Swans Media examines Fremantle’s camp ahead of the Sydney Swans’ match against the Dockers at Perth’s Optus Stadium on Saturday night.
Recent form
Fremantle is placed 13th on the ladder with seven wins and nine losses chalked up.
The Dockers are intent on breaking a four-match losing streak in which they’ve fallen to Melbourne, Carlton, West Coast and Hawthorn.
Their most recent win saw them topple Port Adelaide at Optus Stadium in Round 13, and they stumbled in a 31-point defeat to Hawthorn in Launceston last Saturday.
Ins and outs
The absence of Fremantle captain and midfield warrior Nat Fyfe, and the return of champion ruckman Aaron Sandilands, headline the Dockers’ four changes for Saturday night’s match.
Fyfe will miss the game due to an infected elbow and Sandilands will return from a one-match injury lay-off.
A calf complaint has limited the 211-centimetre giant to just one AFL match this season.
Taylin Duman, Griffin Logue and Brett Bewley have also been named for the Optus Stadium fixture.
Key match-up
Swan Zak Jones and Docker Bradley Hill add a wealth of dash to the midfield and are carving out top-quality 2019 campaigns.
In an indication of their importance to outside run, Jones is this season averaging 16.2 uncontested possessions per match to be sitting second at the Swans, while Hill is averaging a Dockers-high 18.8.
Expect the two speedsters to feature prominently on the vast dimensions of the Optus Stadium ground, which is just eight metres thinner in width than the MCG and four metres longer.
Last time they met
Ed Langdon was one of Fremantle’s best as Sydney cruised to a 59-point win at the SCG in Round 9 last season.
The rising midfielder gathered 29 touches and a goal as his side fell to a 17.9 (111) to 7.10 (52) loss.
What they said
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon: “We know our system stands up and our effort level is very strong. We’re just looking for consistency in applying our system. We haven’t been as consistent within games as we were early in the season.”
