Can we conquer our conquerors?

Adelaide was the wall that stood before Fremantle and a top four finish in 2012. The Crows beat us on three occasions – twice in the home and away season and, most importantly, in the sudden-death semi-final at AAMI Stadium. It will be a tremendous boost to Freo’s confidence ahead of the bye to chalk up a win against Brenton Sanderson’s side.

Danger still lurks

If Adelaide was the team that troubled Freo the most in 2012, Patrick Dangerfield was surely the player to inflict the most damage against us. The brilliant midfielder was at his absolute best in the Crows’ comeback to defeat North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on the weekend. Trailing by 30 points in the final term, Dangerfield had 12 telling disposals in the quarter as the Crows pulled off the most unlikely of wins.

No Pav, No Tex, no worries

Both Fremantle and Adelaide have had to do it without respective focal points Matthew Pavlich and Taylor Walker this season. But both sides have displayed an ability to cover the loss of their key forwards. Freo has done through an even spread of goalkickers – 12 players booted majors on the weekend against Melbourne. The Crows have unearthed a couple of breakout performers in Tom Lynch and Sam Kerridge. Lynch booted 10 goals in a game earlier this season against GWS, while Kerridge was the six-goal hero of Adelaide’s stunning comeback against North Melbourne on Sunday. Josh Jenkins has also managed to contribute.

Top four at the midway mark

With third-placed Essendon taking on fifth-placed Sydney this weekend, a Fremantle win in Adelaide will guarantee the side enters the bye entrenched in the top four. A Swans’ victory over the Bombers could even nudge us into third spot, providing the Swans do not overtake our percentage, which is currently two per cent ahead of Sydney’s.

No. 1 defence

Freo currently has the stingiest defence in the league, having conceded just 665 points in the season to date. That’s an average of just 74 points per game. However, the 838 points we have scored is the lowest total by any side currently in the top eight.