LAST FIVE TIMES
R4, 2012: Fremantle 14.8 (92) d St Kilda 11.13 (79) at Etihad Stadium
R20, 2011: St Kilda 16.17 (113) d Fremantle 10.12 (72) at Etihad Stadium
R10, 2011: St Kilda 15.12 (102) d Fremantle 7.14 (56) at Patersons Stadium
R12, 2010: St Kilda 12.13 (85) d Fremantle 10.7 (67) at Patersons Stadium
R4, 2010: St Kilda 16.12 (108) d Fremantle 14.9 (93) at Etihad Stadium
Last time they met
ST KILDA v FREMANTLE - FRIDAY 20 APRIL 2012, ETIHAD STADIUM
FREMANTLE 3.2 6.3 11.6 14.8 (92)
ST KILDA 4.3 6.9 8.10 11.13 (79)
GOALS FREMANTLE: Anthony 2, Clarke 2, Mayne 2, Mzungu 2, Crowley, Pavlich, Sandilands, de Boer, Pearce, Broughton
GOALS ST KILDA: Koschitzke 3, Gilbert 2, McEvoy, Riewoldt, Dal Santo, Stanley, Cripps, Milne
SUB: Lachie Neale replaced Nick Suban in the third quarter
REPORTS: Nil
UMPIRES: Stevic, McInerney, Mollison
OFFICIAL CROWD: 30,172
Fremantle triumphed over Ross Lyon’s old side St Kilda in an oscillating Friday night contest at Etihad Stadium. Nat Fyfe was a late withdrawal with a shoulder injury, but unheralded midfielders Clancee Pearce, Ryan Crowley and Tendai Mzungu picked up the slack to help Freo win at Etihad, and in Melbourne, for the first time since round 13, 2010. There was no performance more definitive under the Etihad roof than Stephen Hill’s. He treated a national TV audience to a mesmerising display of speed, poise and skill in the second half. Zac Clarke was another to shine on the big stage, kicking a magnificent goal on the run from outside 50 in the third term that shifted the balance of momentum in Freo’s favour. Aaron Sandilands (20 disposals, 44 hitouts) continued his colossal 2012 form in the ruck, while Michael Barlow kept chipping away towards recapturing his 2010 form with 30 possessions.
FREO FACT: This was Freo’s first win over St Kilda since round 20, 2007, and also the club’s maiden victory over the Saints at Etihad Stadium.
ROSS LYON: “I take no joy out of beating St Kilda Football Club other than getting the four points.”
BROWNLOW MEDAL VOTES
3 Aaron Sandilands; 2 Stephen Hill; 1 Lenny Hayes
DOIG MEDAL VOTES
16 Stephen Hill; 13 Luke McPharlin; 12 Ryan Crowley; 12 Michael Johnson 12;Clancee Pearce; 12 Tendai Mzungu; 12 Adam McPhee; 8 Chris Mayne; 8 Matthew de Boer 8; Michael Barlow; 8 Paul Duffield; 8 Aaron Sandilands; 7 David Mundy; 7 Zac Clarke; 6 Zac Dawson; 4 Matthew Pavlich; 4 Hayden Ballantyne; 4 Lachie Neale; 4 Greg Broughton; 4 Jack Anthony
Social Media
Twitter - Make sure you follow our match day account @FreoFC_MatchDay for comprehensive pre-game info, match scores, highlights, stats and analysis, and post-game recaps.
Don't forget to follow the club's official account @Fremantle_FC for updates throughout the week.
And make sure you follow the hash tags #AFLFreoSaints and #GoFreo
Facebook - Get score updates and chat with other Freo fans during the game with our official Facebook account.
Instagram – For a behind-the-scenes look at game day follow FremantleDockers on Instagram.
The selection table
Fremantle – This could be the best set of inclusions Freo has ever had for any one game, with Matthew Pavlich, Aaron Sandilands, David Mundy and Michael Barlow all likely to return. Lee Spurr, a piece of the best back six in football, should also return, but fellow defender Paul Duffield is out for a fortnight. The poor performance in Geelong has left a few players vulnerable ahead of selection on Thursday afternoon.
St Kilda – The Saints have a truckload of experience that won’t be present in defence, with Sam Fisher, Sam Gilbert and Jason Blake unavailable. Former Freo player Dylan Roberton is listed as a test, while Stephen Milne is out. It remains to be seen if Justin Koschitzke is flown west for his 200th.
Possible line-ups - Freo mentioned first in bold
| F: | C Mayne | A Sandilands | H Ballantyne |
| B: | N Wright | R Stanley | S Dempster |
| HF: | M de Boer | M Pavlich | M Walters |
| HB: | D Roberton | J Gwilt | J Geary |
| C: | S Hill | D Mundy | N Fyfe |
| C: | C Jones | D Armitage | N Del Santo |
| HB: | C Pearce | L McPharlin | G Ibbotson |
| HF: | T Milera | N Riewoldt | F Ray |
| B: | M Johnson | Z Dawson | L Spurr |
| F: | B Murdoch | T Dennis-Lane | S Ross |
| Ruck: | Z Clarke | M Barlow | R Crowley |
| Ruck: | B McEvoy | L Montagna | J Steven |
| INT from: | D Pearce, N Suban, T Mzungu, T Sheridan, C Sutcliffe, A Silvagni, H Crozier, V Michie | ||
| INT from: | L Hayes, S Dunnell, J Newnes, J Webster, J Koschitzke |
X Factor
Fremantle – The ins: It’s more like x-factors for Fremantle this week. It’s always nice to add two of your greatest players and two of the best midfielders in the league to your team.
St Kilda – Lenny Hayes: Hayes has only played one AFL game since round 5 and collected five disposals in his VFL return last week, but if any one player can inspire an entire team, it’s this great warrior. The Saints will be hoping he has regained enough match-fitness to return to their line-up.
Key Match-ups
Zac Clarke v Ben McEvoy : With Aaron Sandilands expected to spend time up forward if he returns, Freo will continue to look to Clarke to lead the ruck until the champion is fit. Clarke has been doing very well and comes up against another of the better big men in the league in McEvoy.
Luke McPharlin v Nick Riewoldt: Riewoldt has an engine most midfielders would be proud of and also an amazing athletic capacity to boot. McPharlin is the perfect type to cover the St Kilda champion and has a good record on him.
Dream Team
Fremantle: Tendai Mzungu could be a completely unique pick in this game considering he’s averaged 106 in three games against the Saints.
St Kilda: Nick Riewoldt averages 100 against Freo. He will appreciate the wide space Patersons Stadium allows for him to use his amazing aerobic capacity.
Keys to victory
Freo will be happy if: It can take advantage of St Kilda’s lack of height in the key defensive posts. The addition of Pavlich and 211cm Sandilands to the team should trouble the key Saint defenders, with Rhys Stanley the tallest at 200cm.
St Kilda will be happy if: Nick Riewoldt is the most influential forward on the ground. The tireless champion has been in strong form this season but will have his work cut out against the best defence in the league.
THE SIX POINTS from afl.com.au
1. Freo’s victory in round four, 2012 ended the Saints eight game winning streak against Fremantle. Prior to 2012, the Dockers hadn’t beaten the Saints since round nine, 2007.
2. St Kilda’s recent history at Patersons Stadium is remarkable. The Saints have won five of their last six games in Perth.
3. Fremantle’s defence remains the best in 2013 conceding only 68-points per game. In contrast St Kilda is 14th conceding 95 points per game.
4. So far in 2013 at Patersons Stadium, Fremantle’s opposition is averaging only 60-points per game and three teams have finished with six goals or less.
5. Offensively not much separates the sides. Fremantle is 13th in the AFL, kicking an average score of 84 points per game. St Kilda is 14th, scoring 81 points per game on average.
6. Jack Steven is St Kilda's highest rated midfielder in the Official AFL Player Ratings, ranked 28th. Stephen Hill is the Dockers highest ranked midfielder at number 77.
