When and Where - Sunday 13 May, 2.40pm (WST) bounce down, Patersons Stadium
Perth Broadcast information
TV: Live from 2.30pm on Fox Footy and delayed by 30 minutes at 3.00pm on Channel 7
Radio: Live from 2.30pm on 720 ABC and 882 6PR
For the full AFL national broadcast schedule, click here
Form-line
Freo - W L W W L W
Port Adelaide - W L L L L L
The medical room
Freo - Aaron Sandilands has shaken off his calf injury and returns to lead the ruck. Stephen Hill and Hayden Ballantyne sustained corks in last weekend’s game, but both are fine and will play on Sunday.
Port Adelaide - The Power is still without key ruckmen Matthew Lobbe and Jarrad Redden, while important forward Jay Schulz is still absent with an eye injury. Brett Ebert returns to play with his cousin Brad for the first time.
Who’s hot
Freo - Chris Mayne: Chris Mayne is one of the fiercest tacklers in Freo’s forward line, helping to lock the ball inside 50. He’s been excellent at finding the big sticks, too, kicking 10 goals for the year, including three crucial majors last week. He is also yet to kick a behind this season.
Port Adelaide - Brad Ebert: The former West Coast Eagle is thriving back home in South Australia. He’s averaging 21 disposals and seven marks per game and his knowledge of Patersons Stadium from his time in Perth could be important.
X-Factor
Freo - Aaron Sandilands: Port has been monstered in the ruck minus Lobbe and Redden. News of Sandilands’ return wouldn’t have been met with too much joy.
Port Adelaide - Brent Renouf: For reasons mentioned above, Freo has a clear advantage at the stoppages. If the Power is to have a chance of winning on Sunday, their ruckman Renouf must put up some resistance against Sandilands and co.
Key match-up
Matthew Pavlich v Troy Chaplin: The Freo captain needs just four goals to reach 500 in his career. Key forwards Jack Riewoldt (Richmond), Taylor Walker (Adelaide) and Travis Cloke (Collingwood) have booted four, six and four goals respectively on Port’s defence over the past three weeks. Pavlich could be in line for a good Mother’s Day afternoon if Freo’s midfield fires.
Stats that matter
- Port has been beaten by a combined total of 102-49 in hitouts over the past two games
- In the five games that he’s played in this season, Jay Schulz has taken 11 of the club’s 65 contested marks and kicked 11 of Port’s 62 goals in those games.
When they last met
Round 9, 21 May, 2011, AAMI Stadium
Port Adelaide 2.2 5.3 11.4 14.6 (90)
Fremantle 7.3 13.8 19.11 21.16 (142)
GOALS
Port Adelaide: Gray 3, Schulz 3, Phillips, K. Cornes, Hartlett, Westhoff, Pittard, Moore, Jacobs, Boak
Fremantle: Bradley 3, Mayne 2, Palmer 2, C. Pearce 2, Pavlich 2, Fyfe 2, Roberton 2, Lower, Ballantyne, Hill, Crowley, Broughton, Sandilands
BEST
Port Adelaide: Broadbent, Gray, Boak, Jacobs, Pittard
Fremantle: Fyfe, Lower, Pavlich, Bradley, Crowley, Mundy, Broughton
INJURIES
Port Adelaide: Brett Ebert (omitted) replaced in selected side by Cameron O’Shea
Fremantle: Sandilands (ankle)
SUBSTITUTES
Port Adelaide: Danyle Pearce replaced by Steven Salopek during the third quarter
Fremantle: Hayden Ballantyne replaced by Tendai Mzungu at three-quarter time
Reports: Nil
Umpires: McBurney, Leppard, Wenn
Official crowd: 16,274 at AAMI Stadium
Fremantle snapped a two-game losing streak and consigned a hapless Port Adelaide to its fifth straight loss, running out easy 52-point winners at AAMI Stadium. Fremantle took full advantage of a strong breeze and Port Adelaide’s dismal work rate in the first half, piling on eight unanswered goals either side of the quarter-time break to set up the 21.16 (142) to 14.6 (90) win.
The visitors substituted goalsneak Hayden Ballantyne from the game in the third quarter as a precaution. All-Australian ruckman Aaron Sandilands also finished the game on the interchange bench after complaining of foot soreness in the final quarter. Freo had 13 individual goalkickers in the comfortable win.
The stats
Often the contested-possession and clearance counts tell the story of a game, but it was Fremantle’s ability to win the uncontested ball that proved pivotal on Saturday afternoon. Freo finished the game with 95 more disposals and 60 more handball receives than Port Adelaide, which was reflective of their superior work rate and willingness to run and spread to receive the ball.
Influential players
Ex-Port Adelaide defender Nick Lower had a day out against his old side, amassing a career-high 28 disposals, five tackles and a goal. Nathan Fyfe continued his brilliant start to the season, picking up another 30 possessions and two goals.
Toyota AFL Dream Team
Freo - Paul Duffield: ‘Duff’ has averaged 110.7 DT points per game over his past five matches against Port.
Port Adelaide - Kane Cornes: Cornes is the only Power player to average more than 70 in the past five games between the teams. He’s scored 82.3 per game in that period.
Where Freo can win it - The ruck
As mentioned throughout this preview, Freo has a chance to dominate the stoppages in this game thanks to the presence of Aaron Sandilands against a depleted Port ruck brigade.
It'll still be up to the midfielders to capitalise on Sandi's work, however.
