Senior coach Ross Lyon has praised Fremantle ruckman Aaron Sandilands ahead of his 250th game in Saturday night’s Carlton Draught Derby at Domain Stadium.
Michael Walters, another of Fremantle’s favourite sons, will reach the 100-game milestone in what Lyon hopes will be a special day for the club.
“We would like to honour those occasions with the effort and the esteem that we hold those two guys in,” Lyon said.
“That’s the best thing you can do.”
Lyon said it was easy to respect the ruckman’s work from afar, but didn’t get a full appreciation until taking over as senior coach of Fremantle in Sandilands' 11th season at the club.
“From the outside, he was clearly always a threat,” Lyon said.
“Until you get up close and see his work ethic and his professionalism, his character and genuine care and interest in teammates and family and the club, that’s when you get the real admiration.
“There’s a lot to admire about Aaron and I feel privileged to have had to opportunity to work with him.
“He’s a special person.”
Lyon said that the side was buoyant heading into the derby after coming from behind to win in three straight games.
Freo overcame half time deficits of 21 and 23 points to Melbourne and North Melbourne respectively, and defeated the Western Bulldogs after trailing by 14 points at three quarter time.
“It certainly fuels your belief,” said Lyon of the comeback wins.
“They’re in very good spirits and have plenty of endeavour, which is a sign of a great team dynamic and great harmony between coaches and players.”
Lyon added that Fremantle shouldn’t always rely on a comeback performance, and instead focus on delivering throughout the game.
“I think that’s the challenge for all AFL teams,” Lyon said.
“As you look around and watch the other games, it’s very hard to put together four quarters but that’s certainly what we’re aiming to do.”
