Matt de Boer will be in for a tough contest in Friday night’s Preliminary Final.
The gutsy midfielder is likely to spend time quelling Hawthorn ball-magnet Sam Mitchell.
It is a vital job he could share with Nick Suban and Ryan Crowley, if the latter is a surprise call-up.
De Boer joined team mates at Port Beach in North Fremantle on Thursday morning for a recovery session in the refreshing water.
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He said the side knows how big a challenge Hawthorn is, after watching them play Adelaide last Friday night.
“I can’t wait,” he said.
“We watched them play and saw what they can bring.”
Just over 24 hours out from the blockbuster, de Boer said there were some nerves around the group but that was to be expected in the finals.
“There is a healthy amount of nerves around the group because it means so much,” de Boer said.
“We trust in our preparation and that’s what we focus on.”
