Freo are yet to lose a game in Melbourne in 2017, with their only loss in Victoria coming at the hands of Geelong in a thriller at Simonds Stadium - but the team at essendonfc.com.au are still pleased to see Fremantle make the trip east...
Fremantle could be excused for being a little unsure which rooms the Bombers will use at Etihad Stadium this weekend.
For the first time in 2,702 days Freo will travel to Melbourne to play against Essendon.
It ends a run of seven straight games in Perth.
The last time the sides met in Melbourne was on Sunday April 4th in round two of the 2010 season.
Of the 22 players that played for Essendon that day, just seven remain on the Club’s list today.
Jobe Watson was playing his second official game as the Bombers Captain, while Ben Howlett was playing the second game of his career (he’s now up to 124 games).
A 'youthful' Dustin Fletcher was a month shy of his 35th birthday. He played his 314th game that day and had another 86 to go in his career.
For the record, the Freo Dockers, led by coach Mark Harvey, won by 44 points.
Watson (28 disposals), Brent Prismall (26 disposals) and Brent Stanton (24 disposals) were prominent for the Bombers.
So what does it all mean? Very little in respect to this week's clash.
But if you're in any doubt about whether you should get along to the game, you might as well attend because you never know ... it might be another 2,702 days before you get another chance to see the two sides clash in Melbourne.
