Freo hit breaks for six
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon has played down the significance of six-day breaks leading into tomorrow night’s clash with Richmond at Domain Stadium, saying “sometimes you’ve just got to play good footy”.
Both teams had six days to prepare for the match after playing last Saturday night, but Fremantle had to travel back from Adelaide after a gruelling win in the wet.
“We just deal with what’s in front of us, do our best preparation, and physically and strategically prepare for Richmond,” Lyon said.
“But basically how we play is how we play. We just have little tweaks, which is a good place to be, and we’re really excited about another challenge.”
The Dockers won just twice from seven attempts coming off a six-day break in 2014, but have already saluted three times off short breaks this season.
“Sometimes you just play better footy, you play better footy and win,” Lyon said.
“But when you lose people want to go to six-day breaks. There’s a cumulative effect.
“It’s certainly harder six days off travel. But it’s about playing good footy. Geelong were a pretty good team. For four years, whatever it was, they lost six games or eight games.
“I’m sure they had plenty of six-day breaks and plenty of travel but they didn’t talk about their prep, they just played good footy.”
Defender Lee Spurr is in doubt for the clash with Richmond as he nurses a “severe corkie” from the game last Saturday.
Spurr, who has been handed big jobs on star small forwards Lindsay Thomas and Eddie Betts in the past fortnight, jogged laps away from the main group at Fremantle Oval yesterday and had his lower right leg strapped.
Lyon said Spurr would be given until tomorrow to prove his fitness if required, but Tendai Mzungu, Matt de Boer and Hayden Crozier were waiting in the wings to replace him if he doesn’t measure up.
Fremantle would also be cautious with veteran defender Luke McPharlin in the wake of Zac Dawson’s surgery for a broken thumb. Dawson joins fellow back man Alex Silvagni (hamstring) on the sidelines for up to two months.
The Dockers will beat their best winning streak of nine games if they overcome Richmond and make their 2015 record 10-0. But the Tigers come to Perth confident after winning their past three games.
“Like most AFL teams, they run hard,” Lyon said.
“They’ve adjusted their ball movement.
“They were getting scored off turnovers heavily so they’re going a bit slower — a lot of short kicks, controlling the ball a little bit more.
“They get good run from behind and their forwards lead up really well. They are really good around the ball.”
