The run to the finals begins to look a little rocky for the Fremantle Dockers as they take on Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium this afternoon. We’ll have live scores from the game from 1.10pm AEST.
Fremantle’s formula for the finals is quite simple from here on in – continue to win and you may find a spot open up.
The Dockers have had a very solid yet easy ride over the last three weeks – home victories against the Bulldogs and GWS, plus getting up against Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.
Today may be a slightly different proposition. They come against a Port Adelaide team buoyed by their fast finish last week in Darwin and a side that is always competitive at home.
The good news for Fremantle is their recent record against the Power, with five of the last six wins going the Dockers way and in pretty convincing fashion (the last four by 40 points or more).
Matthew Pavlich continues his amazing form, while Nat Fyfe and Chris Mayne return to make this Freo line up just that bit stronger.
Port Adelaide will be hoping their second half last week against Melbourne is the start of something positive as they come to the end of their season.
Unfortunately for the Power, the finals won’t be a reality this season. But after what happened to the club last season, it’s good to see that they haven’t lost any competitiveness.
They will need to use the ball a lot better in the midfield and around half forward this week if they want to get close to Fremantle though. Last week they had just 45 inside 50s, which is not enough against a side that is closing in on a finals berth.
Despite a couple of winnable games as the season comes to a close, they need to put in a strong performance here today to show their supporters that they are indeed on the right track.