Fremantle veteran Michael Walters to make long-awaited return, set to line up for Peel Thunder in WAFL
The West Australian
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Fremantle veteran Michael Walters to make long-awaited return, set to line up for Peel Thunder in WAFL
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Perth Now
6 hours ago
- Perth Now
Fyfe named again as Dockers make no changes for Roos clash
Fremantle has named an unchanged team for only the second time this season as they prepare for Saturday evening's 'away' clash with North Melbourne at Optus Stadium. Dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe has again been named on the interchange bench. Fyfe returned for the Dockers' last start win over the Gold Coast in Queensland and wore the subs vest, injected into the game in the last quarter and had a big impact, collecting seven disposals, including three in the contest. Asked on Thursday if Fyfe would wear the subs vest again or start in the 22, Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir said: 'There's a chance. We're pretty happy with our mids. We came up against a good midfield last round. We probably didn't get it done in the midfield as well as we would have liked, but I feel like midfield has been in good form.' Longmuir said there was a chance to bring Fyfe into the 22 and play 'lower minutes' but the veteran also provided value as a sounding board on the bench. 'It is important when games get tough and tight and have wise calm heads, especially as a sub against Gold Coast,' Longmuir said. 'Every time someone comes to the bench, they look at the back of the bench and they've got someone who's really measured and calm talking to them and helping them problem solve and work through those situations. (It) was helpful, clearly.' North Melbourne's Tristan Xerri will take on Luke Jackson and Sean Darcy for the first time as a pairing. Jackson has been named in the ruck, with Darcy on the bench. Darcy attended just 29 per cent of centre-bounces on his return from injury against the Suns, while Jackson was there for 92 per cent of the time, splitting his time as a ruckman and midfielder. Josh Draper, the other player to come into the team for the Suns clash, has also retained his spot. Captain Alex Pearce was not considered due to a stress fracture in his lower leg but will be in contention for the Dockers' round 15 clash with Essendon at Optus Stadium, which falls only five days after the match up with the Roos. 'It's pretty early to say likely, but he's a chance,' Longmuir said. 'He's progressing with his program, but he hasn't got on the grass much yet and tested it out. So he'll be a chance, but we won't know til early early next week.' Karl Worner was in doubt with hamstring soreness but has been named on the bench. The Kangaroos made only one change to the team that overran West Coast in the last quarter of Sunday's Bunbury clash, bringing in 196cm key defender Kallan Dawson to replace the injured Charlie Comben.
West Australian
6 hours ago
- West Australian
Fremantle Dockers make no changes as Nat Fyfe named to play against North Melbourne
Fremantle has named an unchanged team for only the second time this season as they prepare for Saturday evening's 'away' clash with North Melbourne at Optus Stadium. Dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe has again been named on the interchange bench. Fyfe returned for the Dockers' last start win over the Gold Coast in Queensland and wore the subs vest, injected into the game in the last quarter and had a big impact, collecting seven disposals, including three in the contest. Asked on Thursday if Fyfe would wear the subs vest again or start in the 22, Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir said: 'There's a chance. We're pretty happy with our mids. We came up against a good midfield last round. We probably didn't get it done in the midfield as well as we would have liked, but I feel like midfield has been in good form.' Longmuir said there was a chance to bring Fyfe into the 22 and play 'lower minutes' but the veteran also provided value as a sounding board on the bench. 'It is important when games get tough and tight and have wise calm heads, especially as a sub against Gold Coast,' Longmuir said. 'Every time someone comes to the bench, they look at the back of the bench and they've got someone who's really measured and calm talking to them and helping them problem solve and work through those situations. (It) was helpful, clearly.' North Melbourne's Tristan Xerri will take on Luke Jackson and Sean Darcy for the first time as a pairing. Jackson has been named in the ruck, with Darcy on the bench. Darcy attended just 29 per cent of centre-bounces on his return from injury against the Suns, while Jackson was there for 92 per cent of the time, splitting his time as a ruckman and midfielder. Josh Draper, the other player to come into the team for the Suns clash, has also retained his spot. Captain Alex Pearce was not considered due to a stress fracture in his lower leg but will be in contention for the Dockers' round 15 clash with Essendon at Optus Stadium, which falls only five days after the match up with the Roos. 'It's pretty early to say likely, but he's a chance,' Longmuir said. 'He's progressing with his program, but he hasn't got on the grass much yet and tested it out. So he'll be a chance, but we won't know til early early next week.' Karl Worner was in doubt with hamstring soreness but has been named on the bench. The Kangaroos made only one change to the team that overran West Coast in the last quarter of Sunday's Bunbury clash, bringing in 196cm key defender Kallan Dawson to replace the injured Charlie Comben.
West Australian
6 hours ago
- West Australian
Jordan Clark is underrated because he doesn't play in Victoria, says North Melbourne coach Alistair Clarkson
Master coach Alastair Clarkson believes Fremantle dasher Jordan Clark is underrated because he does not play in Victoria. Ahead of his North Melbourne side's clash with the Dockers on Saturday, Clarkson gave a glowing review of the unheralded half-back, who is in the mix for a maiden All-Australian blazer halfway through the season. Clark is the Dockers' fourth-highest rated player this season and the 12th ranked defender in the league, according to Champion Data figures. For his role, he is considered elite for disposals, contested possessions, intercept possessions and pressure. 'Yeah, geez he's been a good player hasn't he,' Clarkson said. 'He is sort of a little bit underrated and unheralded perhaps because he plays over here and the Melbourne media don't see him every week like they would some of the players that are based in Melbourne. 'But he's been a really, really good player at Geelong, but he's really taken his game — it seems — to another level here. 'He's a guy that defends really well, but uses the ball and helps set it up.' Clarkson was also full of praise for in-form Dockers guns Shai Bolton and Luke Jackson and warned they couldn't play a negating role on all three of Justin Longmuir's weapons. 'We'll have to keep an eye on that ... but we can't sit and negate every talented player that they've got, otherwise you're just chasing your tail,' he said. 'There's a part of us where we just need to go out and play the game and if some of these guys get off the chain, that's where we need to try and stamp and negate their influence.' Asked how he would handle the influence of Bolton, Clarkson said it was made difficult by the dual premiership player's ability to influence the game in different parts of the ground. Bolton spent more time forward in Fremantle's win over Gold Coast a fortnight ago. He kicked three goals and laid the game-winning tackle. 'He was particularly strong against Gold Coast a few weeks back, I think he kicked three goals in that game,' Clarkson said. 'If you have got a player in your side that can kick three goals and also generate sort of 25 touches in the midfield like he can, they're pretty valuable players and that's why worked so hard to get him from Richmond and bring him home. 'The difficult part about it is because he can swing from midfield to forward and you think he's a midfielder and then he spits forward and then you think he's a forward and he goes up into the midfield. 'That's the quality of him as a player, to be able to swing and switch from one to the other really quickly and sometimes you can stuff around your structures a little bit. 'We need to work out what you do there, but I reckon at some point in the game if he is really hurting us then we will need to try and negate him somehow.'
