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Geelong have started their season in style, cruising to a 42-point victory over Fremantle 18.7 (115) to 10.13 (73).
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Final score
Fremantle Dockers 10.13.73
Geelong Cats 18.7.115
It’s the Nat Fyfe vs Patrick Dangerfield show in Perth as the Fremantle Dockers take on the Geelong Cats to close out Round 1. Join The Roar for live scores and rolling coverage from 7:40pm (AEDT).
It was the season from hell for the Dockers in 2016, with a spate of injuries combining with some middling form to see them finish sixteenth on the ladder with just four wins.
One of those injured players was 2015 Brownlow Medallist Nat Fyfe, but the manbun-rocking superstar is back – and in an extra twist, he returns as a newly minted captain as well.
But it’s not just Fyfe’s return that has the Dockers looking better on paper- Freo’s line-up barely resembles the rabble they became last year.
A quartet of recruits in key defender Joel Hamling, mid-sized forward Shane Kersten, young goalkicker Cam McCarthy and speedy winger Brad Hill will all front up in the purple for premiership points for the first time, while rangy backman Michael Johnson is another welcome addition after injuries wrecked his 2016.
Of those five, Hill and McCarthy are under the most pressure; Hill is coming off a subdued final season with Hawthorn in which he played like he was out the door come trade period, while McCarthy’s desire to return home was so strong that he was willing to sit out an entire year after GWS vetoed his trade request at the end of 2015 to make it happen.
Geelong, meanwhile, are out for redemption as well, after a strong campaign culminated in a thrashing at the hands of Sydney in the preliminary final.
After crossing from Adelaide, Patrick Dangerfield took over from Fyfe as the competition’s biggest star after a stunning, Brownlow-record-smashing season, while Joel Selwood did nothing to diminish his reputation as a modern great.
But it’s their depth that has onlookers concerned about the Cats’ ability to back up last year’s success in 2017, with several players – notably enigmatic forward Steven Motlop, steeplechaser-turned-utility Mark Blicavs, and established midfielder Mitch Duncan – under a bit of pressure after going missing in that preliminary final loss.
Third midfielder in line Cameron Guthrie has been scratched from the starting team after failing to overcome a calf complaint he sustained in a VFL practice match, so the onus will be on this trio, plus potential breakout candidate George Horlin-Smith, to fill the void.
The Cats aren’t without new names of their own, with Zach Tuohy crossing from Carlton to attempt to replace Corey Enright across the half-back line, while mature-aged defender Tom Stewart and young midfielder Brandan Parfitt are making their AFL debuts.
Prediction
I’ve tipped the Cats for the premiership, oddly enough, so I know which way I’m going this week.
But it’s going to be fascinating to see whether coaches Ross Lyon and Chris Scott allow Fyfe and Dangerfield to go head-to-head in midfield like they did in the now-infamous Adelaide-Fremantle clash of 2015.
It’s a battle within a battle, but I’ll go for Danger – and his Cats – to win this round in a tight one.
Geelong by 12 points
Will Geelong take the first step on the path to redemption for their nightmare of a preliminary final? Or will Nat Fyfe lead the Dockers to a glorious home victory?
Tune into The Roar’s live blog of the match from 7:40pm (AEDT), and don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.