LAST FIVE TIMES
R3, 2012: Fremantle 8.16 (64) d Brisbane Lions 5.5 (35) at Patersons Stadium
R14, 2011: Fremantle 12.16 (88) d Brisbane Lions 10.5 (65) at Patersons Stadium
R1, 2011: Fremantle 13.16 (94) d Brisbane Lions 14.8 (92) at Gabba
R7, 2010: Fremantle 15.23 (113) d Brisbane Lions 15.10 (100) at Gabba
R16, 2009: Brisbane Lions 9.8 (62) d Fremantle 7.5 (47) at Patersons Stadium
Last time they met
SATURDAY 14 APRIL 2012, PATERSONS STADIUM
FREMANTLE 1.4 4.7 6.13 8.16 (64)
BRISBANE 2.1 3.2 5.3 5.5 (35)
GOALS FREMANTLE: C Pearce 3, Duffield, Pavlich, Mundy, Clarke, Mellington
GOALS BRISBANE: Polec 2, Banfield, Rich, Merrett
SUB: David Mundy replaced Nathan Fyfe in the second quarter
REPORTS: Nil
UMPIRES: Dalgleish, Rosebury, Bannister
OFFICIAL CROWD: 33,473
A 29-point win over Brisbane failed to reflect the statistical command Fremantle had on this game from the outset. Errant entry inside its attacking 50 and wasteful kicking at goal squandered any hopes of a percentage boosting win for the home side. At times it seemed like Brisbane was kicking into an imaginary brick wall erected on Freo’s half-back line. Luke McPharlin held Jonathon Brown to just three possessions — all in the first quarter, while Michael Barlow played one of his best games since his comeback with 25 disposals (12 contested). The only disappointment was a shoulder injury that saw Nat Fyfe subbed off in the second quarter. His replacement, David Mundy, came on for his first run of 2012. The Sandilands ruck show kept on rolling to the tune of 54 hitouts.
FREO FACT: Fremantle held the Lions to the lowest inside 50 total ever recorded by Champion Data (20).
ROSS LYON: “If you walk away and you win contested ball by plus 20 and you have 52 entries to 20, you’ve dominated a game. The missing link was the ability to put a nice finish on it inside forward 50.”
BROWNLOW MEDAL VOTES
3 Tendai Mzungu
2 Clancee Pearce
1 Aaron Sandilands
DOIG MEDAL VOTES
12 Luke McPharlin, 12 Clancee Pearce, 11 Tendai Mzungu, 10 Aaron Sandilands, 8 Ryan Crowley, 8 Michael Johnson, 8 Michael Barlow, 8 Paul Duffield, 5 Garrick Ibbotson, 4 David Mundy, 4 Stephen Hill, 4 Matthew de Boer 4, Adam McPhee, 4 Zac Dawson, 4 Zac Clarke, 4 Greg Broughton, 4 Nick Suban, 1 Chris Mayne, 1 Kepler Bradley
Social Media
Twitter - Make sure you follow our match day account @FreoFC_MatchDay for comprehensive pre-game info, match scores, highlights, stats and analysis, and post-game recaps. Don't forget to follow the club's official account @Fremantle_FC for updates throughout the week.
Facebook - Get score updates and chat with other Freo fans during the game with our official Facebook account.
Instagram – For a behind-the-scenes look at game day follow FremantleDockers on Instagram.
The selection table
Fremantle – Matthew Pavlich and Michael Walters have been ruled out, while Aaron Sandilands is still a few weeks away from resuming. Alex Silvagni is a strong chance to return. Viv Michie has been banging hard on the selection door with consistently strong WAFL form.
Brisbane – The Lions will be keen to regain star midfielder Tom Rockliff, whose toughness will be crucial against Freo’s big-bodied midfield. The absence of ruckman Matthew Leuenberger will hurt, however.
Possible line-ups - Freo mentioned first in bold
| F: | H Crozier | C Mayne | H Ballantyne |
| B: | R Harwood | J Patful | E Yeo |
| HF: | M de Boer | J Hannath | D Pearce |
| HB: | P Hanley | J Clarke | J Adcock |
| C: | S Hill | D Mundy | N Fyfe |
| C: | B Moloney | T Rockliff | A Raines |
| HB: | M Johnson | Z Dawson | G Ibbotson |
| HF: | P Karnezis | M Paparone | D Zorko |
| B: | L Spurr | L McPharlin | P Duffield |
| F: | R Bewick | B Staker | A McGrath |
| Ruck: | Z Clarke | M Barlow | R Crowley |
| Ruck: | B Longer | S Black | J Redden |
| INT from: | T Mzungu, C Pearce, C Sutcliffe, T Smith, N Suban, A Silvagni | ||
| INT from: | R Lester, S Docherty, J Polkinghorne, J Crisp, S Mayers |
X Factors
Fremantle – Zac Clarke: Clarke should be primed considering he’s had a couple of matches to gain fitness followed by the bye week. Leuenberger’s absence should also give Freo a big advantage in the ruck.
Brisbane – Pearce Hanley: Hanley’s pace and skill will be vital on the open spaces at Patersons Stadium. The Irishman has been very prominent in Brisbane’s wins this year, but he has been well-held in some of the their lossess.
Key Match-ups
Ryan Crowley v Jack Redden: Redden has found strong form in recent weeks, and with Crowley’s opponent from the 2012 game, Daniel Rich, absent, it could be the young Lion who gets Freo’s star tagger, although Black and Rockliff are also possibilities.
Nat Fyfe v Andrew Raines: Raines is Brisbane’s first choice tagger. Whether or not Michael Voss thinks he has the athleticism to go with Fyfe remains to be seen. David Mundy and Michael Barlow are the other candidates for the tag.
Zac Clarke v Billy Longer: The Lions were slaughtered in the hitouts without Leuenberger in their last match, so expect Ross Lyon to challenge his big men to capitalise at the stoppages.
Dream Team
Fremantle: Michael Barlow has been red-hot this season and can be counted on to score 100 or near enough to it every week. He’s reached triple figures in five of his past six games, including a score of 149.
Brisbane: Jack Redden has picked up the pace after a slow start, scoring 100s in three of his past five games. But be mindful that he could receive the Crowley tag.
Keys to victory
Freo will be happy if: It manages to stymie Brisbane’s ability to enter the attacking 50, just as Lyon’s side did in 2012 when it held the Lions to a Champion Data record of 20 inside 50 entries.
Brisbane will be happy if: Its midfield, which is its greatest strength, fires on Saturday. The Lions are severely handicapped by injury and suspension in defence and attack, so Voss will challenge his on-ball division to stand up.
THE SIX POINTS from afl.com.au
1. Fremantle has won the last four clashes between these two sides but the Lions lead the overall head to head 11 wins to nine.
2. Brisbane has lost its last three matches at Patersons Stadium. The Lionslast win in Perth was round 19 2010, a famous victory against West Coast.
3. The Lions have been held goalless in the last quarter each of the last two matches against Fremantle including round three last year when they kicked just 5.5 (35) at Patersons Stadium.
4. Fremantle has the number one ranked defence in the AFL this season, while the Lions are the fourth-worst defensive team in the competition and the second-worst attack.
5. Fremantle coach Ross Lyon has a unique link to the Brisbane Lions. Lyon played 127 matches for Fitzroy over 10 seasons, and two games for the Brisbane Bears in 1996.
6. Brisbane has three players in the top 60 of the Official AFL Player Ratings, in Jack Redden (43), Tom Rockliff (51), and Daniel Rich (58). Fremantle's highest ranked player is Matthew Pavlich (65) and he has not played since round three.
