Fremantle star Nat Fyfe is in such good form that a tagger might not be able to curtail him, according to West Coast coach Adam Simpson.
Fyfe's start to the year has been exceptional. The reigning AFL Players’ Association MVP gathered 31 touches and kicked a goal against Port Adelaide in round one and backed that up with a career-high 36 disposals and three goals against Geelong in round two.
He has polled a perfect 20 votes in the AFL Coaches Association Player of the Year award.
Fyfe is a fearsome prospect for the Eagles midfield but Simpson said there are times a player can find form that makes them too hot to handle.
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"Sometimes players strike some form that's hard to stop," Simpson said on Thursday.
"He's a player that can handle run-withs as well as playing head-to-head on good players."
Fyfe ran head-to-head with Brownlow medallist Matt Priddis in the NAB Challenge. Fyfe collected 29 disposals, five inside 50s and kicked a goal, while Priddis had 27 touches and 10 clearances.
Fyfe admitted after that match Priddis had the better of him at the stoppages, but Fyfe took Priddis forward and took three easy marks inside 50.
"(Priddis is) a quality inside player and you've got to give him ultimate respect because you know what he can do to you," Fyfe said.
West Coast could use Matt Rosa to tag Fyfe after he kept two-time Brownlow medallist Chris Judd to just seven possessions after quarter-time last Friday night.
But Simpson said he might not be his first-choice option.
"Matt Rosa has done it for three quarters of his career, albeit against a Brownlow medallist last week in Chris Judd," Simpson said.
"We need to look at what the best match-up is for all of their midfield and there's got to be a little bit of ‘their best versus our best’ and see how we go.
“You can't spend every minute planning and plotting on what the opposition is doing, You've got to do your own thing as well.
“We'll find that balance. Obviously he's a good player and he's in rare form but he's not on his own."
Freo’s midfield ran riot against Geelong last week. Fyfe, David Mundy, Michael Barlow and Stephen Hill combined for 135 possessions, 49 score involvements and eight goals.
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By comparison, the Eagles' four key midfielders - Priddis, Andrew Gaff, Luke Shuey and Chris Masten - combined for 108 disposals, 27 score involvements and two goals in a very good showing against Carlton the same week.
"I'm sort of in awe of those guys," Neale said about his midfield colleagues on Tuesday.
"For us, we want to build a really strong midfield with a lot of depth.
"There are a lot who can go through there and with those bigger bodies it is hard for the opposition to match-up on everyone and they can't tag Fyfe, Mundy, Hill and Barlow can they? So it's important for us."
Therein lies the challenge for West Coast. If the Fremantle's big bodies are well held, others can bob up.
Hill won the Ross Glendinning Medal in round 15 last year with 32 disposals and three goals. Freo are undefeated in the eight games Hill has gathered 25 disposals or more and kicked at least one goal.
In last year's round seven Carlton Draught Derby it was Neale who collected 32 touches and kicked a goal to win the Ross Glendinning Medal and three Brownlow votes.
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon was adamant on Thursday his midfield would not have it all its own way.
"Shuey, Gaff, Priddis, they're elite players," Lyon said on Thursday.
"We'll have a really good look at that. We also know their ability to score heavily if they get outside you is really strong and obviously (Josh) Kennedy and (Mark) LeCras, those types are quite elite."
