Etihad Stadium - Saturday 6 April, 2013 - 11.10am WST
Last time they met - Round 15, 2012
Fremantle 14.11.95 defeated Western Bulldogs 8.9.57
Matthew Pavlich continued to dominate the second half of 2012 with six goals, while his forward line partner Chris Mayne booted four. Freo spread the load in the midfield with nine players gathering between 20-23 possessions each. Cameron Sutcliffe made his AFL debut and collected 15 disposals. It was also Antoni Grover’s final AFL game. For the Dogs, Matthew Boyd kept up his incredible recent form against Freo with 35 disposals.
Social Media
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The selection table
Fremantle – Matthew Pavlich should be right to go, while Zac Clarke could also come back in but faces a fitness test. Hayden Ballantyne is out through suspension, with Hayden Crozier, Josh Mellington and Lachie Neale are among a host of young players lining up to replace him.
Western Bulldogs – The Dogs should be without their brilliant skipper Matthew Boyd, while recruit Koby Stevens could also be in doubt with a hamstring injury. Tall defender Tom Williams is likely to miss, but impressive recruit Jake Stringer could make his AFL debut if cleared to play.
Possible line-ups – Freo mentioned first
| F | Walters | Pavlich | Mayne |
| B | Picken | Roughead | Morris |
| HF | Crozier | Clarke | de Boer |
| HB | Johannisen | Young | Goodes |
| C | Hill | Barlow | Fyfe |
| C | Cooney | Wallis | Lower |
| HB | M Johnson | McPharlin | D Pearce |
| HF | Murphy | Jones | Dalhaus |
| B | Spurr | Dawson | Duffield |
| F | Higgins | Cordy | Giansiracusa |
| Ruck | Griffin | Mundy | Crowley |
| Ruck | Minson | Liberatore | Griffen |
| INT from | Mzungu, Suban, C Pearce | Sutcliffe, Bradley | Neale, Mellington |
| INT from | Cross, Stevens | Dickson, Smith | Stringer |
X-Factors
Fremantle – Zac Clarke: If Clarke plays and Tom Williams doesn’t, the Freo ruckman/forward could really stretch the Dogs in defence. There is not a lot of height in the Bulldogs backline past Jordan Roughead, who could be busy on Matthew Pavlich.
Western Bulldogs – Adam Cooney: The Brownlow Medallist is almost like a new recruit to the Dogs this season after a knee issue ruined his 2012. Cooney showed last weekend that his zip is back, which makes him a very dangerous proposition for Freo on Saturday.
Key Match-ups
Ryan Crowley v Ryan Griffen: With no Matthew Boyd, Ryan Griffen is the obvious matchup for Crowley. The classy Dog tore Brisbane to shreds last weekend. He had 19 uncontested possessions in that game, a figure Freo does not intend to let him get close to on Saturday.
Matthew Pavlich v Jordan Roughead: Fremantle's skipper kicked six goals the last time the sides met. Roughead was excellent in keeping Brisbane captain Jonathon Brown quiet on the weekend, and the 200cm youngster could get another tough gig against Pavlich.
Jon Griffin v Will Minson: Two ruckmen who have somewhat flown under the radar recently will lock horns on Saturday. Griffin has proved on multiple occasions he’s more than just a fill-in for Aaron Sandilands, while Minson is emerging as a star ruckman of the competition. He led the AFL in hitouts in2012. A pivotal match-up.
Michael Walters v Liam Picken: With Nick Lower getting the midfield tagging duties, Picken can concentrate on the opposition’s best small forward. With no Hayden Ballantyne this week, Michael Walters appears to be the likely matchup for Picken. The Freo forward will have to work very hard to find space against the tight-checking Bulldog.
Chris Mayne v Dale Morris: After missing almost two seasons because of a horrible leg injury, Morris is back marshalling the Doggies’ defence. All Australian in 2008, the 190cm defender is capable of playing on small or tall forwards. Chris Mayne is vital to Freo’s forward set-up, so he could find Morris is the one sent to mind him on Saturday.
Nat Fyfe v Nick Lower: Lower has been a revelation as a tagger since joining the Dogs. The former Freo man will be asked to tag one of his former teammates out of the game and that could be the brilliant Nat Fyfe, who West Coast chose to send their stopper, Scott Selwood, to in round 1. Lower played on David Mundy in the pre-season, so that is another contest that could eventuate.
Dream Team
Fremantle: Pavlich loves playing the Dogs. He’s averaged 110 over his past three against them. Nat Fyfe had a huge game against the Bulldogs in the NAB Cup, but the Doggies were severely undermanned on that occasion.
Western Bulldogs: Boyd has averaged 142 over his past five against Fremantle, but it's unlikely he will play. Daniel Cross is another Bulldog to have a strong fantasy history against Freo, with an average of 118 over his past four. Ryan Griffen has the most potential to score high, but he might get the glove in Crowley.
Freo will be happy if: it can get off to a strong start and quell the momentum the Bulldogs have built up from their round 1 win. The Dogs blitzed Brisbane early and it was evident how much confidence their young players took from that.
Western Bulldogs will be happy if: See ‘Freo will be happy if’ above. A strong start will be crucial if the Bulldogs are to make it two from two in 2013.
2013 STARLIGHT PURPLE HAZE GAME: Friday 12 April v Essendon at Patersons Stadium, 6.40pm bounce down. Dress in purple to WIN! Proudly supported by Fremantle Ports. Click here for more information.
