• Freo prepares for 'fresher' Carlton
• Fyfe reflects on 150
• Fyfe's best yet to come: Lyon

Read about some of the key stats and stories heading into Saturday’s clash with Carlton at Etihad Stadium.

Ladder
Fremantle: 5-7, 82.8%, 13^th
Carlton: 1-10, 63.5%, 18^th

Rain again?
The last time they met in round nine 2017, Freo ran out 35-point winners in the wet at Domain Stadium.
While rain is again the forecast for Saturday’s clash, the Etihad Stadium roof is likely to come into play - meaning both sides can expect perfect conditions on the ground’s notoriously ‘fast’ surface.
With Freo looking to break their duck on the road, predictable conditions with a closed roof can only help the travelling team.

Carlton catch a break
Fremantle have been handed a challenge this week, travelling to face Carlton off a six-day break.
Carlton on the other hand haven’t played since Friday night in round 11, giving the Blues 15-days rest between clashes.

Travel time
Freo’s away form has been well documented, with the club open about the need to improve interstate.
The fixture hasn’t helped Fremantle’s away form, with Freo’s five away losses coming against teams occupying the top nine places on the ladder in Richmond (2^nd), Sydney (3^rd), Collingwood (6^th), Port Adelaide (7^th) and GWS (9^th).
Conversely, Freo’s form at Optus Stadium is in part due to playing more opponents outside the top eight, with wins against St Kilda (16^th), Gold Coast (15^th), Western Bulldogs (14^th), Essendon (12^th) and Adelaide (10^th).

A test for Fyfe’s 150^th
On the afl.com.au’s Brownlow Medal predictor, the ineligible Nat Fyfe leads the voting after round 12 with 17 votes.
Second to Fyfe is Carlton’s Patrick Cripps – the leading eligible player – who like Fyfe is having an outstanding season and the two West Australians will create a mouth-watering matchup on Saturday.
The pair lead the league for contested possessions this season, with Cripps on 206 for the season and Fyfe on 197.
The pair trail only Hawthorn’s Tom Mitchell for clearances, with both averaging 7.9 per game.

A tall task?
Fremantle’s tall defensive stocks have taken a hit in the past week with the thumb injury to 200cm key back Alex Pearce and the suspension of Michael Johnson in the WAFL.
So who takes on Pearce’s role, with Carlton naming the likes of Charlie Curnow (194cm), Levi Casboult (201cm) and Patt Kerr (194cm) in their forwardline?
Standing at 194cm, Joel Hamling is a lock as a key back after an outstanding performance against Adelaide, while senior coach Ross Lyon will rely on Shane Kersten continuing to show promise in his new role as a back.
At 188cm, Ryan Nyhuis is Freo’s third tallest selected defender, meaning Lyon may turn to versatile key forward Brennan Cox for support if more height is needed in defence.

Ed steps up
While Stephen Hill returns to Fremantle’s starting 22, expect to see Ed Langdon continuing his role on the wing.
With injuries seeing limited playing time for both Bradley and Stephen Hill this season, Langdon has filled the void with an impressive season to date.
The 22-year-old has seen an increase in a number of key statistics compared to his 2017 averages, including disposals (23.6 vs 17.9), inside 50s (4.2 vs 2.2), tackles (3 vs 1.4), metres gained (392 vs 261.1) and score involvements (5 vs 3.9).
The below possession heatmap also illustrates an increased role for Langdon on the wing in 2018. (Source: Champion data)