LIVE UPDATES: Walyalup (Fremantle) tackle Yartapuulti (Port Adelaide) at Optus Stadium
A brilliant road win last weekend has Walyalup (Fremantle) on track to regain a spot in the eight with a victory over Yartapuulti (Port Adelaide) at Optus Stadium.
The Dockers remain unchanged from the win against GWS and will hope to take advantage of a Port side that sits 14th on the ladder.
Follow all the action in our live blog.
Ever wondered how an AFL team killed time before warm-ups? Well look no further.
Shai putting in a late bid for the World Test Championship Final squad.
Bailey Banfield will be the Dockers' sub for the second week running.
It's a frigid night in Perth as winter finally arrives but Walyalup will be looking to bring the heat they used to take down the Giants last week.
The team remains unchanged and with the Power in questionable form, this could be a chance for the Dockers to be ruthless and grab a big win.
The Whiz Jeff Farmer is in the house tonight as well and will be tossing the coin!
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
29 minutes ago
- West Australian
Fremantle Dockers coach Justin Longmuir wary of much more than North Melbourne big man Tristan Xerri
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir says dominant ruckman Tristan Xerri is not the only midfield force the Dockers need to be wary of heading into Saturday night's away game against North Melbourne at Optus Stadium. Xerri is in white-hot form, ranked fifth for hit-outs with 440 this season, but it's his efforts at ground level that will clearly challenge the Dockers. The Roos ruck is ranked second in the competition for clearances, with 94, behind only Dockers midfielder Caleb Serong (103), 10 of them coming in last Sunday's narrow win over West Coast in Bunbury. He is poised to take on Fremantle's much-talked about combination of Luke Jackson and Sean Darcy for the first time. 'Clearly, he is in great form. He'd have to be All-Australian ruck at the moment or close to,' Longmuir said. 'That's going to be important. But they've got a lot of mids who go through there and get their hands on it and put good pressure on. 'The last four (games) they've been number one pre-clearance, number one pressure. So they make it a good, honest battle in there, and have been getting it going their way more often than not.' Xerri and Jackson are both cat like at ground level, but Roos prime movers Tom Powell, Colby McKercher, Luke Parker, Luke Davies-Uniacke, Dylan Stephens and Jy Simpkin combined for 25 clearances against the Eagles. The Dockers coach said they would look at structure and strategy, rather than major midfield change, backing in the proven combination of Andrew Brayshaw, Caleb Serong, Shai Bolton and Jackson, who are all clearance kings. 'Just understanding what they're going to bring and rolling up our sleeves and getting to work just on that,' he said. Veteran Nat Fyfe returned from injury for his first AFL game this season before the bye, having a major impact as the sub in the last quarter. Longmuir said Fyfe's impact was also big off the field and they were weighing up whether to again start the dual Brownlow medallist as the sub or on limited minutes in the starting 22. 'It is important when games get tough and tight to 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.' The Dockers will stick with their forward line structure of three talls - Josh Treacy, Jye Amiss and Patrick Voss - which could stretch a North Melbourne defence missing the in-form key back Charlie Comben, who is out for two to three weeks with a shoulder injury suffered against the Eagles. 'I'm sure they've got some coverage to come in and replace but I think we can utilise that,' Longmuir said. 'The beauty about our talls is, they can provide good aerial targets and threaten aerially, but I feel like they're good at ground level as well, Vossy, Jye and JT. 'They join in at ground level and put pressure on and you don't even realise that we're playing three talls at times down there. 'So everything is an advantage there, but we also think we don't lose anything by playing those three talls.' The Dockers are coming off a hot run of form, with confidence inspiring road wins over GWS and Gold Coast, with a comfortable home victory against Port Adelaide wedged in between. But they are coming off the bye and have lost in the last three seasons off their mid-season break. Longmuir said they had made minor tweaks to their preparation. 'Slightly different,' he said. 'We've been changing up our schedule a bit, so it hasn't been specifically to the bye, but it's probably been specific to long breaks, the way we come out of the weekend in particular we've changed up, and probably most importantly, we've tried not to make it a narrative,' he said. 'We're a different team. We understand that the things that we've been doing prior to the bye have been working. 'So it's probably been more getting back to that process, rather than getting caught up in we need to win off the bye or that previous byes haven't worked for us. A few tinkers to the schedule, but it's mainly been getting players back to the process. ' North Melbourne will be playing its second successive 'home game' in WA, having edged the Eagles in Bunbury last Sunday in front of 12,700 fans with ticket sales for Saturday's game at Optus Stadium tracking on 30,000. The Dockers coach said it was 'critical' Freo fans turned up to the game, even though it was not included in their membership package. 'It's going to be unique. Clearly, it's an away game at Optus and it's not against West Coast, which is something new,' he said. 'It's something new for our players and we are desperate for our fans to get there. 'We understand it's not part of their membership, but we'd love them to fork out a few bucks and come and support us. 'We want to make our home ground a fortress and we need the purple army there to support us. The weather looks like it's clearing up, which may have held a few people back early in the week. 'I'm not 100 per cent on the financials, I don't get involved in that, but it was a bit like Gather Round, in some sense, to the Adelaide teams, where they get to stay at home for an extra week. 'It's an important part of our season, but it's also important part of equality of the fixture, in some sense. So yeah, we want, we want as many to get there as possible.'
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Fremantle Training Notes: Sean Darcy, Michael Walters, Nat Fyfe and Jaeger O'Meara keep low profiles
Four big names were conspicuously absent from Fremantle's last training session before Saturday's clash with North Melbourne at Optus Stadium. Sean Darcy and Michael Walters walked laps before training, but did not appear in the main session, Nat Fyfe made a fleeting appearance and did some solo skills work, while Jaeger O'Meara was also a no show. There may be no reason to panic, however, as the Dockers have made a habit of changing up their major sessions between Tuesday and Thursday in recent weeks. Darcy and Fyfe returned from injury in Fremantle's last game, a stunning road win against Gold Coast at People First Stadium. Darcy was on managed minutes while Fyfe wore the subs vest and had a major impact when he was injected into the game in the final quarter. Walters is due to play his first game of the season after recovering from a knee injury and will also be on managed minutes. O'Meara has been sidelined with hamstring and foot injuries since round seven and was this week listed as a test. WALKER WALKS THE WALK Brandon Walker has sped through his recovery from a shoulder injury and has resumed training with teammates. Walker hasn't played since round two but could be available to return next week. He was listed as three weeks away prior to the Dockers' bye last round but has leapt to the front of the queue within a week, now rated just one week away from resuming, probably in the WAFL. Walker trained at high intensity yesterday at Cockburn and will be welcomed back, given fellow running half-back Cooper Simpson is sidelined for another six to seven weeks after surgery on an A-C joint. Walker was spotted talking to teammates on the boundary line yesterday with his arm in a sling. YOU CAN'T TAKE THE TASSIE OUT OF THE BOY There was a mid-winter chill in the air at Cockburn, but it didn't matter to Tasmanian native Alex Pearce. The injured captain was spotted on the boundary line walking around with his shirt off. It is not an unfamiliar sight. Pearce hails from the wind-whipped north coast of the Apple Isle, and it probably seemed quite balmy. The key defender has been ruled out of Saturday's game against North Melbourne but the club is hopeful he will be cleared of a leg injury in time to play against Essendon next week. Pearce sat out the team's win over Gold Coast before the bye after a scan uncovered a stress reaction in his leg. WAITING IN THE WINGS Winger Nathan O'Driscoll is close to resuming his AFL career, but might have to wait another week in the WAFL. O'Driscoll has had a frustrating syndesmosis injury, suffered in the Dockers' round four win over the Western Bulldogs. He resumed a month ago, but the ankle flared up, forcing him to sit out another week. But he has strung together successive games with Peel Thunder with no recurring soreness and might be set to play against Essendon in round 15.
The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Pickett rejects WA lure to stay at Demons until 2034
Melbourne star Kysaiah Pickett has emphatically rejected the lure of a return to Western Australia, signing a monster seven-year contract extension with the Demons. Livewire forward Pickett, already locked in for two more seasons, becomes the longest-contract player in the AFL after signing a deal that will keep him at Melbourne until at least the end of 2034. Pickett will be 33 by the end of his new contract, a deal reportedly worth $12 million. He eclipses Fremantle's Hayden Young, who signed a six-year extension in December to stay at the Dockers until 2033. Gold Coast young gun Mac Andrew signed a five-year contract from 2025 in September, which will be extended by another four years to 2034 if targets are met. Pickett had been heavily linked with a move to Fremantle, where former 2021 premiership teammate Luke Jackson plays. The 24-year-old, who has family links to both Perth and Adelaide, had been open about struggling with homesickness since being drafted to the Demons in 2019. Pickett thanked the club for their support after announcing the deal on Thursday. "I'm really happy and proud to be continuing my career in the red and blue," Pickett said in a club statement. "I love my teammates and my coaches, and I can't wait to see what we can achieve together in the years to come. "The club has shown so much care for me and my family, and I can't thank them enough for their support. "I get to live out my childhood dream, playing footy for the oldest club at the MCG, and I'm excited and grateful to be a Demon for life." Pickett has become one of the most lethal small forwards in the competition with his creative talents. The 24-year-old leads 14th-placed Melbourne (5-8) with 21 goals after kicking three in their King's Birthday blockbuster against Collingwood, ahead of Bayley Fritsch (14). It was his five-goal haul against Fremantle in round six that helped spark Melbourne after a 0-5 start to the season. Drafted with pick No.12, Pickett boasts 182 goals from 116 games. Melbourne star Kysaiah Pickett has emphatically rejected the lure of a return to Western Australia, signing a monster seven-year contract extension with the Demons. Livewire forward Pickett, already locked in for two more seasons, becomes the longest-contract player in the AFL after signing a deal that will keep him at Melbourne until at least the end of 2034. Pickett will be 33 by the end of his new contract, a deal reportedly worth $12 million. He eclipses Fremantle's Hayden Young, who signed a six-year extension in December to stay at the Dockers until 2033. Gold Coast young gun Mac Andrew signed a five-year contract from 2025 in September, which will be extended by another four years to 2034 if targets are met. Pickett had been heavily linked with a move to Fremantle, where former 2021 premiership teammate Luke Jackson plays. The 24-year-old, who has family links to both Perth and Adelaide, had been open about struggling with homesickness since being drafted to the Demons in 2019. Pickett thanked the club for their support after announcing the deal on Thursday. "I'm really happy and proud to be continuing my career in the red and blue," Pickett said in a club statement. "I love my teammates and my coaches, and I can't wait to see what we can achieve together in the years to come. "The club has shown so much care for me and my family, and I can't thank them enough for their support. "I get to live out my childhood dream, playing footy for the oldest club at the MCG, and I'm excited and grateful to be a Demon for life." Pickett has become one of the most lethal small forwards in the competition with his creative talents. The 24-year-old leads 14th-placed Melbourne (5-8) with 21 goals after kicking three in their King's Birthday blockbuster against Collingwood, ahead of Bayley Fritsch (14). It was his five-goal haul against Fremantle in round six that helped spark Melbourne after a 0-5 start to the season. Drafted with pick No.12, Pickett boasts 182 goals from 116 games. Melbourne star Kysaiah Pickett has emphatically rejected the lure of a return to Western Australia, signing a monster seven-year contract extension with the Demons. Livewire forward Pickett, already locked in for two more seasons, becomes the longest-contract player in the AFL after signing a deal that will keep him at Melbourne until at least the end of 2034. Pickett will be 33 by the end of his new contract, a deal reportedly worth $12 million. He eclipses Fremantle's Hayden Young, who signed a six-year extension in December to stay at the Dockers until 2033. Gold Coast young gun Mac Andrew signed a five-year contract from 2025 in September, which will be extended by another four years to 2034 if targets are met. Pickett had been heavily linked with a move to Fremantle, where former 2021 premiership teammate Luke Jackson plays. The 24-year-old, who has family links to both Perth and Adelaide, had been open about struggling with homesickness since being drafted to the Demons in 2019. Pickett thanked the club for their support after announcing the deal on Thursday. "I'm really happy and proud to be continuing my career in the red and blue," Pickett said in a club statement. "I love my teammates and my coaches, and I can't wait to see what we can achieve together in the years to come. "The club has shown so much care for me and my family, and I can't thank them enough for their support. "I get to live out my childhood dream, playing footy for the oldest club at the MCG, and I'm excited and grateful to be a Demon for life." Pickett has become one of the most lethal small forwards in the competition with his creative talents. The 24-year-old leads 14th-placed Melbourne (5-8) with 21 goals after kicking three in their King's Birthday blockbuster against Collingwood, ahead of Bayley Fritsch (14). It was his five-goal haul against Fremantle in round six that helped spark Melbourne after a 0-5 start to the season. Drafted with pick No.12, Pickett boasts 182 goals from 116 games.
