Match Preview - Fremantle v Adelaide

When and Where - Saturday 2 June, 2.40pm (WST) bounce down, Patersons Stadium

Perth Broadcast information

TV: Live from 2.30pm on Fox Footy/Delayed on Channel 7 at 3pm

Radio: Live from 2.30pm on 720 ABC and 882 6PR

For the full AFL national broadcast schedule, click here

Game day coverage

Club website: www.fremantlefc.com.au

Social Media: Twitter and Facebook - For gameday photos, score updates and statistics

Form-line

Freo - W L W W L W W L L
Adelaide - W W L W W W W W L

The medical room

Freo - Adam McPhee misses again, while Hayden Ballantyne looks likely to line up despite leaving training on Thursday with his left boot off.

Adelaide - Midfielder David Mackay will miss this match with injury, but the Crows are very close to full strength.

Who’s hot

Freo - Zac Dawson: He had to stand Dean Cox early in the Carlton Mid Derby and then whoever the Eagles sent forward after that. Even under the second half avalanche of West Coast forward 50 entries, Dawson never wavered from his task and gave away nothing. He’ll likely get Kurt Tippett or Taylor Walker this week - another massive challenge.

Adelaide - Scott Thompson: The brilliant Crows’ midfielder has been in career-best form this season and is a big reason behind the club’s rise up the ladder. He’ll need to be curtailed on Saturday.

X-Factor

Freo - Stephen Hill: Hill was sensational the last time these sides met, gathering 28 quality possessions and kicking a goal. A similar effort would go a long way toward helping Freo notch an important win on Saturday.

Adelaide - Patrick Dangerfield: Dangerfield has been arguably the most damaging midfielder in the competition this season. When he has fired, the Crows have been near-on unstoppable. Freo cannot let him get away on Saturday.

Key match-ups

Patrick Dangerfield v Stephen Hill: While it’s unlikely they’ll play directly on each other, the thought of watching these two excitement machines tear up the Patersons Stadium turf is a tantalising one for footy fans. Fremantle fans, however, will be hoping their Hill can outperform Adelaide’s version of a jet.

Aaron Sandilands v Sam Jacobs: Jacobs, like his team, is significantly improved in 2012. He’ll come face-to-face with the ultimate AFL ruck test this week. Sandilands has been slightly down in recent weeks but he will be focussed on putting in a big game to give Freo the crucial advantage at the stoppages.

Stats that matter

The new Adelaide Crows under Brenton Sanderson in 2012 (2011 result in brackets)

1st in contested possessions - 1395 (15th)
1st in clearances -369 (14th)
17th in uncontested possessions - 1752 (7th)

4th in contested marks - 110 (10th)
3rd in score from stoppages (341 points) (17th)


When they last met

Fremantle 5.3 7.7 8.11 11.13 (79)
Adelaide 0.3 2.5 4.9 7.12 (54)

GOALS
Fremantle: McPhee 2, Mayne 2, Bradley, Fyfe, Crowley, Mundy, Palmer, Walters, Hill
Adelaide: Walker 2, Vince, Dangerfield, McKernan, Stevens, Jaensch
BEST
Fremantle: Fyfe, Hill, Mundy, Sandilands, McPharlin, Pavlich
Adelaide: Thompson, Dangerfield, van Berlo, Vince

INJURIES
Fremantle: Sandilands (eye)
Adelaide: Davis (shoulder)

SUBSTITUTES
Fremantle: Aaron Sandilands (eye) replaced by Michael Walters in the third quarter
Adelaide: Phil Davis (shoulder) replaced by Brodie Martin in the second quarter

Reports: Ivan Maric (Adelaide) in the final quarter - details to come.
Umpires: Margetts, Rosebury, Jennings

Official crowd: 33,414 at AAMI Stadium

A scintillating first quarter by Fremantle has seen the visitors upset Adelaide by 25 points at AAMI Stadium.
Fremantle kept the Crows goalless in the opening term, silencing the home crowd with a 30-point advantage at quarter-time.
The visitors controlled the corridor for most of the game, with youngsters Stephen Hill (28 possessions) and Nat Fyfe (27 possessions) running rings around the Adelaide midfielders.
Skipper Matthew Pavlich also found plenty of the ball in his record-breaking 239th game for Fremantle, racking up 25 disposals to guide his side to just its seventh victory at AAMI Stadium from 25 attempts.

Toyota AFL Dream Team

Freo - David Mundy: He’s averaged 100 against the Crows in the past three and will be looking to have a good game in his 150th.

Adelaide - Scott Thomspon: Thompson has averaged 127 points over the past three matches against Fremantle and 113 so far this season.


Where Freo can win it - Sustain the effort

What Fremantle must do is bring the effort and desire it brought to the first half of last week’s Carlton Mid Derby and sustain it for the entire game. A team playing as well as Adelaide is at the moment will strike quickly and swiftly if Freo switches off at any stage of Saturday’s game.