Semi Final - Fremantle v Adelaide

When and Where - Friday 14 September, 6.45pm (WST) bounce down, AAMI Stadium, Adelaide

Perth Broadcast information

TV: Live from 6.30pm (WST) on Fox Footy and Channel 7

Radio: Live from 6.30pm on 720 ABC, 882 6PR and 94.5fm

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, statistics and analysis

Form-line

Freo: Won 15 Lost 8 (7th) - W L W W L W W L L L W L L W W W W W L W W W W
Adelaide: Won 17 Lost 6 (2nd) - W W L W W W W W L W W L W W W W L W W L W W L

The selection table

Freo - Ross Lyon’s side looks fairly settled following the Elimination Final win. Luke McPharlin is still on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, but Alex Silvagni stepped in and didn’t miss a beat as Freo strangled the life out of Geelong’s forwards

Adelaide - The Crows could not have been dealt a bigger blow after Rising Star winner Daniel Talia was ruled out with a hand injury. He did the job on Pavlich in round 20 and has been Brenton Sanderson’s defender of choice to man the AFL’s best forwards. Apart from him, Adelaide goes into the match in good shape.

Who’s hot

Freo - Matthew Pavlich: His three goals in Freo’s relentless first quarter barrage against the Cats set the tone for all to follow. Pavlich ended up with six straight in one of his finest performances.

Adelaide - Scott Thompson: Thompson had 28 possessions and eight tackles in his side’s loss to Sydney last week. He’s a major reason behind Adelaide’s contested ball success in 2012.

X-Factors

Two of the most exciting young talents in the game could help shape how Friday’s Semi Final pans out.

Freo - Nat Fyfe: Freo’s best contested ball and clearance midfielder did not play in either of his club’s two losses against the best contested ball and clearance side in the AFL this season.

Adelaide - Patrick Dangerfield: Arguably becoming the most damaging midfielder in the competition, Dangerfield has destroyed Fremantle in the two meetings between the sides this season. He’s compiled 66 disposals, 43 contested possessions, 19 clearances and three goals.

Key match-ups

Ryan Crowley v Scott Thompson: Crowley has already done the job on Thompson twice this season, so there’s every reason to expect he’ll man him up again.

Nat Fyfe v Patrick Dangerfield: Dangerfield has been unstoppable in two games against Freo this season, but Nat Fyfe didn’t play on either occasion. Ross Lyon could choose to make the Adelaide star accountable by sending his best contested ball midfielder to him. If these two guns play on each other at any point of the game, it’s a match-up every football fan will want to keep a close eye on.

Matthew Pavlich v Ben Rutten: Playing on Pavlich is nothing new for the veteran Adelaide full-back. He’s manned the Freo skipper on many occasions over the years. While he’s taken a step back during Daniel Talia’s rise this season, the Rising Star winner’s absence on Friday means Rutten will resume hostilities with Pavlich.

Alex Silvagni v Taylor Walker: With Kurt Tippett missing in round 20, Walker kicked four goals in Adelaide’s win. But Freo had no Luke McPharlin and Silvagni withdrew late through illness. Silvagni is a good match-up for Walker in terms of height and build and if he brings the same effort he displayed against Geelong last week, Freo will have confidence he can do the job again.

Aaron Sandilands v Sam Jacobs: Jacobs is a contender for All Australian ruckman this year, but Sandilands is in the form that has seen him win All Australian selection three times in the past. This will be a pivotal match-up in the outcome of the game.

Last time they met

Round 20, AAMI Stadium

ADELAIDE 4.5 7.8 12.15 17.17 (119)
FREMANTLE 3.3 7.4 10.5 14.7 (91)

ADELAIDE star Patrick Dangerfield’s best on ground performance dented Fremantle's finals chances as the Crows had a 28-point win at AAMI Stadium.

Dangerfield kicked two goals, both from beyond 50m, and had 34 possessions in Adelaide's victory, keeping the team on track for a top-two finish this season.

Taylor Walker also kicked four goals and Ian Callinan chipped in with two for the home side while in-form defender Daniel Talia held Fremantle skipper and spearhead Matthew Pavlich to just two for the day.


Crows coach Brenton Sanderson said the win over Fremantle was evidence of Adelaide's depth this season and the team's ability to withstand pressure from quality opposition.

"Our second half was probably as good as I've seen this year," Sanderson said.

"It's important because we beat a good side. We've beaten a hungry side.

"We knew they'd be up for the challenge and throw everything at us.

"I think we flirted with our form early in the match but, when we got back to playing the way we want to play, we were really hard to stop."

Apart from the two goals from Pavlich, Michael Walters booted three for Fremantle, all in the second half.

The visitors had some good contributors around the ground but lost Chris Mayne to a head knock and missed the running of Nathan Fyfe who was a late withdrawal.

Ross Lyon said Fremantle gave Adelaide too many easy scoring opportunities from turnovers and costly 50m penalties and the home side won the game with its midfield strength.

But he also praised Dangerfield's performance, particularly in the third quarter.

"We couldn't maintain the rage over the ball and Dangerfield just tore the game open," he said.

GOALS
Adelaide: Walker 4, Dangerfield, Callinan, Wright 2, Douglas, Johncock, Mackay, Riley, Sloane, Thompson, Vince
Fremantle: Walters 3, Pavlich 2, Ballantyne, Barlow, Bradley, de Boer, Duffield, Hill, Mayne, Neale, Pearce

BEST
Adelaide: Dangerfield, Wright, Talia, Walker, Johncock, Reilly
Fremantle: de Boer, Mundy, Barlow, Duffield, Pearce, Griffin

INJURIES
Adelaide: Nil
Fremantle: Mayne (head knock)

SUBS:
Adelaide: Aidan Riley replaced Lewis Johnston in the fourth quarter.
Fremantle: Lachie Neale replaced Chris Mayne at half-time.

Reports: Nil

Umpires: McBurney, Margetts, Wenn

Official crowd: 35,027 at AAMI Stadium