Fremantle get their 2021 AFL season underway against Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday.
TEAMS
Fremantle
Melbourne
Freo players lining up for Peel
2020 SUMMARY
Melbourne 9th. 9-8, 107.8%
Fremantle 12th. 7-10, 93.7%
LAST MEETING
Round 16: Fremantle 6.11 (47) def Melbourne 4.9 (33)
Adam Cerra was brilliant as Fremantle ran out comfortable winners in Cairns despite being wasteful in front of goals. Freo overran the Demons with their possession-style game in the opening half and should have been further in front after amassing 59 more uncontested disposals.
With the game on the line in the final term, Cerra kicked one of the goals of the season with a check-side snap from the pocket.
SCRATCH MATCH RESULTS
Fremantle 16.11 (107) def West Coast 9.6 (60)
Fremantle best: Nat Fyfe, Andrew Brayshaw, Michael Walters, Lloyd Meek
Melbourne 14.9 (93) def Richmond 12.10 (82)
Melbourne best: Max Gawn, Luke Jackson, Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver
AAMI COMMUNITY SERIES RESULTS
Fremantle 8.9 (57) def by West Coast 9.13 (67)
Fremantle best: Nat Fyfe, Brennan Cox, Andrew Brayshaw, Etahn Hughes, David Mundy, Hayden Young
Melbourne 10.7 (67) def by Western Bulldogs 15.16 (106)
Melbourne best: Steven May, Max Gawn, Bayley Fritsch, Christian Petracca, Ed Langdon
Both Fremantle and Melbournestarted their pre-season games well, defeating highly rated opponents in West Coast and Richmond respectively in the scratch matches.
Both teams were defeated as the intensity ramped up in the AAMI Community Series. Freo fell to West Coast by 10 points and Melbourne lost to the Bulldogs by 39.
In the AAMI Community Series, West Coast brought back star ruckman Nic Naitanui and took their game to another level while Freo failed to keep up after a promising start, hurt by injuries to the likes of Rory Lobb, Michael Walters and Mitch Crowden.
Melbourne were stifled by the Bulldogs, losing the disposals (-115), inside 50s (-23), clearances (-24) and contested possessions (-51).
THE TALKING POINTS
Injuries
Unfortunately for both teams, the build up to this game has focused more on who isn’t playing.
Fremantle have sustained significant injuries to their forward line in recent weeks, including Michael Walters, Rory Lobb, Mitch Crowden, Michael Freferick and Bailey Banfield. Rookie forward Josh Treacy will also be unavailable due to suspension.
Melbourne will be without star recruit Ben Brown (knee) as well as fellow key forward Sam Weideman (leg), while Jack Viney (foot), Michael Hibbered (ankle) and Jake Melksham (hamstring) will be brought back from injury via the Casey Demons.
Christian Salem (hamstring), Angus Brayshaw (foot) and Steven May (concussion) have all been selected after recovering from their injury concerns.
Some handy returns for Freo
While Freo’s outs will hurt, they will also be boosted with the returns of Luke Ryan, Adam Cerra and Caleb Serong, after the star trio missed Freo’s AAMI Community Series game.
Alex Pearce, Joel Hamling and Sam Switkowski will all play for the first time in more than a year while exciting young defender Hayden Young will return after injuring his ankle in round six last season.
Who’s new?
Fremantle will finally roll out ruckman Lloyd Meek while midfielder James Jordan, the 33rd pick from the 2018 draft, will play his first game for the Dees.
Jordon was pushing for AFL selection during Melbourne’s reserves scratch matches in 2020 before picking up a finger injury in August.
Forwards v backs
Fremantle were the fifth best defence in 2020 and will be strengthened by the returns of Pearce, Hamling and Young. Melbourne’s forwards could struggle without Brown and Weideman, so expect to see Gawn go forward to provide a target, like he did at times against the Bulldogs.
Will Fyfe go forward?
Senior coach Justin Longmuir has said repeatedly that Freo will only have the luxury to send Nat Fyfe forward if they are on top of the midfield contest. This means the performances of veteran David Mundy and young trio Andrew Brayshaw, Adam Cerra and Caleb Serong in the midfield will be crucial.
MCG record
Fremantle have won three of their last six at the MCG. Freo has also defeated Melbourne three times in the past four meetings at the ground.
A changing of the guard?
Carr: Freo's tall options
AFLW round 8 preview
