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It’s not just bragging rights on the line in this massively important Western Derby XXVI as Fremantle take on West Coast Eagles at Patersons Stadium. We’ll have live scores from the game from 4.40pm AEST.
As a West Australian, there’s nothing better than a stoush between these two cross-town rivals.
West Coast – the proven credentials of premierships next to their name.
Fremantle – still searching for real success, but step up every single time they play the Eagles.
There were blowouts in the early years as Fremantle struggled to get near an experienced West Coast line up. But in the last six years, Freo has had a stranglehold on these matches.
While West Coast has won the last three, before that Fremantle had won nine of the previous ten matches.
Today has massive implications on the finals, which gives this Derby even more spice.
To make the finals, it’s pretty safe to say Fremantle need to get to thirteen wins. They sit on ten right now with five games to go.
After today they play Adelaide and North Melbourne on the road, as well as winnable home games against Richmond and Melbourne.
While they’ve won their last four games, they haven’t really beaten anyone (the Bulldogs, Melbourne, GWS and Port Adelaide all out of finals contention).
In fact, if you take away a strong first half performance against the Power last week, Fremantle were average.
Can they bring that sort of form into a Derby?
They bring back Zac Dawson into defence, something that will be met with some groans amongst Dockers fans, coming across with his coaching mate Ross Lyon and been below-par to date.
To make the top four, it’s very safe to say West Coast needs to win every game in the lead up to September.
After today they have a massive Friday night home game against Geelong, then Port Adelaide in Adelaide, Collingwood at home and Hawthorn on the road – that’s probably the toughest draw out of any club in the final four games.
Despite last week’s massive win at home to Brisbane, the Eagles has struggled in the last three or four weeks to not only cover injuries (which was inevitable), but also some key players getting suspensions.
It’s fair to say coach John Worsfold has stripped paint off the walls now they’ve lost key defender and captain Darren Glass for the Derby because of suspension.
The Eagles do have a better outfit when compared to Fremantle – better in the ruck with Naitanui/Cox vs. Griffin/Bradley, better in the midfield with Priddis/Gaff/Selwood/Kerr vs. Fyfe/de Boer/Crowley/Duffield.
But don’t be surprised if Matthew Pavlich causes havoc in the Fremantle forward line with the loss of Glass. Eric McKenzie would probably play on Pavlich anyway, but it’s the extra support of an All-Australian defender that he doesn’t have to lean back on.
Losing Matt Rosa is probably a bigger loss though. He was best on field in the last Derby with 43 possessions and has been one of the rapid improvers in the Eagles midfield in 2012.
While the Round 9 Western Derby was a bit of a let down, I can’t see edition thirty-six doing the same. Expect it to be physical and intense for most of the afternoon.
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