So much attention will be placed on the Geelong-Hawthorn rivalry this week, but Saturday night's preliminary final between Fremantle and the Sydney Swans promises to be every bit as good. Nothing separated the Swans and Freo in round eight when the two teams played out the only draw of the season. The two have met once before in a preliminary final, back in 2006. It was Freo’s only other appearance in the last four and the Swans were triumphant by 35 points at ANZ Stadium. The only Freo players still at the club who played in that game are Matthew Pavlich, Luke McPharlin, David Mundy, Aaron Sandilands and Ryan Crowley.
WHERE AND WHEN: Patersons Stadium, Saturday 21 September, 5.45pm (WST)
TV AND RADIO: Click here for broadcast guide
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 #AFLFinals and #freofinalsfever
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 – Not too many changes are likely at Fremantle. Michael Johnson looks set to come back into the team, but Garrick Ibbotson has already been ruledout.
Sydney – The Swans have lost star forward Kurt Tippett and classy youngster Tom Mitchell. Adam Goodes and Sam Reid are done for the year, but Lewis Roberts-Thomson could make a surprise return after not playing since round 4.
Possible line-ups - Freo mentioned first in bold
| F: | C Mayne | M Pavlich | M Walters |
| B: | D Rampe | T Richards | N Smith |
| HF: | M de Boer | Z Clarke | H Ballantyne |
| HB: | N Malceski | H Grundy | A Everitt |
| C: | S Hill | D Mundy | N Fyfe |
| C: | K Jack | D Hannebery | C Bird |
| HB: | M Johnson | L McPharlin | N Suban |
| HF: | R O'Keefe | J White | L Jetta |
| B: | L Spurr | Z Dawson | P Duffield |
| F: | L Parker | M Pyke | B McGlynn |
| Ruck: | A Sandilands | M Barlow | R Crowley |
| Ruck: | S Mumford | J Kennedy | J McVeigh |
| INT from: | D Pearce, T Mzungu, L Neale, A Silvagni, T Sheridan | ||
| INT from: | S Biggs, L Roberts-Thomson, J Lamb, J Bolton |
LAST FIVE TIMES
R8, 2013, Sydney Swans 11.4 (70) drew Fremantle 9.16 (70) at the SCG
R2, 2012, Sydney Swans 14.10 (94) d Fremantle 12.9 (81) at the SCG
R17, 2011, Fremantle 15.8 (98) d Sydney Swans 13.9 (87) at the SCG
R20, 2010, Sydney Swans 14.12 (96) d Fremantle 13.9 (87) at Patersons Stadium
R9, 2010, Fremantle 14.16 (100) d Sydney Swans 9.9 (63) at the SCG
2013 MEETING
Round eight at the SCG: A clash between two evenly matched sides tipped to push for a top-four finish lived up to the billing at the SCG. The Freo Dockers took aone-goal lead into the first break, but the home side hit back by kicking four goals to none in the second term to break open the game. The Swans' lead was still 27 points midway through the fourth quarter when Freo sprung to life,with a Michael Johnson set shot for victory falling short just before the siren as the match ended in a draw. Dan Hannebery and Kieren Jack starred for theSwans, while Michael Barlow led the way for a Freo outfit playing without injured ruckman Aaron Sandilands.
SYDNEY SWANS 3.0 7.2 8.3 11.4 (70)
FREMANTLE 3.6 3.8 5.12 9.16 (70)
GOALS
Sydney Swans: Hannebery 4, McGlynn 2, Bolton, Everitt, Jack, Pyke, Jetta
Fremantle: Fyfe 2, Ballantyne 2, Suban, Mayne, Clarke, Duffield, Johnson
BEST
Sydney Swans: Hannebery, O'Keefe, McVeigh, Pyke, Richards, Goodes
Fremantle: Mundy, Fyfe, Clarke, Ballantyne, Duffield, Barlow
INJURIES
Sydney Swans: Martin Mattner replaced in the selected side by Andrejs Everitt
Fremantle: Hayden Crozier replaced in the selected side by Tendai Mzungu, Walters (ankle)
SUBSTITUTES
Sydney Swans: Mitch Morton replaced by Craig Bird at three-quarter time
Fremantle: Alex Silvagni replaced by Tendai Mzungu in the third quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Rosebury, Stevic, Ryan
Official crowd: 22,546 at SCG
KEY MATCH-UPS
Aaron Sandilands/Zac Clarke v Shane Mumford/Mike Pyke: The Swans ruck duo combined for more hit-outs this season than any other and is a key reason why the Swans are the number one clearance team in the competition, but Mumford believes Sandilands is his toughest opponent - and the combination of Sandilands and Clarke ran riot against Geelong in the qualifying final. Clarke's athleticism and running capacity could be a point of difference but the Freo pair will need to be wary of Pyke drifting forward. The Canadian's 27 goals this season deserve respect. Sandilands did not play when the two sides drew in round 8.
Ryan Crowley v Dan Hannebery/Jarrad McVeigh: Hannebery got the better of Crowley at the SCG back in round eight, kicking four goals and gathering 27 disposals. Crowley hasn't forgotten, commenting recently that he was looking forward to another showdown with the classy young Swan and a chance to square the ledger. Jarrad McVeigh, who inspired his team with 42 possessions against Carlton last week, could also be a target if Longmire decides to throw him into the midfield again.
Matthew Pavlich v Ted Richards: The Swans coaching staff breathed a sigh of relief this week when Richards was handed a reprimand for his bump on Carlton's Levi Casboult in the third term of their semi-final. That leaves him free to line-up on Pavlich this week. After a season marred by injury and suspension, Pavlich has found form in recent weeks and only some wayward kicking prevented him from a bigger haul than the 2.3 he kicked against Geelong in week one of the finals. The winner of this duel will go a long way towards leading his side to victory.
X-Factors
Fremantle – Michael Walters
The skilful left-footer has been held goalless just once in his last 35 games and that was against the Swans in round eight. Walters damaged his ankle during the third term that night and subsequently missed three weeks. He has kicked 10 goals in five finals appearances, including two bags of three in semi-finals against Geelong in 2010 and Adelaide last season. If any player is likely to kick a goal that lights up the big Patersons Stadium crowd on Saturday night, it’s ‘Son Son’.
Fremantle – Zac Clarke
Clarke played his first game of the season against Sydney in round 8. He was the lone ruckman on that occasion and performed admirably against Mumford and Pyke. Clarke has grown over the course of the season and will be backed up by Aaron Sandilands on Saturday night.
Sydney Swans – Luke Parker
Ross Lyon will need to do his homework on Parker this week. Kurt Tippett's early substitution with a knee injury last week forced Parker into the forward line, where he has previously demonstrated his ability to take marks and kick goals. And he was at it again against the Blues, kicking 3.2 to go with his 22 disposals and six marks. The 20-year-old could have kicked a big bag, but missed two chances in the opening term. With the Swans running out of tall forward options, Parker could again be used as a weapon inside the forward 50m arc.
Sydney Swans – Jesse White
Without Kurt Tippett, someone needs to stand tall inside Sydney’s forward 50. That man could be Jesse White, who has kicked two bags of three since round 21 and troubled opposition sides with his athleticism. If Sydney plays a resting ruckman forward, White could find himself matched up against Luke McPharlin.
THE FIVE POINTS from afl.com.au
1. This will be the 27th contest between the sides, and the Swans hold a narrow advantage winning 14 games to 11 with one draw. Recent clashes have been low scoring and neither team has reached 100 points in the past four games.
2. Fremantle has played nine finals for four wins and five losses. The Freo Dockers will be searching for consecutive finals wins for the first time in club history.
3. The Swans will be playing in their 13th preliminary final. They have wonseven of the previous 12 including their last three, dating back to 2005.
4. This is the seventh season Ross Lyon has been a senior coach and his teams have reached the finals six times. His finals record is seven wins, six losses and one draw from 14 matches. He will be coaching in his fourth preliminaryfinal.
5. The eventual premiership team has come from the second preliminary final in four of the past five seasons.
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