Give us a break, Freo tell AFL
Fremantle chief executive Steve Rosich will lobby the AFL to limit the number of six-day breaks in their 2015 fixture but admits they must cope better with short turnarounds than they have this season.
Sydney, Fremantle and Greater Western Sydney have been dealt more six-day breaks than any of the teams outside Victoria this season, but the two West Australian clubs are acknowledged to have the heaviest travel schedules in the competition.
The Dockers have already had six six-day breaks in 2014 - five of which have resulted in losses to Hawthorn (by 58 points), Sydney (17), North Melbourne (13), Port Adelaide (18) and St Kilda (58).
They will almost certainly play fellow top-four contenders the Power off a six-day break when the round-23 fixture is finalised.
Rosich said talks with the AFL indicated that game would be played on Saturday, August 30 - six days after the Dockers' clash with Brisbane at the Gabba.
Fremantle lost only two of their six-day turnarounds on their way to a maiden grand final appearance last season.
"It (six-day breaks) is something we raise with the AFL each fixture review period and we'll do that again this year," Rosich said.
"The practicalities are we play in a national competition over the days, largely Thursday through to Monday, so there are going to be six-day breaks.
"We'd like to limit those but it's our challenge to continue to perform at the elite level even when those breaks are upon us.
"We have got at least one more to come this season and we look forward to getting a better result on that six-day break than we did on our last."
Rosich backed coach Ross Lyon and the players to rebound from their shock thrashing at the hands of bottom side St Kilda last Saturday.
The players will return to the club on Friday ahead of their next game against Carlton at Patersons Stadium next Thursday night.
"What I'm confident is that our guys do regroup quickly and their work and thoughts are now into the next game against Carlton at home," Rosich said.
"We have got an extended break before that to plan and prepare.
"We'll plan and prepare for that like we do all our games and we'll try and make the most of the next five home-and-away games and finish as high as we can on the ladder."
Rosich was speaking as the Dockers launched Les Everett's book on the club's first 20 years, "Fremantle Dockers: An Illustrated History".
