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Fremantle Dockers vs Geelong Cats highlights: AFL live scores, blog

26th March, 2017
VENUE: Domain Stadium, Perth
TIME: 7.40pm (AEDT)
TV: Fox Footy (live)
BETTING: Fremantle $2.65, Geelong $1.50
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Fremantle 12, Geelong 23, 0 draws.
LAST 5: Fremantle 3, Geelong 2, 0 draws.
LAST TIME: R17, 2016, Fremantle 9.7 (61) def by Geelong 11.12 (78)

FREMANTLE
B: 3 Zac Dawson, 21 Joel Hamling, 34 Lee Spurr
HB: 5 Garrick Ibbotson, 37 Michael Johnson, 33 Cameron Sutcliffe
C: 32 Stephen Hill, 27 Lachie Neale, 9 Bradley Hill
HF: 6 Danyle Pearce, 23 Cam McCarthy, 26 Ed Langdon
F: 10 Michael Walters, 12 Jonathon Griffin, 22 Shane Kersten
R: 31 Aaron Sandilands, 7 Nat Fyfe (c), 16 David Mundy
I: 19 Connor Blakely, 8 Nick Suban, 18 Darcy Tucker, 14 Lachie Weller

GEELONG
B: 44 Tom Stewart, 13 Tom Lonergan, 46 Mark Blicavs
HB: 18 Josh Cowan, 25 Lachie Henderson, 2 Zach Tuohy
C: 5 Nakia Cockatoo, 14 Joel Selwood (c), 22 Mitch Duncan
HF: 1 Rhys Stanley, 7 Harry Taylor, 3 Brandan Parfitt
F: 6 Lincoln McCarthy, 26 Tom Hawkins, 32 Steven Motlop
R: 9 Zac Smith, 35 Patrick Dangerfield, 33 George Horlin-Smith
I: 4 Andrew Mackie, 10 Daniel Menzel, 21 Jordan Murdoch, 36 Tom Ruggles
Can Nat Fyfe reclaim his crown from Paddy Dangerfield in 2017? (AAP Image/Tony McDonough)
Editor
26th March, 2017
187
9135 Reads

Match result:

Geelong have started their season in style, cruising to a 42-point victory over Fremantle 18.7 (115) to 10.13 (73).

» Click here to read the full match report

Final score
Fremantle Dockers 10.13.73
Geelong Cats 18.7.115

Match preview:

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.

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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.

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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.

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