Well, last week’s game was obviously one we would like to forget!
I feel like I’ve said that a lot this season… The Fremantle Dockers come into this week off a horrendous 104-point loss to the Sydney Swans last week. It was a terrible game, to say the least. I was covering my eyes at one point. Cam McCarthy finished with two goals and Nat Fyfe managed 28 disposals. One positive was that Matt Taberner took nine marks and kicked a goal, the most marks taken by any player for the game. Tabs played well in a struggling side, he has spent a lot of time playing for Peel Thunder in the WAFL this season because one area that he needed to work on was his marking. It’s good to see that he is improving and coming along in the right direction.
Some big news regarding the Dockers squad this week – Harley Bennell will make his long-awaited (and much anticipated) debut against Richmond at Domain Stadium this week, after struggling with a calf injury since his arrival from Gold Coast at the end of 2015. It will be his first AFL game in 722 days! Ryan Nyhuis and Hayden Crozier also come into the 22-man squad, while Lachie Neale will miss this week with a knee injury, Shane Kersten has been ruled out with a groin injury and Danyle Pearce has been omitted. Hayden Ballantyne is the milestone man this week, playing his 150th game.
The Tigers have included Ben Lennon, Jacob Townsend, Oleg Markov and Jack Graham into their 25-man squad this week, Josh Caddy is out with a hamstring injury. Richmond are not generally known for their consistency however, they have done well this season to be currently sitting inside the top four. There is a lot to like about the Tigers, especially with players like Brownlow medal favourite Dustin Martin and Alex Rance- the intercept king.
The Fremantle Dockers have nothing to lose at this at this point in the year however, they will want to make sure they don’t deliver another performance like last week. It’s Freo’s last game EVER at Domain Stadium and hopefully they can put on a good show. We all know how much David Mundy likes to spoil Richmond’s fun by kicking a winning goal after the siren… My fingers are crossed for a close and exciting game!
I am tipping the Richmond Tigers to beat the Fremantle Dockers by 4 points!
Let us know you #AFLFreoTigers predictions at @TweetPerth @EmmaPaynes
