You could work out what sort of attitude Fremantle were taking into the scratch match against Carlton when they decided to name the captain based on who'd had the most recent birthday. Rocking up without a forward tall enough to ride the racing cars at Adventure World, half a midfield (most of who were puffed from the walk to the middle) and a defence relying on the competency of Zac Dawson; Fremantle weren't staking any claims on the night premiership. 

The instructions from the coach in the first quarter seemed to be for the players to keep their distance from the footy and just get plenty of run into the legs, which made for a disappointing scoreboard but a great display of discipline. So by quarter time Freo were 34 points down with just one goal, from a free kick, to their name.

Discipline appeared to improve in the second quarter with the Fremantle players getting even less of the ball as they struggled to win a clearance, lay a tackle, win a marking contest or even or stumble upon a loose footy behind the goals and trick the umpire into thinking it was the game ball. 

The second half saw the Freo players get into the action slightly more, with Carlton prepared to rest on their 10 goals of laurels, but quality football was still hard to find with the game meandering out to a 70 point loss for Fremante...either a good wake up call for the Dockers or a cunning strategy by Ross Lyon to get Carlton into a NAB Cup Grand Final and then sit back and watch the choking as the season goes on. 

There were plenty of good signs from some of the younger players as they fight it out for the love of their coach in the pre-season games as well as some standout older blokes. Lee Spurr put his hand up to become an integral part of the backline (or at the very least given an infection from a needle then sent back to the WAFL to become a forward), Danyle Pearce once again set the standard for attacking football, Clancee Pearce kept fighting for his position and Tanner Smith rocked up at the end of the game to take a pretty good mark. The Griffin-Mundy-Fyfe chemistry looks like it will need some work until Sandilands gets back. 

Fremantle's next scratch match will be next Saturday afternoon in the lush surrounds of Rushton Park, home of the Hayden Ballantyne Wing. 

Fremantle will play their fourth pre-season game of the year this weekend in what the AFL are referring to as "Round 2" of the NAB Cup. This week they  take on Mick Malthouse, or Carlton as they were formerly known,  at Etihad Stadium. "Round 2" of the NAB Cup sees the games return to a more traditional system of two teams playing each other but with a new set of fruity rules which aren't really worth mentioning because the umpires aren't that likely to enforce them correctly anyway.  

After mixed fortunes so far in the pre-season, Fremantle have brought in a bit of grunt to make sure Carlton don't use the game as an exercise in trying to take out key players in one of the main contenders for the flag. Matt deBoer, Ryan Crowley, Michael Johnson, Luke McPharlin and Hayden Ballantyne are back into the side after avoiding going to Adelaide with Stephen Hill and Michael Barlow being protected. Matthew Pavlich will miss the game, staying home for the birth of his kid, partly because he wants to be there and partly because he doesn't trust his wife alone with the all those shepherds and wise men. Anyways, these are the blokes who will be going.

Fremantle

Hayden Ballantyne, Zac Dawson, Jayden Pitt, Garrick Ibbotson, Danyle Pearce, Nathan Fyfe, Nick Suban, Matt De Boer, Michael Walters, Tom Sheridan, Jonathon Griffin, Tendai Mzungu, Ryan Crowley, David Mundy, Hayden Crozier, Luke McPharlin, Tanner Smith, Kepler Bradley, Lachie Neale, Zac Clarke, Cameron Sutcliffe, Lee Spurr, Michael Johnson, Jack Hannath, Paul Duffield, Jesse Crichton  (EMG), Clancee Pearce  (EMG)

Carlton

Andrew Walker, Marc Murphy, Bryce Gibbs, Kade Simpson, Matthew Kreuzer, Kane Lucas, Robert Warnock, Mitch Robinson, Chris Yarran, Brock McLean, Jeremy Laidler, Sam Rowe, Eddie Betts,Lachie Henderson, Dennis Armfield, Tom Bell, Marcus Davies, Nick Duigan, Jeff Garlett, Frazer Dale, Michael Jamison, Levi Casboult, Zach Tuohy, Simon White, Andrew Carrazzo, Aaron Joseph  (EMG), David Ellard  (EMG) 

The game kicks off on Saturday at 4:40PM Freo time. You can watch it on Foxtel or listen on the ABC Radio or that one where Howard Sattler berates people for no particular reason. 

Injuries to Stephen Hill and Michael Walters have marred Fremantle’s courageous five point loss to Adelaide in a practice match at AAMI Stadium today.

Read Full Article

There's no sweeter revenge for being knocked out of the finals than to return to the scene of your defeat a few months later, in summer, in a scratch match...well, no. It's completely meaningless but Fremantle are heading over to Adelaide in the middle of the NAB Cup to play a scratch match in the middle of a hot Adelaide day, for reasons which probably fall under the banner of sports science and thus are hard for mortals to understand. Anyways, off they go and these are the blokes who will be going.

Zac Dawson, Jayden Pitt, Garrick Ibbotson, Danyle Pearce, Nathan Fyfe, Nick Suban, Matt de Boer, Michael Walters, Tom Sheridan, Jon Griffin, Tendai Mzungu, David Mundy, Hayden Crozier, Michael Barlow, Tanner Smith, Kepler Bradley, Lachie Neale, Zac Clarke, Stephen Hill, Cam Sutcliffe, Lee Spurr, Alex Silvagni, Jack Hannath, Paul Duffield, Jesse Chrichton, Clancee Pearce

The game starts at 9am Saturday, Fremantle time. It will be broadcast by the well balanced team at FIVEaa

 Fremantle opened their NAB Cup campaign by devastating Geelong with a clinical demolition job that is sure to see the Cats reconsidering their decision not to drop out of the AFL and focus on the VFA. They then packed up their gear and were all set to hit Leighton for a cool down when someone told them they still had another game to play. 

Micky Barlow had a killer stitch from dominating in the first game, Michael Walters had already washed off his temporary neck tattoos that he applies to look more dangerous on the field, Sandilands was halfway into his roasted pig (or 'the entre' as he calls it) and Ballantyne was already on the train back to Mandurah. There are tv contracts and such in place though so Ross Lyon gathered together who ever he could find and sent them out to make a bit of a contest of it for the ticket holders. Unfortunately the Eagles were treating it as their grand final and the whole thing turned into a bit of a farce, with West Coast winning, in controversial circumstances, by 24 points. 

Earlier against the Cats the Dockers had looked the goods though. Michael Barlow should be back on Brownlow pace, racking up a bag full of stats as Fremantle's only midfielder. Stephen Hill darted in and out of the game but will be better for the run. Michael Walters was dangerous up forward and Chris Mayne was looking good until his ankle packed it in and headed for the ice bath. 

Fremantle's gentlemen of the midfield, Sutcliffe and Sheridden were the most lively of the youngsters, along with Hayden Crozier doing some handy work in front of goals. the two Pearce boys covered plenty of ground and looked dangerous while Zac Dawson was as good as he was last year. 

Fremantle have the week off now then head over to Melbourne to play Carlton on the 2nd of March. 

Footy season is almost here and to get the ball rolling or bouncing or, if you're an Eagle, sailing out of bounds on the full, the AFL have organised a bit of a kick to kick session, or a run up and down with the ball session if Ross Lyon has had a bad week, that they like to call the National Australia Bank Cup. 

As has become the tradition, several groups of three teams will take part in an opening round of matches with the two WA clubs hosting Geelong which will probably save the Fremantle players from having to wee in a cup, with any ASADA types that that might be lurking about having their hands full. Well not full but busy.

The game will consist of three matches. The Eagles will play Geelong first, so you can spend the early part of the afternoon enjoying the last couple of races from Ascot at the mobile TAB. Fremantle take on Geelong at about 5.45pm than then they get a crack at West Coast to finish of the night. Each match has two twenty minute halves and the rules are made up on the night using a big chocolate wheel. The games will only be broadcast on Foxtel. 

All three teams are obviously taking things seriously with Fremantle refusing to name a midfielder, Geelong steering clear of a ruckman and, well, it's always hard to tell if West Coast are joking or not when their selections come out. 

FREMANTLE

1. Hayden Ballantyne, 3. Zac Dawson, 4. Jayden Pitt, 5. Garrick Ibbotson 6. Danyle Pearce, 8. Nick Suban, 9. Matt de Boer, 10. Michael Walters, 11. Tom Sheridan, 12. Jonathon Griffin, 13. Tendai Mzungu, 17. Hayden Crozier, 18. Luke McPharlin, 21. Michael Barlow, 22. Tanner Smith, 23. Chris Mayne, 25. Josh Mellington, 26. Kepler Bradley, 28. Peter Faulks, 31. Aaron Sandilands, 32. Stephen Hill, 33. Cameron Sutcliffe, 34. Lee Spurr, 35. Haiden Schloithe, 36. Alex Silvagni, 37. Michael Johnson, 38. Jack Hannath, 39. Sam Menegola, 41. Paul Duffield, 44. Jesse Crichton, 46. Clancee Pearce

GEELONG

1. Mitch Brown, 2. Billie Smedts, 3. Jimmy Bartel, 5. Travis Varcoe, 7. Harry Taylor, 11. Joel Corey, 12. Trent West, 13. Tom Lonergan, 14. Joel Selwood, 15. Jordan Schroder, 19. Taylor Hunt, 20. Steve Johnson, 21. Jordan Murdoch, 22. Mitch Duncan, 23. Josh Caddy, 25. Jared Rivers, 26. Tom Hawkins, 27. Mathew Stokes, 28. Allen Christensen, 29. Cameron Guthrie , 31. James Podsiadly, 32. Steven Motlop, 33. George Horlin-Smith, 34. Josh Walker, 36. Brad Hartman, 37. Cam Eardley, 38. Jackson Sheringham, 39. Shane Kersten, 40. Jackson Thurlow, 41. Jesse Stringer, 42. Ryan Bathie , 44. Corey Enright, 45. Joel Hamling, 46. Mark Blicavs

WEST COAST

1. Mitchell Brown, 2. Mark LeCras , 3. Andrew Gaff, 7. Chris Masten, 8. Beau Waters, 10. Scott Selwood, 11. Matt Priddis, 12. Sharrod Wellingham , 13. Luke Shuey, 14, Jacob Brennan, 15. Jamie Cripps, 16. Eric Mackenzie, 17. Josh Kennedy, 18. Bradd Dalziell, 19. Adam Carter, 22. Callum Sinclair, 23. Darren Glass, 25. Shannon Hurn, 26. Sam Butler, 27. Jack Darling, 28. Ashley Smith, 29. Scott Lycett, 30. Blayne Wilson, 31. Will Schofield, 32. Andrew Embley, 33. Josh Hill, 34. Mark Hutchings, 35. Patrick McGinnity, 36. Fraser McInnes, 37. Adam Selwood, 40. Cale Morton, 42. Jeremy McGovern, 43. Ashton Hams, 46. Simon Tunbridge

Fremantle have added three new players to their list with the last of the AFL recruiting carnivals, or drafts as they like to unimaginatively call them.  Fremantle had a surplus of pre-season draft picks after confusing the dates they needed to delist Adam McPhee and Jack Anthony by and with their first selection they went for a South Australian ruckman by the name of Jack Hannath. 

Hannath is 200cm and weighs a crap load in the old scale, 100kg in the new and has been playing for one of the SANFL clubs, you don't really care which one,  as a ruckman. Over the past couple of weeks he has been training with the Melbourne Football Club and dropped in at Hawthorn for a look around but Fremantle had the advantage, thanks to their buggering up of the list before the main draft, and swooped on him.  Hannath no doubt looks forward to working with Sandilands, Griffin, Clarke and Kepler Bradley to improve his ruck work and crack a few games in the AFL. 

Tall defender who has good closing speed and reads the game extremely well coming into the opposition forward line. Makes good decisions on when to mark or spoil and provides good run from defence. Has shown ability to go forward and have an impact. Stood tall for Vic Country in AFL U18s this year matching up well on the oppositions best forward.

From:North Ballarat Rebels
DOB:09/03/1994

Height:195cm
Weight:87kg 
Position:Defender

AFL Draft Profile

Exciting medium midfielder/forward with natural speed and agility. Dangerous player around goal and very capable overhead for a player of his size. Represented SA in 2011 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships before returning to his native WA in 2012 where he played four matches and averaged 14 disposals and three tackles a game.

From: East Fremantle
DOB:09/02/1994

Height:184cm
Weight:73kg
Position:Midfielder 

AFL Draft Profile

It had become the stuff of legends. The story went that, on the plane back from Adelaide a few weeks back, Matthew Pavlich grabbed himself a notepad, borrowed a packet of Textas from Hayden Ballantyne and started working on a Uma Thurman style kill list. 

As he carefully wrote out each of the teams on his kill list, Pavlich would stylistically flash back to events that tore him apart inside, mostly in memories ripped off from Italian and Japanese cinema. 

First on the list was the West Coast Eagles. He didn’t really need a reason to want to kill the Eagles but they’d embarrassed him and his boys earlier in the season and it stung. It stung bad. They were to be his first target and a few days later he ripped them to shreds, kicking 8 goals and sending their supporters scurrying back under rocks or into Channel 7 studios. 

Next on the list was Geelong. The Cats had killed of Fremantle’s previous tilt at a flag in less than flattering style so when Pav was given a second crack at Geelong in a final at the MCG, he single handedly tore them limb from limb - best on ground with a lazy 6 goals. 

Adelaide came in at number three on his list. Fremantle were destined for a flag in 2006, there were very few things that could have stopped them but it turned out getting the worst finals draw in history and starting off with a match in Adelaide against Adelaide was one of them. Tonight he was going to make amends for that. The Crows were about to get a taste of revenge, Matthew Pavlich style.