The Fremantle Dockers are using Saturday’s NAB Challenge game as preparation for round one without Aaron Sandilands, according to senior coach Ross Lyon.
While Sandilands wasn’t named in the Freo team to face Geelong on Saturday, Lyon was confident the two-time Doig Medallist’s would perform at a high level, even with less game-time preparation.
“He doesn’t need to play a lot of footy,” Lyon said.
“I think he missed 13 weeks of footy, came out and was best on ground against Richmond a few years ago.”
Jonathon Griffin has rucked the majority of the NAB Challenge and will be joined by Zac Clarke in what will be his first game of 2016.
Freo’s search for additional tall forwards has been a talking point over the pre-season, but Lyon said Griffin and Clarke’s responsibility lies in more than just kicking goals.
“Jon has a history of kicking goals, and Zac could almost be a permanent forward,” he said.
“But their responsibility isn’t just to kick goals but to see that goals are kicked.
“It’s about making sure you don’t get out-marked by those roll off defenders, bring it to ground, and give our players the opportunity.”
