WHEN & WHERE: Friday September 5, 6:40pm (local time) at Subiaco Oval.
COVERAGE: Channel 10 – Live: Melbourne 8pm, Adelaide 7.30pm. Perth 7pm, Sydney and Brisbane 10.50pm.
HEAD TO HEAD: Fremantle: 4, Essendon 10. Finals: 0.
LAST TIME: Essendon 20.13 (133) d Fremantle 11.7 (73), round 21, 2003 at Telstra Dome. Kevin Sheedy dubbed Telstra Dome the ‘House of Horrors’ for the week, and the Dockers played like they were spooked, losing by ten goals. It was the Dons’ sixth straight victory, and a wake up call for Freo on the eve of the finals. Essendon got their run-on after booting three goals just before three-quarter time and Fremantle managed just two goals to the home team’s six in the final term. Matthew Lloyd kicked six goals and along with Jason Johnson and James Hird was among his side’s best. Paul Medhurst (four) and Troy Simmonds (three) were the Dockers’ biggest scorers.
THE MEDICAL ROOM: Troy Cook is out for the finals after breaking his left ankle during last Saturday’s derby. Jeff Farmer is expected to recover from a back complaint after being carried off on a stretcher in the same game, but will be tested. Key defender Shane Parker is fit after a bout of the flu, as will Trent Croad after an ankle injury kept him out of the round 22 clash against the eagles. Things couldn’t be better at Essendon injury-wise, with veteran ruckman Steven Alessio the only doubtful starter for the match with a back complaint.
THE FORM: Fremantle responded to its disappointing round 21 showing with a memorable 14 point final round victory over local rival West Coast. It was the best derby the West Australian teams have played, and should give the Dockers confidence going into their first finals series. Fremantle finished the home-and-away season in fifth position, after clocking its 14th win of the year. The Dockers equalled Sydney on premiership points, but had a percentage 11.9 percent inferior.
WHO’S HOT: James Hird was clearly Essendon’s best player in its critical round 22 match with Collingwood. The skipper accumulated 27 possessions – matching his Collingwood counterpart Nathan Buckley – and with his uncanny vision, played a significant role in keeping his side in the game. Paul Hasleby was brilliant in his side’s defeat of West Coast when he was the leading possession winner on the ground. The superbly talented midfielder gathered 29 touches, took four marks and kicked one goal.
WHO’S NOT: Aaron Henneman played just his fourth game of the year for the Bombers last Friday night, and struggled against his agile opponent Josh Fraser. After returning to the senior side in round 22 last year, Henneman was overlooked for both of the Dons’ finals. The corresponding game in 2003 was far from convincing. Troy Cook can feel genuinely duped after suffering a season ending season injury on the eve of Fremantle’s first ever finals campaign. The midfielder has not missed a senior game for the Dockers since arriving from Sydney before the 2000 season.
KEY MATCH-UPS: Hird lined up on Pavlich when these sides last met, and by dragging him into defence successfully kept out of the early play. The young Docker was later released by his coach however, and after moving up the ground helped Freo stage a minor revival before half-time. McPharlin is likely to get the job on Coleman Medallist Lloyd again, but would be hoping it doesn’t get any worse than last time when the star Bomber bagged six majors. McPharlin coped admirably in round 21, but was rendered simply helpless at times by the talents of Lloyd. Expect Paul Medhurst to be manned by Mark McVeigh, who has lined up on small forwards all season. Big man Aaron Sandilands hit form last week, and it will be interesting to see how he matches up with David Hille.
ALL-TIME CLASSIC: The Dockers scored the biggest win of their history over Essendon at Subiaco in round 12, 1997, when they creamed the travellers by 97 points. Fremantle 24.13 (157) d Essendon 9.6 (60). The Dockers’ second greatest victory was over Fitzroy in 1996.
WE THINK: The pre-match hype will be enormous in Perth as the Dockers prepare for their biggest ever match. But for all the confidence last week’s result would have provided them, the effect on the players’ bodies cannot be denied.
But none come much tougher than Fremantle's Paul Medhurst. Medhurst is Fremantle's leading goal kicker this season with 48 majors and has been in outstanding form in recent weeks. He kicked three goals on the weekend against West Coast - his final goal sealed victory and ensured a home final for Fremantle. McVeigh is likely to get the job again this Friday night on Medhurst and his ability to shut-down the small forward will have a big bearing on the final result.
Essendon has a poor travelling record, particularly at Subiaco Oval where it has won just four of its 14 matches. The Dons have played the Dockers five times at the Perth ground and won two of them, the most recent in 1998. In round six this year, Fremantle beat Essendon by 31 points.
The inclusions of Farmer and Croad are vital. Both should be keen to atone for lacklustre efforts when the sides last met.
It’s a much re-vamped Essendon side that will compete in this finals match, but the club has enough experience to overcome the Dockers, who might be overawed by the September experience. Kevin Sheedy will have identified the early stages of the game as crucial, and if Lloyd and company can get a decent score on the board early, it might be the difference.
