Nine straight
Home ground advantage has been massive when these two teams go head to head, with past nine games won by the home team.
As this clash is the first genuine ‘hub game’ played on neutral territory, it is a stat we can almost ignore, or will the small but passionate contingent of Freo’s Queensland members be enough to get their team over the line?
Fyfe v Boak
In round 13 last season at Optus Stadium, Fyfe and Boak had an epic battle in the midfield going head-to-head. Fyfe racked up 37 disposals with 22 contested possessions and 10 clearances. Boak was also excellent with 36 disposals and a goal, even with David Mundy paying close attention to him at times.
As far as individual performances go, it would be hard to go past Michael Walters' efforts in that game, kicking six goals and racking up 25 disposals.
Power controlling possession
The Power are sitting pretty with a 2-0 record, and they’ve done so by dominating possession in their two wins.
Port Adelaide lead the league in disposals, contested possessions, kicks and marks. This dominance starts in the midfield, with Port Adelaide ranking second for contested possessions and clearances.
Even spread
The Power’s midfield has seen an even contribution from the likes of Travis Boak, Tom Rockliff and Darcy Byrne-Jones, who are all averaging around 25 disposals per game. Their midfield is set to get even stronger with the return of Ollie Wines, who returns from a one-game suspension for a Covid-19 breach.
Fremantle stars Fyfe and Walters have been the clear standouts for Freo, combining to average 50 disposals and three goals per game so far this season.
One direction
Port’s possession dominance stems from their desire to move the ball laterally and backwards before attacking, leading the competition for short kicks and kicks backwards.
Fremantle prefer a more direct approach, ranking 16th for kicks backwards.
Freo’s big markers
Fremantle are leading the competition for contested marks, with the likes of Matt Taberner (first in AFL) and Rory Lobb (second in AFL) seeing Freo average 14 contested marks per game. With the likely return of Jesse Hogan, Freo’s aerial capacity is only going to get stronger, although they may have to combat what are likely to be damp conditions at Metricon Stadium on Sunday evening.
Territory battle
Through the likes of Connor Rozee, Travis Boak and Tom Rockliff, Port Adelaide are the clear leaders in the AFL for inside 50s, averaging 59.5 per game, eight more than the second-ranked team.
While Fremantle rank 14th with an average of 40 per game, they are able to lock the ball into their zone when it gets there, ranking second for disposals inside 50 and third for score percentage per inside 50.
The key for Fremantle, is converting those scores into goals, with Freo ranking 14th for scoring accuracy.
Intercept marks
Freo’s backs are holding their own without Joel Hamling and Alex Pearce, leading the AFL for intercept marks with an average of 15 per game through the likes of Luke Ryan, Griffin Logue and Brennan Cox.
Freo are missing Hamling in one area. The tall defender ranked second in the AFL for spoils in 2019, and in 2020 without Hamling, Freo currently rank 18th in the stat.
