Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle
Sunday 1 June 2014, 3:20pm
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Head-to-head:
Round 2, 2013: Western Bulldogs 11. 12. (78) defeated by Fremantle 16. 10. (106), Etihad Stadium
Round 15, 2012: Fremantle 14. 11. (95) defeated Western Bulldogs 8. 9. (57), Patersons Stadium
Round 24, 2011: Western Bulldogs 15. 17. (105) defeated Fremantle 8. 13. (61), Etihad Stadium
Round 5, 2011: Fremantle 12. 13. (85) defeated Western Bulldogs 11. 12. (78), Patersons Stadium
Round 17, 2010: Western Bulldogs 24. 14. (158) defeated Fremantle 12. 4. (76), Etihad Stadium
Last time they met:
· Brownlow votes: T Liberatore 3, N Fyfe 2, R Crowley 1
· Luke Dahlhaus kicked three goals for the Bulldogs while Michael Walters produced the same at the other end of the ground for Fremantle
· The Dockers found an edge with a six goal to one first term against the Bulldogs and despite the home side winning two quarters in the match, they were unable to chip away at the margin.
· The Bulldogs held their own across the stats card despite posting a loss against the eventual grand finalists (WB,Freo): disposals (350,321), contested possessions (147,131), efficiency (68.3%, 73.2), marks (80,112), hitouts (53,29), clearances (41,29) and tackles (61,63)
Recent form:
Western Bulldogs
The Bulldogs have been largely competitive this season and will want to get back to that after a less than desirable performance against the Gold Coasts Suns last week. The successful return of Jordan Roughead in defence last week and rising form of Ryan Griffen, Tom Liberatore and Luke Dahlhaus has been positive, and the possible inclusion of Jarrad Grant and Tom Williams, will give the forward line a new look.
Fremantle
A highly competitive win against Geelong before the bye will have Fremantle brimming with confidence as they head into this weekend’s match against the Bulldogs. Matthew Pavlich was influential in his 300th game had ample supply from a star-studded midfield. The Dockers currently sit in seventh place on the ladder in what has been a mixed season. Fremantle are still a formidable opponent, ranking second in the competition for contested possessions and first in hitouts after ten rounds.
Key matchups and gamebreakers:
· A battle of the emerging inside midfielders will be on display at Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon when Tom Liberatore and Nat Fyfe again meet at the centre bounce. Last time they met the Bulldogs father-son selection won the lion’s share of the clearances (12) compared to Fyfe (six). While the Fremantle midfielder has been a consistent contributor this season, Liberatore is in strong form and has been hard to stop in recent weeks.
· Matthew Pavlich still poses the biggest challenge in the Dockers’ forward line and has kicked six more majors than any of his teammates so far this year. As well as averaging two goals a game, the damaging forward is almost posting almost one goal assist per game as well. Whoever lines up on the mobile forward can expect a tough task on Sunday afternoon – with Dale Morris the form defender who could be in line for the job
· Two of the competition’s choice taggers will also be hell bent on making it difficult for the opposition’s best players. The Bulldogs have relied on Liam Picken’s close checking antics in recent weeks – including keeping Gary Ablett jr quiet last week. Fremantle’s Ryan Crowley has also long been known as one of the best in the business and will likely spend time shadowing Ryan Griffen or Tom Liberatore through the centre.
