Rivalry rises a notch for derby
The West Australian
Fremantle star Garrick Ibbotson believes his team’s dominant derby record will be irrelevant if they face West Coast in a final and downplayed the psychological advantage they can gain by winning on Sunday.
The Dockers have dominated derbies for the past decade. They have won the past six and lost just four of the 19 matches since the start of 2006.
Fyfe’s Brownlow bonanza
The West Australian
This time last week, West Coast were charging towards a top-two finish.
The team was oozing momentum. But in the aftermath of last Saturday night’s loss to Hawthorn, things have changed.
It’s not that the loss was a bad one. On the contrary, the Eagles showed exactly why they were where they were on the ladder.
It’s just that without Nic Naitanui, Mark LeCras and Jeremy McGovern, can they beat Fremantle and keep the Hawks (who play their most difficult remaining game against Geelong at the MCG on Saturday night) in third place.
Fyfe, Kennedy simply the best
The West Australian
Fremantle midfielder Nat Fyfe and West Coast forward Josh Kennedy are the best players in their respective positions, as seen in the eyes of the 18 AFL senior coaches.
WA players featured heavily in a survey of coaches conducted by AFL Media, to be released in full later this week.
Richmond’s Alex Rance was an overwhelming choice as the premier defender, while Docker Aaron Sandilands and Eagle Nic Naitanui were edged out by North Melbourne’s Todd Goldstein in the ruck.
Derby Stab Pars: Most medals
The West Australian
Nick Rynne looks at who has won the most Ross Glendinning Medals
Freo fingers crossed for Pav
The West Australian
Fremantle defender Garrick Ibbotson is hoping captain Matthew Pavlich’s Achilles pain isn’t serious and he’ll be able to return to playing quickly.
Pavlich is in doubt for Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash against West Coast after having scans on his Achilles on Monday. The champion forward had Achilles surgery in 2013 and missed a large chunk of the season.
Western Derby: former Fremantle Docker Tony Modra's most memorable goal
The Age
"The Left Bank pub in Fremantle gave us a guard of honour when we arrived," former Dockers full forward Tony Modra jokes about when Freo beat West Coast in the AFL for the first time.
"Fremantle came alive."
Modra booted six goals in the Dockers' memorable 47-point win over the Eagles in round 16, 1999.
