Freo return home in round three for a big Saturday night clash with the Western Bulldogs at Domain Stadium.
Youth focus
Fremantle have made six changes to the side which lost to Port Adelaide, with Griffin Logue and Harley Balic set to make their AFL debuts.
The average age of Fremantle’s six inclusions is just 21.1 years, seeing the age of Fremantle’s starting lineup drop from 26 years in round two to 24.4 years for round three. As a result, Fremantle has gone from fielding one of the oldest to one of the youngest sides in the space of a week.
Freo’s domain
Fremantle has won the past three meetings with the Western Bulldogs at Domain Stadium. The teams last met in round 23 of the 2016 season, a game that Fremantle won by 20 points. The game was both the Western Bulldogs most recent loss and Fremantle’s most recent win.
Stopping the Bont
The Bulldogs’ star midfielder is coming off an impressive all round performance in round two with 30 disposals, seven tackles and four marks against Sydney. Bontempelli has also shown his ability to impact the scoreboard with four goals so far this season. While a threat in the middle, the game is unlikely to be won or lost in the midfield. So far this season, Fremantle leads the league in clearances with 87, while the undefeated Bulldogs are last with 61.
Aaron alone?
Of the nine tallest players on Fremantle’s list, only one will line up on Saturday night in Aaron Sandilands.
Sandilands leads the AFL with 84 hit outs from the opening two rounds. This week, the Freo veteran can expect to feature even more without Jon Griffin as a second ruck option. Instead Michael Johnson, Fremantle’s 10th tallest player at 195cm, could be the most likely to pinch hit in the ruck if required.
