After five days of lockdown, Fremantle got straight back into their 2021 preparations with a match simulation at Club headquarters on Saturday.
 
The match was played with shortened quarters of 15 minutes without time on.
 
The midfield battle saw Nat Fyfe, Caleb Serong and Adam Cerra for Purple go up against David Mundy, Andy Brayshaw and Luke Valente for White, while Rory Lobb (Purple) and Lloyd Meek (White) contested the ruck.

Purple narrowly won the midfield battle with even contributions from Fyfe, Serong and Cerra, leading to more opportunities and inside 50s.
 
Despite the midfield ascendency, it was White who kicked four goals to Purple’s three for the clash.
 
Michael Walters returned from a foot injury to play at half forward for Purple. Lobb played mostly forward for the first half before heading into the ruck. He kicked two goals from set shots, including the first of the session after a Serong clearance led to an inside 50.

Liam Henry levelled the scores with the first goal for White, which was set up by a Connor Blakely intercept mark in the midfield.
 
Blakely played mostly on the wing but also enjoyed plenty of midfield minutes where he ran closely with Fyfe.

Sam Switkowski kicked Purple’s second goal from a mark and set shot. He continued his good from previous match simulations by bringing his tackling pressure.
 
The small forward played an important hand with Purple’s third goal with some selfless play. Instead of going for a set shot into the wind from 50m, Switkowski hit Rory Lobb with a perfectly weighted chip, and Lobb went back and converted.
 
After half time and trailing by a goal, White lifted on the back of two star players in Luke Ryan and David Mundy.

Ryan was arguably White’s best, taking his trademark intercept marks while using the ball well on the rebound. He took a strong mark floating across Matt Taberner in the third term and followed it up minutes later to catch Mitch Crowden holding the ball on the wing.

White kicked three goals in succession in the final term.
 
The first was set up by a big contested mark inside 50 from rookie tall forward Josh Treacy, who continues to impress this pre-season.

The next two came from general play in the forward 50. Bailey Banfield crumbed a long entry from Hayden Young and used his pace to wheel around and snap the goal.
 
Blake Acres kicked White’s fourth goal with a quick crumb from the stoppage and throwing it on his boot from 35 metres out.

As well as Treacy, first-year players Heath Chapman and Joel Western had impressive moments.
 
Chapman took a handful of marks including one big pack mark where he rose above both Rory Lob and Lloyd Meek to pull the ball down.

Western was most damaging with his pace, at one point running between two players to intercept a handpass and race down the wing.