Read about some of the key stats and stories heading into Sunday’s clash with Hawthorn at Optus Stadium.

Ladder
Hawthorn: 10-7, 119% (8th)
Fremantle: 7-10, 82.8% (13th)

Recent clashes
Hawthorn’s had the wood on Fremantle in recent years, with Fremantle winning one of the past 11 games between the teams. Most of those 11 games have involved Fremantle playing interstate, with five games in Tasmania and two at the MCG.

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Age gap
Hawthorn have named a significantly more experienced team with an average age of 26.71 the oldest this round) and career games of 120.4. Conversely, Fremantle’s average age is 23.54 (the lowest this round) with an average experience of 71.1 games played.

Banfield to Mitchell?
Fremantle tagger Bailey Banfield could come up against the game’s most prolific ball magnet, with Hawthorn’s Tom Mitchell leading the league in disposals by a significant margin. Mitchell, who is touted as one of the Brownlow favourites, is averaging 36 disposals this season. Adelaide’s Rory Laird is a distant second, with an average of 33.4 disposals per game.

Darcy’s latest test
Sean Darcy hasn’t had it easy in his return to the AFL this season, lining up against the likes of star ruckmen Max Gawn and Paddy Ryder in his two games played this season.
Against Hawthorn, Darcy is set to face Jonathon Celgar, who like Darcy, missed the opening half of the season due to injury. The 27-year-old Celgar made his return from more than a year out of the game in round 10 and posted his best ruck performance of 2018 last week against Carlton, with 37 hitouts.

Old friends, new foes
Sunday will be the second time Bradley Hill lines up against his former team. Hill was one of Fremantle’s best the last time the two teams faced off, picking up 25 disposals and delivering five inside 50s.

Brayshaw and Banfield build body of work
While disposal totals only tell a small part of a player’s performance, it’s been a key indicator in showing who earns a NAB AFL Rising Star Nomination this season. Of the players eligible for nomination this season, 11 of the 13 top disposal getters this year have been nominated.
The only two from the top 13 who haven’t been nominated play for Fremantle in Bailey Banfield and Andrew Brayshaw. With 250 disposals this season, Banfield is fifth of all eligible players while Brayshaw is eighth with 230 disposals.