Fremantle will look to play a simpler, more “invasive” brand of football when they meet the Demons on Saturday night in Darwin, according to senior coach Ross Lyon.

In the round 14 loss to Collingwood, Freo were beaten convincingly in the midfield, despite competing well at stoppages and clearances.
 
Lyon said the side would need to be more direct with its ball use if it wanted to match it with the best sides.
 
“At the end of the day, it’s an invasion game,” he said.
 
“I think if you look at the good teams, they do kick more than they handball.

“We felt we had plenty of opportunity [against Collingwood] but our ball use and overusing and over-handballing gave us no chance in the game whatsoever."

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Lyon also stressed how important it would be for his team to recognise when to take the game on.

“We’re trying to clarify those decisions for the players, and those principles,” he said.

“If you think you’re going to invade to the other end without taking a contest on, you’re really optimistic, particularly in adverse weather conditions.”
 
Though Fremantle can expect decidedly warmer conditions than the 3 degrees they played in last week, Lyon forecast similar challenges with ball-handling.

“I think it’s going to be humid and it’s going to be 32 [degrees], but more the humidity – it will be quite slippery,” he said.

“We’d like to play with a bit more penetration when we’ve got the opportunity.”
 
Bounce down for Fremantle v Melbourne is at 5:40pm WST, at TIO Stadium on Saturday.