Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle
Saturday 6 April 2013, 2:10pm
Venue: Etihad Stadium

Head-to-head:

Round 15, 2012: Fremantle 14. 11. (95) defeated Western Bulldogs 8. 9. (57)
Round 24, 2011: Western Bulldogs 15. 17. (105) defeated Fremantle 8. 13. (61)
Round 5, 2011: Fremantle 12. 13. (85) defeated Western Bulldogs 11. 12. (78)
Round 17, 2010: Western Bulldogs 24. 14. (158) defeated Fremantle 12. 4. (76)

Last time they met:

  • Nick Lower had 21 dispsoals, five tackles, six clearances and a goal to his name – albeit while playing for Fremantle
  • The vast majority of their goal scoring power came from forward duo Matthew Pavlich (six goals) and Chris Mayne (five) with only four other players kicking a single major each
  • The Bulldogs only lost the first half by 3 points before Fremantle were able to extend the margin to 38 at the final siren
  • 13 Bulldogs players took to the field who had less than 50 games experience

Recent form:

Western Bulldogs
If the Bulldogs 68-point winning margin wasn’t enough to put a smile on members and fans faces, then the side’s ability to dominate all four quarters of football should easily do the trick. The Dogs’ defensive exploits and more fluid ball movement will bode well this season, as they continue to make strides in their development. Heading into Saturday’s clash with an unchanged lineup, the home side will be looking to replicate last weekend’s result and test their abilities against a more experienced Fremantle outfit.

Fremantle

A round one victory in the western derby has Fremantle well placed at the start of the season. While unable to yield considerable results during the NAB Cup, Ross Lyon’s men are confident their side can compete with even the top rated opposition this year. The highly fancied Dockers enter the season with a heavy expectation to improve on their seventh placed standing from 2012.

Key match ups and game breakers:

  • The combined effort of both teams around the stoppages will be telling in Saturday’s clash. Each side prides themselves on their clearance winning ability and rely on their hardened midfield stocks to extract the ball and gain first use. Tom Liberatore is in fine form with eleven clearances last weekend, while four Fremantle players boasted five or more clearances in round one against West Coast.
  • Matthew Pavlich will be very eager to kick his first major for season 2013, after scoring just three behinds in the season opener. Jordan Roughead and Dale Morris will need to be on their game to ensure the Fremantle captain does not have a major influence.
  • Only 12 of the Bulldogs players who faced Fremantle during the NAB Cup have been named in Saturday’s side, meaning the Dockers will need to contend with the additions of Ryan Griffen, Shaun Higgins, Dale Morris, Liam Picken and Robert Murphy to name a few
  • In the NAB Cup hitout Nathan Fyfe had 30 possessions, eight clearances, five marks and five inside 50s and could attract the attention of former teammate Nick Lower in the midfield. Lower’s standout performance against the Lion’s Daniel Rich in round one proves he is up for any challenge thrown at him

What we said:

“We move on to another significant challenge this week, where we play a mature and developed team, that plays football the right way in Fremantle, and we look forward to playing our brand of football against them.”

Brendan McCartney, Western Bulldogs Senior Coach

What they said:

“They’re really well coached and they’ve got some strong leadership when you talk about Griffen and Cooney and (Dale) Morris… We’ve gone to school on them and we’ve prepared like we would if it was a grand final.”

Ross Lyon, Fremantle Senior Coach