Latest news with #Dockers
Perth Now
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Dockers make call on Fyfe and Pearce's fitness for the derby
Security ejected the man after he got in the face of the media personality Fremantle captain Alex Pearce and dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe will be given another week to recover from injuries instead of being rushed back to play in Saturday's western derby, as the Dockers received promising news surrounding midfielder Matthew Johnson. Fyfe travelled to Victoria to be with the team last weekend and trained strongly after the club's Captain's Run, but won't be considered to play at any level until next week. The Dockers have taken the same approach with Pearce who has played only one match in the second half of the season due to leg soreness. Johnson is expected to miss only a small number of games after injuring his ankle against Collingwood on Sunday, as the club breathed a sigh of relief that he'd avoided major damage. Fremantle have worked hard to carefully re-introduce senior players to the team while winning eight of their last nine games. Hayden Young was influential as the sub against Collingwood in his first match back since injuring his hamstring on May 2. Hayden Young in action. Credit: Robert Cianflone / Getty Images Forward Sam Switkowski said Young's impact was huge as he prepares to move into the starting 22 against West Coast. 'It was really good to see him back,' Switkowski said. 'He was in the tempo of the game, which is pleasing after having such a stint out. I know first-hand how hard it can be when you've been out for a little while and the coaches put a lot of trust in you to come back in and be able to perform. 'I think he did a great job. It's a good stepping stone for him. He'll get a few more minutes coming up this week.' Fremantle selected their most experienced team of the year against Collingwood. They had 2177 combined games on the field, which was significantly more than the 1727 games they selected against the Magpies earlier in the season. Fremantle forward Sam Switkowski. Credit: Michael Willson/AFL Photos / AFL Photos via Getty Images Jaeger O'Meara had 23 possessions against the Pies in his third game back from injury. Switkowski had six score involvements after being best on ground with three goals when returning from injury against Hawthorn last week. Switkowski said it was no coincidence that the team was playing well when the experienced players were available. 'Personnel is important,' he said. 'We'd love to have our best 22 out there every week. Every team would. Clearly experience is a really important part of the game. 'The guys with experience often are the ones who hold up under pressure, can lift in big games and keep everyone composed like we saw on the weekend. It's been great to have some of those guys back.'
West Australian
16 hours ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Fremantle Dockers to give star pair Nat Fyfe and Alex Pearce another week to recover from injuries
Fremantle captain Alex Pearce and dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe will be given another week to recover from injuries instead of being rushed back to play in Saturday's western derby, as the Dockers received promising news surrounding midfielder Matthew Johnson. Fyfe travelled to Victoria to be with the team last weekend and trained strongly after the club's Captain's Run, but won't be considered to play at any level until next week. The Dockers have taken the same approach with Pearce who has played only one match in the second half of the season due to leg soreness. Johnson is expected to miss only a small number of games after injuring his ankle against Collingwood on Sunday, as the club breathed a sigh of relief that he'd avoided major damage. Fremantle have worked hard to carefully re-introduce senior players to the team while winning eight of their last nine games. Hayden Young was influential as the sub against Collingwood in his first match back since injuring his hamstring on May 2. Forward Sam Switkowski said Young's impact was huge as he prepares to move into the starting 22 against West Coast. 'It was really good to see him back,' Switkowski said. 'He was in the tempo of the game, which is pleasing after having such a stint out. I know first-hand how hard it can be when you've been out for a little while and the coaches put a lot of trust in you to come back in and be able to perform. 'I think he did a great job. It's a good stepping stone for him. He'll get a few more minutes coming up this week.' Fremantle selected their most experienced team of the year against Collingwood. They had 2177 combined games on the field, which was significantly more than the 1727 games they selected against the Magpies earlier in the season. Jaeger O'Meara had 23 possessions against the Pies in his third game back from injury. Switkowski had six score involvements after being best on ground with three goals when returning from injury against Hawthorn last week. Switkowski said it was no coincidence that the team was playing well when the experienced players were available. 'Personnel is important,' he said. 'We'd love to have our best 22 out there every week. Every team would. Clearly experience is a really important part of the game. 'The guys with experience often are the ones who hold up under pressure, can lift in big games and keep everyone composed like we saw on the weekend. It's been great to have some of those guys back.'
West Australian
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Amazon announces new AFL documentary series headed by Drive to Survive producers
Star Fremantle players will be part of a new landmark Amazon series as the AFL looks to cash in on the explosion of sports documentaries. The as-yet-named series will be produced by the same company behind the hugely popular Drive to Survive, which has seen a massive surge in popularity for Formula One. According to SEN, the company is already in Australia and working with five clubs inlcuding Fremantle as well as GWS, Western Bulldogs, Gold Coast and the Brisbane Lions. It will not be the first time the streaming giant has worked with the league, having produced Marking Their Mark in 2021 which followed four players throughout the COVID-affected 2020 season, including West Coast star Nic Naitanui as well as several coaches. Much like that series, this new production is set to focus on the personal journey of several star players at each club rather than the team as a whole. Given Fremantle is on the verge of finals after one of their biggest wins in club history, it could be the perfect time for the club to showcase some of its inner workings. It has not yet been revealed which Dockers have been followed around, but forward Sam Switkowski firmly ruled himself out of contention. 'I can't say it will involve me too much,' he joked. 'I haven't noticed any extra cameras or anything like that, so I'm not too sure who will be in it. 'It will be good for the club, good for the sport as a whole, to be able to see a little bit more of what goes on for our fans and members.'
Perth Now
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Star Dockers to feature in new Amazon doco
The new AFL boss has demanded his own office. Star Fremantle players will be part of a new landmark Amazon series as the AFL looks to cash in on the explosion of sports documentaries. The as-yet-named series will be produced by the same company behind the hugely popular Drive to Survive, which has seen a massive surge in popularity for Formula One. According to SEN, the company is already in Australia and working with five clubs inlcuding Fremantle as well as GWS, Western Bulldogs, Gold Coast and the Brisbane Lions. It will not be the first time the streaming giant has worked with the league, having produced Marking Their Mark in 2021 which followed four players throughout the COVID-affected 2020 season, including West Coast star Nic Naitanui as well as several coaches. Much like that series, this new production is set to focus on the personal journey of several star players at each club rather than the team as a whole. Given Fremantle is on the verge of finals after one of their biggest wins in club history, it could be the perfect time for the club to showcase some of its inner workings. It has not yet been revealed which Dockers have been followed around, but forward Sam Switkowski firmly ruled himself out of contention. 'I can't say it will involve me too much,' he joked. 'I haven't noticed any extra cameras or anything like that, so I'm not too sure who will be in it. 'It will be good for the club, good for the sport as a whole, to be able to see a little bit more of what goes on for our fans and members.'
West Australian
2 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Football boss Gregg Swann defends umpiring standards after Fremantle's Karl Worner dissent penalty
New AFL footy boss Greg Swann has laid the blame for the controversial 50m penalty paid against Karl Worner firmly at the feet of the Fremantle defender, even suggesting he should cop a spray from the coach. Worner was penalised for umpire dissent after waving his arm towards the scoreboard after a marginal high contact call on Lachie Schultz, giving away 50m and allowing the former Docker to kick an easy goal. The penalty drew widespread criticism from fans and experts, with commentator Nick Riewoldt labelling the call as 'ridiculous.' However, Swann, who took over as head of football operations on Monday, defended the umpire's call, saying Worner had no one to blame but himself. 'The interesting part about that stuff is if you're going to give away 50m penalties by pointing at the scoreboard, and everybody knows you don't do it, the coach would go nuts,' he said. 'My understanding is that there have been 13 of those paid this year, it's not just that one, and some will argue some have been missed as well. 'But everybody knows you're now allowed to do that, so don't do it.' Dockers coach Justin Longmuir called for clarification over how the rule is being applied. 'I'm not allowed to say anything about it, but how often have we seen that paid this year?' he said post-game. 'I see it 10, 20 times every weekend, players pointing (at the scoreboard). I just don't see it paid. 'So, are we going to stamp it out, or are we not? Is it going to be paid, or is it not? I don't make that call.' Sunday's clash between Collingwood and Fremantle saw several controversial calls, reigniting debate over the standard of umpiring throughout the competition. But Swann believes the focus should be on clearing up grey areas in the rule book rather than on umpiring standards. 'I think the umpires are doing a great job, it's the rules we need to simplify to make it easier to adjudicate,' he said. 'They're going to make mistakes, but in the main, they do a fantastic job.'
