Fremantle face a somewhat unknown quantity when taking on Collingwood this weekend, with AFL legend Robert Harvey to take the reins as senior coach following the departure of Nathan Buckley.
A two-time Brownlow medallist and 383-game player at St Kilda, it will be Harvey’s first AFL game as senior coach.
Fremantle senior coach Justin Longmuir was a former assistant coach at Collingwood alongside Harvey, and feels he has a sense of what to expect from a Harvey-coached side.
Longmuir expects Collingwood to be ‘fired up’ after sending off Buckley in style with an upset win against ladder-leaders Melbourne in round 13 before a bye week in round 14.
“We’ve seen a little bit of a shift in the way they’ve moved the ball in the past couple of weeks, in particular going a little bit straighter and a bit faster, trying to get it to their forwards a bit quicker,” Longmuir told SEN WA.
“I would expect them to keep building on that. I know ‘Harvs’ really rates pressure on the ball carrier and effort, so I would imagine he’d be pushing that and I expect a really fired up team that’s going to move the ball a bit quicker.”
The quick ball movement is set to be an asset at Marvel Stadium, which is still expected to host the match despite the current Covid restrictions in Melbourne.
Longmuir said Fremantle were planning on travelling to Melbourne to face the Magpies as currently fixtured, with bouncedown at 2.35pm EST on Saturday.
“It hasn’t been locked away,” Longmuir said.
“I think they’re trying their hardest to get it at Marvel, where it’s supposed to be in the timeslot it’s supposed to be in, but we haven’t had confirmation from the AFL as yet.”
Longmuir praised versatile Fremantle midfielder James Aish, who had a career-high 31 disposals in Fremantle’s win against the Suns in round 13.
A former Collingwood player, Aish arrived at Fremantle when Longmuir took over as senior coach ahead of the 2020 season.
“He’s played some good footy and the thing that I love about him is he’s willing to play any role that helps the team win,” Longmuir said.
“He played on the wing earlier in the year, he’s played a little bit of inside mid at times. With all the injuries in the back half, he’s had to go back and he was clearly one of our better players against the Suns.
“He’s adapted to that role and it’s a role he’s played a fair bit in the past. He’s willing to do whatever can to help us win and go places. We love having him around.”
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