For the second time in a week, the Dockers and Eagles went head-to-head in a practice match but this one was a much closer representation of how the sides will line up in round 1 and thankfully was a much closer contest to watch. The undermanned Eagles did well to stay in the contest all night with the Dockers’ poor goal conversion keeping it a contest. In the end, Fremantle held on for a nice win and both sides will take plenty of positives in the lead up to round 1.
Andrew Brayshaw
Looked every bit the player we think he is going to be this year racking up 30 touches, 5 tackles and a goal whilst attending the majority of centre bounces. The tags will come this year, but Brayshaw is such a hard runner that it may not matter. His hard running rewarded him with a Joe the Goose goal in the goal square unmanned. There’s not much more to add here, if you liked Brayshaw before this game then nothing should have changed for you.
Luke Ryan
Has very much gone under the radar this pre-season as I haven’t heard his name mentioned at all. Fremantle dominated the uncontested mark stat as they frequently opted to chip the ball around in their back half. Ryan was a beneficiary of this style taking 13 marks for the game (all uncontested) and finishing the game as one of the highest scorers across the formats. If Fremantle maintain this game style throughout the season, Ryan could be a nice option although his price will put most off.
Sean Darcy
Tipped to give the top 2 ruck mantle a nudge this year, Darcy had a strange game that was hard to interpret. His Supercoach score was double his DT/AF score which indicates he had a big impact on the game without really touching the footy much. He played 80% of the game but could only manage 2 kicks for the game, 1 of which was an incredible banana goal from the pocket that I don’t think any other ruckman in the game would’ve pulled off or even attempted for that matter.
The role was fine as he did the bulk of the rucking but he didn’t take a mark for the whole game as he and Naitanui seemed to nullify each other out from the stat sheet. His cause wasn’t helped when Rory Lobb cannoned into him in a marking contest in the second quarter. All in all, a strange game from Darcy who I’m sure is still set for a big year but I don’t see him overtaking Gawn or Grundy just yet.
Caleb Serong
There has been a lot of breakout buzz this pre-season around Serong and rightfully so as he picked up where he left off late last season with a strong fantasy game. He collected 25 touches mostly on the outside attending 60% centre bounces and used the ball well. The concern with Serong increasing his scores this season is that his time on ground numbers need to increase for him to become a fully-fledged premium. He averaged 74% time on ground last season and was at 71% in this game. He did spend some time on the bench having his head strapped with the visual reminding me of a young Joel Selwood. Serong will be an excellent fantasy player for years to come, I’m just not sure if this is the year he completely breaks out.
Will Brodie
With Fyfe set to come back into the side, Brodie needed to put his best foot forward and finish off what has been a strong pre-season at his new club. In only 67% time on ground, he laid a match high 8 tackles to go with his 23 touches and looks like fitting in well to the Freo midfield attending 52% centre bounces. My main concern with picking Brodie to start the year is that he teased us last year with a solid pre-season and started the year in the Gold Coast midfield, but he looked completely lost and eventually lost his spot. The good thing about this year is he at a new club and is priced low enough that you can take the risk this year. If he’s named round 1, I’m on board.
Jordan Clark
Looks good in purple and you can just about be certain he will gain defender status early in the season. Looked assured with his 24 touches and should develop into the player we had hoped last season at the Cats.
Hayden Young
Maybe not relevant in the fantasy world just yet but I really like this kid. He’s tough and hard and reminds me of a young Rory Laird. Had 17 touches and would’ve scored much better had he not registered zero stats in the 2nd quarter.
Liam Henry
The wing role appears to be there for him, but the scoring isn’t. Just doesn’t get his hand on it enough.
Michael Walters
The midfield role is gone but Walters showed that at his best, he can still score well as a forward. Was brilliant in this game especially in the last quarter when he picked up 10 touches and kicked 2 goals. Worth a look in Drafts.
Matt Taberner
Was BOG at halftime showing a huge presence that Fremantle fans have been wanting to see for years. Was statless in the 3rd term before finishing strong in the last quarter. Not a terrible Draft option.
Heath Chapman
Played a very fantasy friendly game and made the most of Fremantle’s chip kick game style taking 8 uncontested marks. Is cheap enough but I wouldn’t be jumping on based on this one game. Worth watching in the early stages of the season.
Tim Kelly
With so many of West Coast’s midfield facing time on the sidelines, Kelly needs to lift, and he looks primed for a big season. Dominated the game and was one of the highest fantasy scorers on the ground across the formats. At full flight, Kelly is a joy to watch and is the X-factor that the Eagles need in the middle of the ground. He finished the night with 32 touches and a goal oozing class all over the field. Is cheap after an injury affected and poor 2021 by his standards and offers value, particularly in Super Coach.
Alex Witherden
Witherden had an interesting night playing in his usual fantasy friendly role. He looked to be the designated kicker out of the back half taking 6/13 kick ins (and playing on every time) but he did turn it over a few times which has been a knock on his game in the past. He finished the game with 27 touches, with 21 of those being kicks but the best part of his game, was the fact that he did this alongside Hurn. I think he can be the player we need him to be this year and is worth a look. Could come under some scrutiny for a big bump on Brayshaw at the opening bounce of the second half that sparked memories of Mark Yeates on Dermott Brereton in the ’89 grand final!
Andrew Gaff
Disrespected in the fantasy world this pre-season as there has been almost zero talk about him as an under-priced premo. He averaged under 100 for the first time in DT/AF since 2016 and 2017 for SC and is well under priced for his potential output. The problem is, it looks like last year might not be an outlier, but more the start of a downward trend. With so many Eagles mids missing, Gaff had to play much more inside than usual which is not his preferred position. He tried hard all night and West Coast looked much better when Gaff was involved. He finished with 21 touches including 15 in the second half and also kicked a goal.
Nic Naitanui
Very quiet night playing his usual low time on ground (58%). Was dragged deep to the defensive goal square often by Darcy which seemed a deliberate ploy to keep NicNat out of the action. It worked as he only managed 11 disposals and, like Darcy, zero marks.
Connor West
Maybe it’s the hair but there’s a real Matt Priddis 2.0 feel about this kid. I really enjoyed watching him crack in all night and with the current midfielder shortage at the Eagles, he’s a monty for round 1. 16 mostly contested touches from 69% game time but zero marks shows he needs to work on his outside game for him to be fantasy relevant.
Brady Hough
I’ll put my hand up and admit I knew next to nothing about this guy before this game but in a year where cheap rookies are scarce, he has put his hand up for round 1 with a decent performance playing predominantly in the back half taking 8 marks.
Hugh Dixon
The former Docker just joined the club this week and is now very likely to play round 1! He didn’t bother the stat sheet too much but certainly didn’t look out of place at the level. Did some nice things and finished with 9 disposals and 3 marks. Should be F8 in most sides.
Sam Petrevski-Seton
Didn’t get much game time but didn’t do much to warrant more game time. Not interested in him at this stage.
Bailey Williams
Looks like being Naitanui’s back up which is appealing considering NicNat’s a low time on ground guy, but Williams struggled to have any impact with just the 1 kick and only 5 hit outs for the match.
