LAST FIVE TIMES
EF, 2012: Fremantle 14.12 (96) d Geelong 11.14 (80) at the MCG
R1, 2012: Fremantle 16.9 (105) d Geelong 15.11 (101) at Patersons Stadium
R2, 2011: Geelong 13.11 (89) d Fremantle 10.18 (78) at Patersons Stadium
SF, 2010: Geelong 20.15 (135) d Fremantle 10.6 (66) at the MCG
R3, 2010: Fremantle 18.17 (125) d Geelong 17.16 (118) at Patersons Stadium
Last time they met
GEELONG v FREMANTLE - SATURDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2012, MCG, ELIMINATION FINAL
FREMANTLE 5.7 8.9 12.11 14.12 (96)
GEELONG 0.1 3.5 6.9 11.14 (80)
GOALS FREMANTLE: Pavlich 6, Ballantyne 3, Walters 2, Crowley, de Boer, Pearce
GOALS GEELONG: Mackie 2, Hunt 2, Christensen, Duncan, Motlop, Selwood, Vardy, Taylor
SUB: Nick Suban replaced Lee Spurr in the fourth quarter
REPORTS: Nil
UMPIRES: Bannister, Pannell, Rosebury
OFFICIAL CROWD: 44,460
The best way to describe Fremantle’s first quarter performance against the reigning premiers was irresistible. Geelong, the greatest side in the AFL since 2007, was reduced to the role of spectator as Ross Lyon’s rampant team piled on relentless pressure and the first five goals that left the stunned Cats pointing fingers at each other at the quarter-time siren. Eighteen inside 50s to eight and 12 scoring shots to one told the story. Everywhere, players wearing purple performed their roles. Alex Silvagni and Zac Dawson stepped up in Luke McPharlin’s absence and held Geelong goal kickers James Podsiadly and Tom Hawkins to donuts. Ryan Crowley limited classy Cat James Kelly to 15 touches — 10 less than his average this season. But as had been the case on so many occasions in 2012, it was the captain who rose higher than all. Six goals straight in a do-or-die final against the reigning premiers at the MCG, including three in the first term when Freo made its move. Any more need not be said about what Matthew Pavlich means to the Fremantle Football Club.
FREO FACT: Fremantle won a final away from home for the first time in its history.
ROSS LYON: “At the end of the day, we’ve finished seventh and we’ve come and won one final. There’s no coming of age. This is about one week and one final. That’s all it means. One win doesn’t make or break football clubs, we haven’t achieved anything yet so let’s be really clear on that.”
DOIG MEDAL VOTES
12 Matthew Pavlich, 12 Stephen Hill, 12 Hayden Ballantyne, 11 Adam McPhee, 10 Zac Dawson, 9 David Mundy, 8 Ryan Crowley, 8 Chris Mayne, 8 Matthew de Boer, 8 Michael Barlow, 8 Paul Duffield, 8 Michael Walters, 8 Alex Silvagni, 4 Michael Johnson, 4 Clancee Pearce, 4 Tendai Mzungu, 4 Aaron Sandilands, 4 Garrick Ibbotson, 4 Lee Spurr, 3 Nathan Fyfe
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 #AFLCatsFreo 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 – Freo will wait on fitness tests for star midfielders Mick Barlow and David Mundy. Matthew Pavlich and Aaron Sandilands have already been ruled out , while Viv Michie continues to light up the WAFL and could be edging closer to an AFL debut.
Geelong – The Cats expect big men Trent West and Nathan Vardy to be available, but Paul Chapman is still a few weeks away. Steve Johnson will miss through suspension.
Possible line-ups - Freo mentioned first in bold
| F: | C Mayne | M Taberner | H Ballantyne |
| B: | J Hunt | T Lonergan | A Mackie |
| HF: | M de Boer | J Hannath | D Pearce |
| HB: | C Enright | H Taylor | J Corey |
| C: | S Hill | D Mundy | N Fyfe |
| C: | M Stokes | J Bartel | M Duncan |
| HB: | L Spurr | Z Dawson | G Ibbotson |
| HF: | S Motlop | J Podsiadly | A Christensen |
| B: | M Johnson | L McPharlin | P Duffield |
| F: | N Vardy | T Hawkins | J Mudoch |
| Ruck: | Z Clarke | M Barlow | R Crowley |
| Ruck: | T West | J Kelly | J Selwood |
| INT from: | T Mzungu, C Pearce, C Sutcliffe, T Smith, N Suban, A Silvagni, H Crozier, V Michie | ||
| INT from: | T Hunt, M Blicavs, C Guthrie, D Simpson, J Stringer |
X Factors
Fremantle – Hayden Ballantyne: The lively forward has been slightly down in recent weeks, but he is more than capable of playing a significant role up forward. ‘Ballaz’ loves the challenge of an away game and could spark Freo on Saturday night.
Geelong – Andrew Mackie: Geelong will look to break through Freo’s purple wall with slick and efficient delivery coming out of defence. Mackie is highly skilled and could be the man the Cats turn to coming out of the backline.
Key Match-ups
Ryan Crowley v Joel Selwood: Crowley would probably have tagged Steve Johnson, but now seems likely to go to the brilliant Geelong skipper. Freo’s tagger manned James Kelly in last year’s elimination final, but Kelly is not in the same form that he was in 2012 because of an injury-compromised season.
Luke McPharlin v Tom Hawkins: Zac Dawson held Hawkins goalless in the 2012 final, so there’s a chance that match-up could eventuate again. But McPharlin was unavailable in that game and he usually gets the best forward.
Lee Spurr v Steven Motlop: Motlop has taken his game to a new level in 2013, but Spurr has been very good playing on some of the best small forwards this season, including holding Lindsay Thomas goalless last week.
Dream Team
Fremantle: If David Mundy plays, he could be a good choice from Fremantle considering he has averaged 111 points per game over his past three games against Geelong.
Geelong: Jimmy Bartel showed no ill effects from his mid-season break to the NBA finals with 125 points against Brisbane. He has averaged 112 per game over his past four against Freo.
Keys to victory
Freo will be happy if: It brings the same pressure it has displayed over recent weeks to make scoring incredibly tough for opponents. The Cats possess an impressive array of attacking options, but Ross Lyon’s side will take confidence from the shutdown job it performed in the 2012 elimination final.
Geelong will be happy if: Its daring style of play stands up under the expected purple barrage. To do this, the Cats will need to be switched on from the first bounce and move the ball swiftly and skilfully from defence into attack.
THE SIX POINTS from afl.com.au
1. This will be the 30th clash between the sides and Geelong holds a clear advantage, having won 20 games to nine.
2. At Simonds Stadium, there have been 12 previous contests between these clubs, with Geelong winning 11. Fremantle’s only win at the venue was in round 10, 2005.
3. Fremantle has the best defence in the competition this season, conceding only 66.5 points per game. In contrast, Geelong is conceding 91.6 points per game, which means the Cats have only the 11th-best defence.
4. Geelong is ranked third for contested marks this year. Fremantle is ranked 16th. The Cats are ranked 18th for clearances, while the Dockers are ranked ninth.
5. Four of the past five contests between the sides have been decided by less than three goals.
6. Cats skipper Joel Selwood jumped from fifth to third in the Official AFL Player Ratings after round 13. In all, Geelong has three players in the top 30. Yet Fremantle's top-rated player is midfielder Stephen Hill, who is way down at No. 75.
