FREMANTLE coach Mark Harvey says his side will not take a backward step against Geelong at Skilled Stadium on Saturday in what shapes as a fiery clash given the recent history between the two sides.
In round six this year Fremantle tagger Ryan Crowley repeatedly clashed with Brownlow Medal favourite Gary Ablett, while Josh Carr was subsequently suspended for three weeks for striking the star Cat.
Ablett was held to a season low 15 possessions by Crowley, nine less than his second worst haul of the year in round one against Port Adelaide.
Post game, Geelong coach Mark Thompson, a former teammate and close friend of Harvey’s, labelled Fremantle’s tactics as outside the spirit of the game.
On Friday, Harvey hit back.
“Yeah, it was,” he said when asked if Thompson’s criticism was unfair.
“Bomber (Thompson) was a tagger himself when he used to play and I’ve seen him do some untoward things as a player. He’s not one to complain.
“Mental toughness is a big thing in football and players get big jobs …it’s a facet of the game.
“Let’s not complain about it. Do something about it if you’re getting tagged.”
Having lost the round-six match by a solitary point, Harvey said both sides were very different to the line-ups that fought out the Subiaco epic.
Fremantle will be without former skipper Peter Bell who announced his retirement mid-week in a move Harvey hopes does not affect the playing group.
“From a performance point of view we are about to find out,” he said of the impact of Bell’s shock announcement.
“Peter bought a lot of experience and direction to the group and that’s where other guys have to step up.
“Our young blokes aren’t daunted by who they’ve come up against and that’s what we’ve been really excited about from a team aspect.
“Even though we haven’t been winning, it’s about how the group has evolved with so many younger players in the team.”
Nine of Fremantle’s 12 losses this season have been by less than 18 points.
To upset the top-of-the-table Cats, Harvey said a fast start and intensity around the ball were keys.
Given space he said Geelong would chew his young side to pieces.
“They are probably the best ball-moving side in the competition and you’ve got to derail that and stop it,” he said.
“We’ve got to put enormous pressure on because they can hurt you quickly.”
At 2-12 and in 14th position, Harvey said the goals for the club in the remaining eight rounds centred on credibility.
“The best-case scenario is that we put some credibility on from a winning aspect and also to see the team evolve,” he said.
“I haven’t seen too many teams go through what we’ve gone through this year in terms of how many close games we’ve lost.
“But, the real faith this team has got is that it keeps backing up every week and we expect that to happen tomorrow.”
One player desperate to show something is veteran forward Jeff Farmer who returns to the side after a one-week club suspension.
Out of contract at season’s end, the 31-year-old is playing for his footballing future.
“I haven’t said that to him so that’s a perception, but Jeff’s smart enough to work it out for himself,” he said.
