Fremantle midfielder Will Brodie believes his team can handle the wet conditions if they come for Friday night’s blockbuster clash with Melbourne at Optus Stadium.

Rain is forecast for Friday morning and is expected to ease throughout the day, however Brodie feels the team can improve on their performances against Collingwood and Gold Coast if the conditions are slippery.

Brodie will especially embrace the wet as Fremantle’s leading contested player for 2022 with 222 for the season, 44 more than Caleb Serong in second.

“I’m looking forward to it. I like the wet. It’s going to be good,” Brodie said.

“We’ve put a lot of time into our wet weather footy and looking to improve in that area.

“We had some areas to improve and we’ve definitely addressed it and we feel like we can definitely improve in that area.

“So we’re looking to get out there, whether it’s wet or not, and play our best footy.”

Brodie said Fremantle are wary of Melbourne’s star-studded midfield despite Freo winning the battle in their most recent meeting in round 11 at the MCG.

Freo were +10 in the clearances and +12 in the contested possessions as they ran out 38-point winners to end Melbourne’s 17-game winning run.

“They’re a good midfield unit. I feel like they’re one of the best midfields going around,” Brodie said.

“We can take a lot of confidence out of the last contest, we feel like we definitely challenged them in that area.

“We’ve reviewed that game and we’ve got a bit of a plan going forward. We’re looking forward to the challenge. We think we can match it against them.”

Brodie doesn’t expect to have more responsibility on his shoulders even with Nat Fyfe out with a hamstring injury.

“I don’t think my role will change too much, I’ve continued to play my role pretty consistently over the past few months,” Brodie said.

“We’ll obviously miss having Fyfey in there but a few others will hopefully step up.”

As a Friday night clash against the reigning premiers with a top four spot on the line, the game is arguably Fremantle’s biggest since the Club last played finals in 2015.

“It’s going to be a big game and a good challenge, I’m looking forward to it,” Brodie said.

“It’s a big stage and a big game against a big team so we can’t wait I’m sure the Purple Army will be out in full force. It’s Friday night footy, we’re really excited for it.”

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