Senior Coach Justin Longmuir has said getting it right in the midfield will go a long way towards beating Carlton on Saturday as the two undefeated teams go head-to-head at Adelaide Oval. 

“It’s another test for us absolutely,” Longmuir said to the media Wednesday morning. 

“It’s a team that is undefeated, playing really good footy and has obviously scored some really big scores this year so it’s going to be a great test.

“We’ve got a lot of players in good form just like they have (Carlton).”

Carlton’s forward line boasts Coleman medal duo Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay who have combined for 21.6 goals so far this season, but Longmuir believes winning the battle in the middle of the ground will go a long way in nullifying the two key forwards impact come Saturday.

“A lot gets made of their forward line and rightly so, but they are on the end of some good supply from their midfield,” Longmuir said.

“We need to get it right in there, they’ve got some really good players through there and have a fair bit of depth through the middle of the ground.

“I think they had 60-plus inside 50s last week. When the ball lives in their front half it gives them a lot of opportunity.”

Carlton average third in the competition for inside 50s by average (58.7), and average 103 points for per game, while Fremantle currently has conceded the least points against (180 total) from their first three games of the season, making them the hardest team to score against on average (60 points). 

Longmuir said the addition of Hayden Young to the midfield group in 2024 has given the group a point of difference during their 3-0 start to the season, as the 22-year-old comes off a season-high 32 disposals, eight a marks and eight clearances against Adelaide last week. 

“He (Young) adds another level of toughness to the midfield,” Longmuir said. 
 
“The defensive pressure and left foot kick gives us a different dynamic in there.

“I’m happy with how he’s going and I’m happy with how the midfield is balancing up."

Fremantle and Carlton will bouncedown at 1.20pm WST on Saturday 6 April, with the winner of the clash emerging 4-0.