It’s one of footy’s longest-running hoodoos. ELIZA REILLY breaks down Fremantle’s blueprint to beat the Swans at home.
Fremantle will undertake an extensive tour of the SCG ahead of its clash with Sydney as the Dockers return to the venue for the first time in five years.
The Dockers have not won a game at the famous venue in 12 years. They have had five attempts since 2011, losing four and drawing with the Swans once in 2013.
Nat Fyfe is the only player still on Fremantle’s list who featured in the club’s last win at the SCG, while 10 of the Dockers’ selected 22 from last week’s win against Hawthorn have never played in Sydney. Five other players have only played there once.
Of all the current AFL grounds, Fremantle’s SCG hoodoo is the longest standing, similar only to the Gabba where the Dockers have lost their last four.
Fremantle addressed the unfamiliar surroundings in its team meeting earlier this week but plan to spend even more time analysing the venue at its captains run on Friday. The SCG is the shortest of all grounds in the AFL at 155 metres, just one metre shy of the Gabba where Fremantle faced Brisbane in round seven.
“It’s going to be an unfamiliar environment for a lot of our boys, but we’ll be right,” Justin Longmuir said of the venue. “We’ll get there on captain’s run and look to do a bit of familiarisation and do a few drills that help us execute at the ground.”
Unlike previous seasons, the SCG is no longer Sydney’s 23rd man.
En route to a grand final, the Swans won nine and lost just two matches during the 2022 home and away season. So far this season, however, Sydney are 1-2 at home, beating Hawthorn but suffering narrow losses to Port Adelaide and Greater Western Sydney.
The Swans are also down on confidence and personnel, losing their past three games as well as defender Tom McCartin and ruck Peter Ladhams to injury ahead of Saturday’s clash. Fremantle are also 3-5 for the season but the Dockers have renewed confidence after defeating Hawthorn by 69-points.
“They were able to transfer the ball from one end of the ground to the other and kick big scores. They’re very efficient and (have an) effective forward line so we have to shut that down as well,” Sydney coach John Longmire said.
The dimensions will have an influence on Fremantle’s plan of attack. Longmuir conceded as much earlier this week. With a short runway for teams who win centre clearances, inside 50s will be at a premium. It’s a stat Fremantle sit 11th in. But going into attack has been one of the Swans’ strengths, with Sydney sitting third.
It relates to who wins the clearance. The Dockers currently rank 10th for centre clearances while the Swans are sitting fourth. It’s also a stat Fremantle were smashed in against Hawthorn, conceding 12-3 in the first half.
Locking the ball inside 50 is also set to shoulder greater importance but the Dockers and Swans are both towards the back-end of the competition in that category this year.
Fremantle convert 74.1 per cent of its opposition inside 50s into rebound 50s (13th) while Sydney is marginally worse at 73.5 per cent (15th). Both sides aren’t much better for total inside 50s, ranked 14th and 16th respectively, a marker that will be crucial given pressure will be a premium for teams inside attack.
The Dockers’ preference to own the corridor won’t change, even in the narrow confines.
It’s not quite a case of Fremantle versus the SCG, but the Dockers will certainly need to be at their best if they are to snap their 12-year drought.
