Taking the game on and winning the contested ball is a big asset for Friday night’s game against Geelong, says senior coach Ross Lyon.
In their round 16 32-point loss to Melbourne on Saturday, Freo were down in contested possessions, tackles and marks inside 50.
“They (Melbourne) dominated in the air,” Lyon said.
“It is a concern. We like to win that (contested ball).
“To equal up in the clearances in the second half was a positive.”
Two of Geelong’s players sit in the top 10 for average contested possessions around the league. Patrick Dangerfield (third) and Joel Selwood (10th) averaging 16 and 13.67 per game respectively.
Freo also have two players sitting in the top 10 for average contested possessions with Lachie Neale in second with an average of 16.13 per game and the injured Nat Fyfe sitting eighth with an average of 14.20 from his five games.
“We know we’re playing a high calibre team,” said Lyon.
“It’s going to be a really good challenge for our leaders.
“We need to improve our clearance work, and all areas really.
“We’d like to chase harder and put more pressure on the ball carrier, because that’s what good teams do.”
Blakely could tackle 'unique beast'
Geelong is coming off back-to-back losses to St. Kilda and Sydney, but Lyon says that isn’t an aspect to think about coming into the game.
“We’ve got our hands full with ourselves, we’re really trying to improve our footy,” Lyon said.
“They’re a pretty good team.
“They’re fighting for top four.
“We’re focussing on ourselves more than Geelong.”
Fremantle host the Cats at Domain Stadium on Friday night at 6:10pm AWST.
