Fremantle will host Collingwood at Rushton Park in Mandurah on Saturday for Freo’s second match of the JLT Community Series.
The teams can expect significantly different conditions from their last meeting in round 14 of the 2016 season, where Collingwood ran out 48-point winners in bitterly cold conditions at the MCG.
Fremantle have named a strong squad of 29 players, which could be close to their best 22 for the 2017 season.
Joining the side are Aaron Sandilands and Lachie Neale, who bolster the Fremantle midfield after it was put through the ringer against West Coast in Geraldton last week.
This weekend, Fremantle face another test in Collingwood’s engine room. The Pies have brought in their star midfielders Scott Pendlebury, Adam Treloar and Taylor Adams, as well as ruckman Brodie Grundy, to the side that defeated Essendon by 11 points at Etihad Stadium on 16 February.
The game will also be Freo fan’s first chance to see former forward Chris Mayne in the Black & White, with Mayne making his second senior appearance for the Magpies after kicking one goal with four disposals and four tackles against Essendon.
TALKING POINTS
1. Can Freo bring the pressure?
After starting last week on the back foot, Fremantle turned things around following Ross Lyon’s half-time address against the Eagles. This week, assistant coach Mark Stone has called for Freo to step up in their “intensity and sustained effort” - meaning a solid four-quarter performance is required.
2. Progress of new faces
New signings Cam McCarthy, Bradley Hill, Joel Hamling and Shane Kersten will all play their second game in Fremantle colours on Saturday. It’s a talented group of young West Australian talent, and Ross Lyon will be keen to see how these new faces are adapting to their new teammates and the game-plan.
3. Mayne man returns
Chris Mayne has long been a favourite for Fremantle fans and players. Will Mayne’s knowledge of the side be an advantage, or will Freo’s defenders know how to limit his impact?
4. Freo’s second home
As the home base for Peel Thunder, Fremantle’s WAFL affiliate side, Rushton Park will be familiar territory to many of Freo’s young up and coming players. It’s also the spiritual home for Hayden Ballantyne, with the ground boasting the Hayden Ballantyne Wing that commemorates the small forward’s efforts in his 2008 Sandover Medal winning season.
Fremantle squad
1. Hayden Ballantyne 3. Zac Dawson 4. Sean Darcy 5. Garrick Ibbotson 6. Danyle Pearce 7. Nat Fyfe 8. Nick Suban 9. Bradley Hill 10. Michael Walters 12. Jon Griffin 14. Lachie Weller 15. Ethan Hughes 16. David Mundy 17. Hayden Crozier 18. Darcy Tucker 19. Connor Blakely 21. Joel Hamling 22. Shane Kersten 23. Cam McCarthy 26. Ed Langdon 27. Lachie Neale 31. Aaron Sandilands 32. Stephen Hill 33. Cam Sutcliffe 34. Lee Spurr 35. Michael Apeness 36. Brennan Cox 37. Michael Johnson 40. Sam Collins
Collingwood squad
1. Alex Fasolo 2. Jordan De Goey 4. Brodie Grundy 6. Tyson Goldsack 7. Adam Treloar 9. Jesse White 10. Scott Pendlebury 11. Jarryd Blair 12. Matthew Scharenberg 13. Taylor Adams 14. James Aish 15. Lynden Dunn 16. Chris Mayne 18. Travis Varcoe 19. Levi Greenwood 21. Tom Phillips 22. Steele Sidebottom 23. Lachlan Keeffe 24. Josh Thomas 25. Jack Crisp 26. Josh Thomas 30. Darcy Moore 31. Jackson Ramsay 32. Will Hoskin-Elliott 37. Brayden Maynard 38. Jeremy Howe 41. Henry Schade 43. Adam Oxley 46. Mason Cox
