Firstly, the Saints themselves have proven to be Freo’s bogey side in recent times. In the past 7 fixtures between the sides, the red, white and black has reigned supreme.
The last time Fremantle defeated St Kilda was in round 9, 2007. On that occasion, Chris Connolly was the senior coach and Bell and Hasleby combined for 65 disposals.
Freo’s record at Etihad Stadium isn’t all that flash, either. It has never defeated St Kilda in five outings at the ground.
The club did show improved form at Docklands last year, winning two of six contests there and going the distance with the Saints in round 4, but before 2010 it had lost eight straight.
Fremantle will also be looking for its first Friday night win in Melbourne since round 10, 1999 - the night Tony Modra booted a still-club record 10 goals at the MCG against the Melbourne Demons.
These statistics won’t mean much to Mark Harvey and his players come Friday night, however, because this young generation of Fremantle Dockers is more interested in creating its own history.
In the most recent encounter between the teams, a struggling Saints’ outfit visited Patersons Stadium in round 10 this year and was far too strong for Freo, winning by 46 points.
Superstar Brendon Goddard was untouchable in the first quarter, gathering 10 quality disposals before a sickening collision ended his afternoon. But the damage had already been done as the Saints led by four goals at the first break and never looked back.
Goddard is back and his current form is as good at it has ever been, not allowing for his incredible displays in last year’s drawn Grand Final and the replay.
Fremantle must find a way to limit his output on Friday night because, as he proved in round 10, he only needs a few touches to hurt an opponent.
If one Saints’ performances have echoed the results of his team, it’s Nick Dal Santo.
The ultra classy on-baller cannot stop getting the ball lately, with seven 30-plus disposal games in his past nine outings.
Most recently he accumulated 39 disposals against Gold Coast this past Saturday.
Dal Santo must be stopped, and unfortunately for Freo, Matt de Boer, a prime candidate to take on the job, is out for the season with a knee injury.
Ryan Crowley is the obvious choice to get the gig on Friday night. Dal Santo is not fast, but he is smart and tough, which suits Crowley.
Both teams will be relieved to get key position players back from suspension this week - Luke McPharlin for Freo and Nick Riewoldt for St Kilda.
These two will probably play on each other, too, with McPharlin’s athleticism a good match for the brilliant aerobic capacity of the Saints’ captain.
The Freo defender kept Riewoldt goalless in round 10 this year, so Freo can feel confident that McPharlin can do the job again.
Above all else, vigilance will be paramount on Friday night.
St Kilda doesn’t usually score an avalanche of goals and bury an opposition (the 103-point win over Adelaide in round 18 being a blip on the radar).
Over the past three seasons, the Saints have been the masters of doing ‘just what is required’ to win games.
Scoring against its dour defensive game-plan requires precision skills and four-quarter concentration - something Freo was lacking both of against Hawthorn last Saturday.
Winning on Friday night is massive in the context of the 2011 season, and it will take every ounce of energy and ability Freo has to muster a victory.
But there is still enough class in the line-up to take it to the Saints.
Nat Fyfe is in sublime touch, as is Greg Broughton. Luke McPharlin, Antoni Grover and Alex Silvagni form the foundation of a strong defence on which a Freo win will be built upon.
But Freo must find a way to kick goals. Chris Mayne is the club’s leading goalkicker on 22 this season, with Matthew Pavlich, Hayden Ballantyne and Kepler Bradley just behind him.
The current top five clubs on the AFL ladder all have top goalscorers who have booted well over 40 majors for the season.
St Kilda full-back Zac Dawson is out through suspension for this game, so the opportunity is there for someone to stand up and kick a bag to help Fremantle topple the Saints on Friday night football.
