Fremantle Senior Coach Justin Longmuir has provided insight into the preparation and process the team is undertaking ahead of their big away trip to People First Stadium to face the third-placed Gold Coast Suns.

Speaking at his Tuesday morning media conference, Longmuir said nullifying Gold Coast’s forward-half pressure and rebounding half-backs would be key to defeating the 8-2 Suns.

“They are a great contest team,” Longmuir said.

“Their contest and clearance work - I really like the way they defend their front half, lock the ball in, and put enormous pressure on the opposition.

“They score heavily from that source, so there are some aspects of our game that we’ll need to get right.

“Their backs rebound really well. (John) Noble and (Dan) Rioli get a lot of the credit, which is deserved, but they all sort of join in and bounce off half-back as well.

“They’ve got some real threats, so we are going to have to be at our best.”

Gold Coast remain undefeated at home in 2025, with selection calls looming pending Captain Alex Pearce’s AFL Tribunal hearing on Tuesday evening and the need to replace Cooper Simpson following his AC joint injury over the weekend.

Longmuir said the team's process and preparation throughout the week would largely stay the same, but acknowledged several selection possibilities were being considered.

“We got good preparation on the weekend, with it being a bit slipperier and giving us the first look at wet weather in eight months here in Perth,” Longmuir said.

“We had a good travel prep leading into the GWS game. It’s going to be a similar trip and feel this week, so I think we had a good dress rehearsal a couple of weeks ago.

“(James) Aish played a good game (in the WAFL), (Bailey) Banfield came on and played that role well, and (Corey) Wagner can go back to half-back. We’ve got a few options.

“We’ve liked the size and shape down there, so I’d imagine we’d replace him (Simpson) with a small.

“We were really happy with the way he (Banfield) played on the weekend, and he most likely won’t be the substitute this week. That’s why we chose him as the sub, because he provides that flexibility.

“His ability to go back and play a role was critical, so we didn’t have to shuffle any other positions.

“He (Sean Darcy) needs to get through training and pull up well.

“It’s been the plan all along - when I say ‘horses for courses,’ it’s for these types of situations where (Jarrod) Witts is probably 125 kg and 211 cm and has that size advantage over (Luke) Jackson.

“Whether we need two rucks - that’s why I say that. So, we’ll see how Sean goes, then we’ll go to selection and decide what team we put out.”

Fremantle’s Round 12 clash with the Suns will be the team’s final match before returning to three consecutive weeks at Optus Stadium following the Round 13 bye.