Justin Longmuir will not be reading into recent results when preparing Fremantle for Sunday’s RAC Derby.
Freo and West Coast are coming off contrasting results in round six, with Freo defeating North Melbourne by 51 points at Optus Stadium while West Coast had their biggest loss under Adam Simpson, falling by 99 points in Geelong.
Longmuir said he had been focusing on the Eagles’ past games, including West Coast’s seven-point loss to the Western Bulldogs in round two.
“I watched the Western Bulldogs game last night … they played over east and they pushed them all the way,” Longmuir told SEN WA.
“They’ve got some real weapons in their team which starts with Nic (Naitanui) in the centre bounce and extends all over the ground.
“We’re not going to be taking them lightly. They’ve obviously won a lot against us in the past as well, so I don’t think anyone at the footy club would think that they’re going to dish up the same as what they dished up on the weekend.
“We’ll be on our toes ready for what they bring.”
With the likely return of star forward Josh Kennedy, Longmuir expects West Coast to be even stronger up front.
In the 2020 RAC Derby, Kennedy kicked four goals and was awarded the Glendinning–Allan Medal.
He highlighted West Coast’s efficiency inside 50, with the Eagles leading the AFL by only needing 3.6 inside 50s per goal.
Conversely, Fremantle are ranked 15th in the AFL, needing 4.9 inside 50s per goal.
“Their efficiency going inside forward 50 is the best in the comp by a fair way,” Longmuir said.
“They’ll probably get Kennedy back this week, they’ve probably looked their best with their three talls down there with him, Oscar Allen and Jack Darling.
“We’ve got to be able to stop that …it’s probably their number one strength at this stage.”
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