Fremantle will have to match Geelong’s fierce approach to the football this weekend to secure the four points according to Senior Coach Chris Connolly.

Speaking to the media ahead of the team’s closed training session at Subiaco Oval on Wednesday, Connolly said in light of Geelong’s aggressive approach to their recent matches, Fremantle will need to equal the Cats’ intensity around the ball.

“It’s going to be a really physical game,” Connolly said.

“I’ve watched Geelong play Carlton, Kangaroos and West Coast. When they get going with their game they are very hard to stop so we have to make sure the pressure is on right from the start and maintained.

“They have dominated the corridor more than any team in the competition, that’s in all measures. It’s a great strength of theirs and the pressure in our forward half will have to be spot on.

“But we’ve also got to have the courage to take our chances through the corridor.

“We are playing a very good team on their home ground.”

Connolly said the Cats’ 39 point win over West Coast at the weekend demonstrated their balance and consistency.

“The Eagles have been able to sustain pressure more than any club in the AFL and Geelong really were able to deal with that and played out the four quarters and had a great win against the best team in the competition up to this point in time,” Connolly said.

“To have a convincing win like that against the top team, you are very good in most areas. Their consistency has been very impressive.”

While the team for Saturday’s clash with the Cats is not finalised, Connolly said Dean Solomon was “99 per cent in”, while ruckman Robbie Warnock was also being looked at for a recall to help Aaron Sandilands combat Geelong’s big men.

“He’s certainly in the mix,” Connolly said of Warnock.

“We know that (Steven) King may come back in. He played well in the Geelong reserves team. (Mark) Blake has been in good form (as has Brad) Ottens so it is a big ask for Aaron to deal with those three.

“He will certainly come over to Geelong. We’ll just see the wind and the weather and make a decision on match day.”

Skilled Stadium has not been the happiest hunting ground for Fremantle, having recorded just one win from nine outings. That win, however, came from Fremantle’s most recent trip there in Round 10, 2005 when they defeated the Cats by nine points.

Connolly said the prospect of playing at Skilled Stadium was not as overwhelming as it had been in the past considering the experience of the Fremantle group.

“We’ve got a pretty experienced group now,” Connolly said.

“Obviously it’s an advantage to the home team but it’s not as daunting a prospect as it may have been three or four years ago considering the experience of the list.

“We’ve got a lot of 100 game players now.

“It’s a great challenge but one experienced teams should look forward to.”

Part of that experience extends to David Mundy and Steven Dodd, who will both play their 50th AFL matches this Saturday, while Luke McPharlin will play his 100th AFL match.

With Fremantle’s injury list reducing with each passing week, Connolly was heartened by what lay ahead.

“We’ve got a lot of players returning to playing and we’ve got some players starting to play really well so we go into these two thirds of the season confident that we can continue to improve,” Connolly said.

Fremantle’s ranks will be strengthened in the coming weeks as several players return to full training and resume match duties.

Byron Schammer will line up for Claremont reserves this weekend in what will be his comeback game following a pre season appendectomy and complications resulting from bowel surgery.

Brett Peake will commence full training next week as he works his way back into the side after recovering from a cracked collarbone he sustained in Round 2, while Andrew Browne has recovered from a hamstring injury he sustained in Round 3.

In a further boost for the club, Scott Thornton is nearing full fitness and, should the need arise, would be eligible to make his return according to Connolly.

“Our defence has been in pretty good form but if any of the players were struggling for one reason or another he’d be considered,” Connolly said.

“He did train forward with the forwards and Mark Harvey in the off season. He is a bit of a utility, Scotty, but one or two more games and he will be 100 per cent.

“We rate him really highly at Fremantle.”

Bouncedown on Saturday is at 2.10pm (EST), with the match being telecast live nationally on Fox Sports 1 and into Western Australia on Network 10 from midday (WST).