Assistant Coach Steve Malaxos believes pressure to secure a place in Fremantle’s team will continue to be tough in 2006 with plenty of in-form players in the WAFL ready to make the most of their opportunities.

Malaxos said Fremantle’s match committee has been able to take a harder line to team selection this season because of a combination of more consistent performances in the WAFL and fewer injuries across the squad.

Veteran midfielder Jarrad Schofield has been rewarded for his form with Subiaco and will line-up for his first AFL game this season when Fremantle take on the Kangaroos at Subiaco Oval on Saturday afternoon.

Malaxos said Schofield has been a consistent performer for the Lions and worked tirelessly over the summer to earn his place after an injury interrupted 2005.

“He basically didn’t have break from last season, he trained on from October and didn’t want to come to London (to play in the club’s exhibition game against West Coast) because he wanted to train through that,” Malaxos said.

“His approach has been very professional. He is very fit and hopefully he’ll get rewards on Saturday against the Roos and continue on in the team.”

Fremantle will boast four players with more than 200 games experience for the first time in their history this weekend with Schofield (204) joining Captain Peter Bell (235), defender Shane Parker (213) and small forward Jeff Farmer (205) in the team.

The experienced quartet will complement Fremantle’s developing players including Ryan Murphy and Brett Peake who have also been included this weekend.

Malaxos is confident the team can bounce back from a disappointing effort against Melbourne in round seven and will be looking to recapture the form they showed against West Coast a fortnight ago.

“The boys have been really positive on the training track all week. They know it’ll be a tough challenge against the Kangaroos but can’t wait to get out and perform well in front of a passionate home crowd,” he said.


Alinta Red Shield Appeal
Malaxos also encouraged Fremantle members and supporters to make a gold coin donation as they arrive at the ground on Saturday to support the Salvation Army during the Alinta Red Shield Appeal.

Click here for more details about the 2006 Alinta Red Shield Appeal