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Fremantle ruckman Aaron Sandilands hopes his best form is still to come as he prepares to play his 200th AFL game in Sunday’s western derby against West Coast.
Sandilands has been a key part of the Dockers’ midfield over the past decade, with his 211cm, 120kg frame helping him become one of the most dominant tap ruckmen the game has ever seen.
But the 31-year-old has also copped plenty of criticism over the journey, with analysts such as Leigh Matthews pointing out that Sandilands’ utter dominance in the ruck has never fully translated into a comprehensive and consistent edge in the clearance battles.
Sandilands is contracted until the end of next year, and the three-time All-Australian hopes his game will grow to even greater heights over that time.
“You want to keep improving the whole time you play the game, so there is definitely lots of areas I need to improve in my game at the moment,” Sandilands said on Tuesday.
Sandilands was stoked to play just one game after being snared with pick No.33 in the 2002 national draft.
So he is understandably over the moon to be on the verge of reaching his 200-game milestone, especially after suffering a number of serious toe and hamstring injuries in recent years.
“You blink and the next thing you know it’s 200,” Sandilands said.
“It’s been a great journey and I’ve really enjoyed my footy. I love the Fremantle football club and the players and the staff that are there.”
Fremantle have slumped to eighth on the table following three losses from their past four games.
Last year’s grand finalists were among the favourites to win the 2014 flag, and Sandilands said it wasn’t too late to turn around their fortunes.
“We have achieved nothing, so for us the desire and desperation is there,” he said.
“The effort was there on the weekend, it’s just a matter of getting our skill execution and a bit of composure with the ball and things will turn around.”
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