Back-to-back losses for Richmond makes this the perfect time for the Dockers to strike!
The Fremantle Dockers travel to the MCG this round off the back of a great come-from-behind win over the Bombers last week at Domain Stadium. After a fairly average first half by the young Freo line-up, they stepped it up a notch in the second half and overran Essendon to record an awesome 37-point victory.
Matt Taberner was a stand-out for the Dockers last week, finishing with four goals. I will admit that I have been slightly critical of Tabby in the past however, he has improved IMMENSELY since his last stint with Freo, notably with his marking, and I was extremely happy with his performance. Shane Kersten and Cam McCarthy completed Freo’s forward line and ended the game with two goals each. Captain Nat Fyfe was inspiring for his team, finishing with two goals and 26 disposals. Lachie Neale, who plays his 100th game on Sunday, tallied an epic 40 disposals and a goal. Brad Hill was not too far behind him, finishing up with 37 disposals and a goal for the game.
Richmond come into this game off a loss to the Western Bulldogs, the reigning Premiers handing them their second loss in a row. The Tigers held a 32-point lead in the second quarter against the Dogs and they really should have left with the four points yet, they were unable to keep up with the fast-paced Bulldogs and gave up their lead to lose by five points. Tiger’s ruckman Toby Nankervis returns this week after his one match suspension and will match up with Freo’s ‘tower of terror’ Aaron Sandilands.
Nat Fyfe kicked a ripper last week!
A real captain's goal #AFLFreoDons #foreverfreo pic.twitter.com/FIEOQCr1aj
— Fremantle Dockers (@freodockers) May 7, 2017
Coach Ross Lyon has made just one change to the Fremantle Dockers line-up for Sunday’s game, with the inclusion of Danyle Pearce, after he displayed some impressive form for Peel in the WAFL last week. He comes in for Harley Balic who has been left out of the squad due to illness. Tommy Sheridan, Griffin Logue and Nick Suban have been named as emergencies.
Along with Nankervis, Richmond also welcome back Ben Lennon, Shane Edwards and Jake Batchelor to their squad, with Nick Vlastuin missing out with a shoulder injury. After a 5-0 start to the season, the shine has started to wear off a little bit for the Tigers I think… This will either fire them up for a big win on home turf or they could come out a little flat.
The Dockers have upped their defensive pressure in recent weeks; they started the season conceding 130 points a game, which has now reduced to 84 points game. As Mark ‘Robbo’ Robinson said on AFL 360 the other week, if you don’t bring everything you’ve got to the Fremantle Dockers these days, they will beat you!
I’m tipping the Fremantle Dockers to beat Richmond by 5 points!
Let us know your #AFLTigersFreo predictions at @TweetPerth @EmmaPaynes
