
Stephen Hill
The skillful midfielder has had a good month of football, and continued his good form against West Coast, collecting 30 possessions, and driving Freo inside 50 on seven occasions. Perhaps more notable than his 30 possessions was that 10 were contested. In his 168 games for the club, Hill averaged 7.5 contested possessions per game, but in 2016 he averages nearly 8.5 per game. At just 26 years of age, Freo fans will be hoping Hill can continue to build on his strong season heading into 2017.
Tommy the Tagger
Tommy Sheridan was given the job of stopping arguably West Coast’s best midfielder this season, and stop him he did. Gaff averages more then 28 possessions a game in 2016, but with Sheridan paying him very close attention, the midfielder could only manage 19 disposals. But it was Sheridan’s ability to run off his man and impact the game, which was encouraging for Freo’s fans. Sheridan ended with 20 possessions of his own, as well as kicking two goals, and negated Gaff’s impact throughout the match.
Tommy's terrific snap
Josh Kennedy
Josh Kennedy went into this game as the Coleman Medal favourite, and was always going to be a tough opponent for Fremantle’s defenders. Sam Collins and 50-gamer Alex Silvagni rotated on West Coast’s key forward, and worked hard to nullify his influence. But with other tall options in Jack Darling and Scott Lycett, West Coast stretched Freo’s key back, and Kennedy took full advantage, kicking seven goals. It is the highest individual tally in a Western Derby since Matthew Pavlich kicked eight in 2012. Silvagni was solid in his milestone game, collecting 16 possessions, taking 5 marks and laying 3 tackles, while Sam Collins finished with 10 disposals and 6 tackles.
