In the latest episode of The Purple Patch, Duck & Oz run through the matchups they are looking forward to in RAC Derby 50 at Optus Stadium on Saturday night.
The Purple Patch is the official Fremantle podcast that comes out every Friday and previews the game each week.
Hosts Duck and Oz, from The Purple Reign podcast, are two of the club’s biggest fans and provide great insight to each game from a fan perspective.
Joel Hamling v Josh Kennedy
This is the big matchup. Hamling is a better matchup for Kennedy due to his size, and you may see Griffin Logue or even Luke Ryan go to Jack Darling.
Hamling has been the unsung hero of the backline and probably the team. He has closing speed and loves a good body spoil. the last derby, he was concussed in the second quarter and that had a big impact on Freo going forward.
Last week against Hawthorn, Kennedy went goalless for the first time this season. He’s kicked 30 goals from 13 matches and kicked 3.1 in the most recent derby. He’s a great player and a very big body in the forward line and we think Hamling is the best bet to match up on him.
David Mundy v Jack Redden
In the midfield, we think Mundy v Redden is the one that will really matter as it’s likely Nat Fyfe and Elliot Yeo will cancel each other out.
Mundy’s had a bit of a quiet month, averaging around 20 touches, but in the most recent derby, he essentially put the team on his back and could have been best on ground.
If Mundy returns to his best and can get anything over 26 touches, Freo are a red-hot chance.
Redden has also been up and down this season but he’s coming off back-to-back games with 30 touches. We really think it will come down to this matchup and essentially, both midfields are quite good with a bit of depth.
Cam McCarthy v Shannon Hurn
This is a bit of an interesting matchup and it’s not certain they’ll play on each other.
McCarthy has been very good in WA this season. He kicked four of Freo’s 11 goals last week and he’s obviously going to be very important again. Against West Coast, McCarthy will need to bring that defensive pressure, especially with the likes of Hurn, Brad Sheppard and Jeremy McGovern in the Eagles’ defence. They’re all great interceptors and they will look to feed on Freo’s kicks inside 50.
Hurn is just so important to the Eagles, just look to their loss to Sydney when he didn’t play, and he’s probably one of the best kicks in the competition, ever.
McCarthy and the rest of the Freo forwards need to keep these guys accountable and stop West Coast from walking it out of the defensive 50. They won’t dominate you in many stats, but they’re just clinical when they get the ball.
