The Numbers Game
41,508 – Attendance at last year’s preliminary final between Freo and Hawthorn at Domain Stadium
2014 – The last time Freo beat Hawthornwas in Rd 21, 2014
98 – Games played for Hawthorn by Ben Allan before he became the inaugural captain of the Fremantle Dockers
96 – Danyle Pearce launches the ball forward more against Hawthorn than any other team, with 96 career inside 50s against the Hawk
77 – Hawthorn have made Aurora Stadium a fortress, having won just over 77 per cent of their games at the venue since 2001.
3 – Hawks have been defensively stout against Freo, conceding more than 100 points only three time.
Last Time We Met
Fremantle (10.7.67) def by Hawthorn (15.4.94), Preliminary Final, 2015
David Mundy and Lee Spurr led Freo with 27 disposals each. Nat Fyfe had 24 touches and nine clearances despite playing out the game with a fractured leg. Michael Walters was busy, finishing with 21 disposals, five clearances and three goals. Garrick Ibbotson had 24 touches and led all players on the field with 15 marks.
Match preview v Hawthorn
Purple Patch for Freo’s Pearce’s
Both Danyle and Alex Pearce have been in good form of late, despite having near polar opposite playing styles. Danyle Pearce had 26 disposals and a goal of the year nomination against GWS in round seven and capped off a solid week by signing a two-year contract extension with Freo on Tuesday. Alex Pearce has acquitted himself well over the past two weeks, keeping Adelaide’s Taylor Walker and GWS Giants’ Jeremy Cameron to only 20 disposals and one goal between them.
Hawthorn’s bounceback
Hawthorn’s 75-point loss to GWS in round six was a talking point throughout the AFL as conclusions were drawn about the future of Hawks. Fast forward one week and the Hawks defeated the Tigers by 46 points on the back of a rampant nine-goal fourth quarter. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as since Rd 10 2014, Hawthorn’s have responded to a loss with a win the following week.
In and under Neale
Lachie Neale has been a bright spot for Freo and his ability to win the contested football will be needed once more against a physical Hawthorn side. Neale leads the AFL in disposals, with 228 through seven games, and averages 17 contested possessions a game. He has also been effective in excavating the ball, as he currently sits 5th in the AFL for clearances with 6.71 a game.
Familiar fixtures
The past three weeks and the next week provide an interesting look at an intertwining fixture for Freo and Hawthorn. In round six Hawthorn lost to GWS, who then defeated Freo in round seven, and a week after facing the Hawks this Saturday, Freo will play Richmond in round nine, who Hawthorn defeated in round seven after losing to the Giants round six. Go figure.
