Dockers pumped for Swans assault
Toppling premiership favourites Sydney in Saturday's first qualifying final will take an extraordinary effort, but Fremantle utility player Tendai Mzungu says the club will leave no stone unturned as the race for the flag begins in earnest.
The Swans will start warm favourites at ANZ Stadium, but faced a spot fire yesterday when veteran Adam Goodes was accused of staging by Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd.
The Goodes saga, bizarrely started by former cricket great Shane Warne on Twitter, led to Lloyd demanding Sydney do something about the dual Brownlow medallist's staging.
Dockers coach Ross Lyon was buoyant after clinching fourth spot and the double chance with an eight-point win over plucky Port Adelaide on Saturday at Patersons Stadium.
"We go in with good form. We beat Hawthorn, we beat Port, we ran Geelong to a kick and we haven't played Sydney for a long time … nothing really holds any fears for us," Lyon said.
The Dockers lost last year's grand final by 15 points to Hawthorn but Mzungu said they were genuinely excited to be back playing in September.
"It's what you play for, you go through the 23 rounds with your eye on the prize to play finals and the serious stuff," Mzungu said.
"We're thrilled that we're in a position to compete for the ultimate prize."
Mzungu said the disappointment of last season's loss wasn't playing on the minds of the players, but the hunger to win a flag was as strong as ever.
"It doesn't change anything," he said.
"It was our aim last year, it will be our aim this year, so we'll just prepare well and get ready for Sydney."
Fremantle and Sydney have been well matched in recent seasons, with their past five encounters resulting in two wins each and a draw.
Both sides should regain key players this week, with Nat Fyfe (suspension) and Alex Silvagni (rested) clear to return for the Dockers, and Coleman medallist Lance Franklin (knee), Josh Kennedy (hamstring), Ben McGlynn (calf) and Mike Pyke (illness) set to be named for the Swans.
The Dockers lost their only encounter this year, with Franklin's four goals the difference in a 17-point win to the Swans at the SCG in round five.
The Goodes issue came out of left field during the Swans' narrow loss to Richmond when Warne asked his 1.67 million Twitter followers whether they were "annoyed when Adam Goodes always 'stages' for free kicks?".
He then got more personal, hitting out at Goodes' Australian of the Year award.
"Shocked as I just found out Goodes was Aust of the year, wow! Who votes for that?," Warne posted.
Lloyd continued the attack on Channel 9 yesterday, saying: "I think it's something (Swans coach) John Longmire should say to him: 'pull up, just focus on the footy because you don't need to do that'."
