Fremantle faces a challenging run to September as it strives to put itself in the best possible position from which to launch a finals assault.
The club entered the 2013 Finals in third place on the ladder, meaning it had to travel interstate to face Geelong.
Winning that game catapulted Freo into a home Preliminary Final and ultimately a maiden AFL Grand Final appearance.
While Ross Lyon’s team has proven it can win anywhere, the ideal situation would be a top-two position, which could mean no travel until a possible Grand Final, should the club be lucky enough and good enough to qualify again.
Last Saturday’s loss to bottom-placed St Kilda wounded Freo’s hopes of a top-two finish, but it remains a possibility, given it is still to play three of its finals rivals.
It begins with a match against Carlton at Patersons Stadium on the unusual time slot of Thursday night. The Blues showed in their round 18 win against finals contender North Melbourne that they will be no pushovers. They possess ample quality in the midfield and have some imposing targets up forward.
Round 20 will see Freo travel to Geelong’s Simonds Stadium for another date with the Cats. The venue will hold no fears for the club following its Qualifying Final success there in 2013. That was a win that will go down in WA footy lore. While there won’t be directly as much at stake in this fixture, the result is sure to have a massive say in the final make-up of the top four.
The big tests continue, with Freo’s 2013 Grand Final conqueror Hawthorn up next at Patersons Stadium. The Hawks have got the better of Freo in recent years, including a hefty win at the MCG in round 3 this season. However, the two teams haven’t played in Perth since 2011 and Freo has turned Patersons into a fortress.
The team embarks on football’s longest trip in the penultimate round of the home and away season for a clash with Brisbane. The Lions have struggled in 2014 but their young side has improved as the season has grown older.
The floating round 23 fixture at Patersons Stadium could be massive, given it’s against fellow top-four contender Port Adelaide, which currently sits on equal wins with Freo and with virtually identical percentage.
Freo will most likely have to overcome a six-day break after travelling home from a Sunday clash with Brisbane. The AFL hasn’t yet announced when the round 23 game will be played, but a Sunday match is highly unlikely ahead of the finals for both teams.
The club’s record on the back of six-day breaks has not been good this season. It has lost five of six matches it has played off shorter rest.
So there it is, only five more games stand between Fremantle and another assault on making the Grand Final. The difficulty level of its path through September will be determined in this period. Buckle up.
