The Dogs may be struggling of late, but their skipper Matthew Boyd has still been in top form. He torched Freo in two appearances last year, with 45 possessions in round 5 and 35 in round 24. Ryan Crowley can begin preparing for his assignment early this week.
One quarter let us down again
Yet again, Ross Lyon was left to lament the damage one bad quarter had done to three very good ones after the Magpies jumped out the blocks in round 14. Worryingly, for the second week running, multiple goals deep into time-on in the third quarter completely halted all the momentum Freo had gathered leading into the final term. The focus will again be on 100 per cent effort and concentration over four full quarters against the Dogs on Sunday.
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Reclaiming Patersons
Ross Lyon has spoken on a number of occasions about his desire to make Patersons Stadium a similar fortress to the one cross-town rivals West Coast currently enjoy. After just three wins in seven games at home this season, teams would hardly fear travelling West to face Freo at the minute. The only way to start changing that is with a big win over the Western Bulldogs on Sunday.
The road ahead
The next four fixtures for Fremantle are against the sides immediately below it on the ladder. Wins are paramount regardless of the opposition’s place on the ladder, but in order to seriously contend for finals qualification, winning these four games is a must. Following the next four fixtures, Freo plays a home game against West Coast and an away match against Adelaide - both top four contenders.
When is ‘Mora’ time upon us?
In the WAFL, Anthony Morabito copped a knock in a game against South Fremantle which compromised his training program last week. With his WAFL club Peel Thunder on a bye last weekend, the gifted Freo midfielder had no game. Just what effect this has had on his scheduled return to AFL action remains to be seen.
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