Fremantle and Essendon have got a bit of a deal going at the moment. We take their tough half back flankers, they take our flinching arsonists. We take players that have had a fight with Matthew Knights, they give us a couple of coaches he doesn’t like either. We let them win in front of their supporters and they let us flog the bejesus out of them at Subiaco Oval. So this week, with Fremantle getting to play Essendon at Subiaco Oval, all eyes will be on Matthew Knights to see if his integrity holds up and he lets Fremantle have their way with the hapless Bombers once again.

Fremantle and Essendon have got a bit of a deal going at the moment. We take their tough half back flankers, they take out over rated flinching arsonists. We take players that have had a fight with Matthew Knights, they give us a couple of coaches he doesn’t like either. We let them win in front of their supporters and they let us flog the bejesus out of them at Subiaco Oval. So this week, with Fremantle getting to play Essendon at Subiaco Oval, all eyes will be on Matthew Knights to see if his integrity holds up and he lets Fremantle have their way with the hapless Bombers.

The last time these two sides met, it was the first and last time that Kevin Sheedy would get to take on his former protégé as Mark Harvey coached his 4th game of league footy in Round 19, 2007. Some were expecting the old master to hand out a football lesson to young Mark but he turned the tables very quickly, taking his side to a 10 goal victory 21.14 (140) to 11.11 (77). In a game noted for its fast flowing movement, strong marking, straight kicking and what the Portuguese refer to us purpleo sympatico umpiro, Matthew Pavlich lead from the front with 6 goals and 30 possessions, Daniel Gilmore and Paul Hasleby also put in 30+ efforts. Matthew Lloyd kicked 5 goals for the Bombers and Dustin Fletcher kept himself busy down back with 26 touches.

Earlier that year, things went slightly the other way when the Dockers pulled on their snow boots in preparation for the Bombers at the Dome and came a cropper once again. This time it wasn't the surface that caught the Dockers but the umpires. A slow start by the Dockers was quickly turned around in the second quarter and a third quarter burst from Chris Tarrant saw them hit the lead. But some highly suspicious fifty metre penalties got the Bombers back in front and the undermanned Fremantle ran out of puff, finishing 10 points shy. Matthew Pavlich and Chris Tarrant kicked 4 goals each but were outdone by their Essendon counterparts, with Lucas kicking 5 and Matthew Lloyd 4. Paul Hasleby had the most of the ball for Fremantle and Dustin Fletcher and Brent Stanton for the Bombers. The Clinton Wolf Medal votes went to Hasleby, Pavlich and Aaron Sandilands.

A year earlier, Fremantle didn't just beat the Bombers, they used them as the step ladder that almost saw the name Fremantle engraved on a Premiership Cup. After a midseason slump that saw Freo looking lethargic and close to breaking point, Essendon proved to be a nice soft target to run themselves back into form. High marks, long runs down the wing, massive kicks sailing through for goals - the game had everything, even hay maker thrown at Matty Carr. Fremantle kicked 7 goals in the opening quarter and pushed on for 19 for the match, winning 19.11 (125) to 12.16 (88) . Matthew Pavlich, Ryan Murphy and Ryan Crowley all kicked 4 goals. Courtney Johns kicked 3 for the Bombers. Fremantle shared the ball around a fair bit but Paul Hasleby had the most of it with 27 touches. Scott Camporeale equalled Hasleby's effort for the Dons. The umpires and the Clinton Wolf Medal voting committee were in agreement that Shaun McManus was best on ground but were split with the minor votes. Matthew Pavlich and Justin Longmuir picked up the Brownlow votes while Paul Hasleby and Ryan Murphy picked up Clinton Wolf Medal votes.

It's gone on like that for a few years now - Fremantle winning comfortably over Essendon at Subiaco Oval and Essendon narrowly beating the Dockers in a low standard affair at Telstra Dome. The only break from the routine came in the 2003 finals series when the Dockers looked good things for the opening 5 minutes and then Luke Webster became their best player for the next couple of hours.

Thanks to a lopsided draw and some late nineties form, Essendon have won 14 games in their 20 encounters with the Dockers and they've won 3 of the last 5. They've only won 1 of their last 5 matches against the Dockers at Subiaco Oval though, and have lost their past 4 flamin' home & away matches. All up they have beaten the Dockers just 3 times at Subiaco Oval from 8 tries.

The Bombers have only left Melbourne once this year where they were beaten by an undermanned Adelaide side. Last year they overcame the their travel duck and won 2 of their 5 interstate trips but with 2 losses at Subiaco.

Currently they are sitting in 13th spot on the ladder with 4 wins. Two of those wins have come in the last two weeks, against wooden spoon favourites West Coast and last year’s wooden spoon winner, Carlton. Lloyd kicked 4 goals last week and Timmy Watson's kid got a few touches.

Fremantle return to Perth this week after pushing top 8 side St Kilda, despite some controversial umpiring, in a low scoring game. They are currently sitting one spot below the Bombers on the ladder with a far superior percentage but a month outside the top 8.