WHO: North Melbourne v Fremantle
WHERE AND WHEN: Etihad Stadium, Sunday, April 17, 4.40pm AEST
TV AND RADIO: Broadcast guide
TICKETS: Purchase tickets
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Match Centre
THE LAST FIVE:
R21, 2015: North Melbourne 14.10 (94) d Fremantle 12.11 (83) at Etihad Stadium
R8, 2015: Fremantle 17.13 (115) d North Melbourne 5.12 (42) at Domain Stadium
R6, 2014: North Melbourne 10.14 (74) d Fremantle 8.13 (61) at Domain Stadium
R13, 2013: Fremantle 10.7 (67) d North Melbourne 4.5 (29) at Domain Stadium
R22, 2012: Fremantle 20.12 (132) d North Melbourne 12.7 (79) at Etihad Stadium
SUMMARY (AFL.COM.AU):
Having overcome a fired-up Melbourne by five points in a thrilling shootout, North Melbourne returns to Etihad Stadium to face a desperate Dockers outfit. Fremantle is 0-3 for the first time under Ross Lyon and another loss would be a hammer blow to the finals hopes of last year's minor premiers. Freo was better in the Western Derby after reverting to a more familiar defensive playing style, but the 33-point defeat was compounded by broken ribs and a collapsed lung suffered by ruckman Aaron Sandilands. North has topped the 100-point mark in all three games so far and if the Dockers can't lock the game down, they could be blown away under the roof.
Todd Goldstein has had a strong start to 2016.
THE HEADLINES:
ET: Dockers vow to improve (Apr 13, 2016)
Fremantle has run out of excuses heading into its crunch match against North according to Matthew Pavlich…MORE
Ray upgraded (Apr 13, 2106)
Farren Ray is a step closer to debuting for his third club after North Melbourne lodged paperwork at the AFL to upgrade him off its Rookie List… MORE
‘Don’t dismiss Dockers’ (Apr 10, 2016)
Michael Firrito says the Roos will need to pay great respect to last year's minor premier, Fremantle, despite its injury concerns… MORE
TEAMS
North Melbourne
Backs M.Firrito 11 R.Tarrant 25 S.Wright 19
Half Backs S.Atley 18 S.Thompson 16 L.McDonald 21
Centreline J.Macmillan 34 D.Wells 8 N.Dal Santo 15
Half Forwards J.Ziebell 7 J.Waite 30 S.Higgins 4
Forwards B.Harvey 29 D.Petrie 20 L.Thomas 12
Followers T.Goldstein 22 B.Cunnington 10 A.Swallow 9
Interchange B.Jacobs 5 M.Wood 32 S.Gibson 43 B.Brown 50
Emergencies L.Hansen 6 K.Turner 40 F.Ray 44
In: M.Wood
Out: T.Garner (Hamstring)
Fremantle
Backs G.Ibbotson 5 Z.Dawson 3 L.Spurr 34
Half Backs C.Sutcliffe 33 M.Johnson 37 T.Sheridan 11
Centreline E.Langdon 26 S.Hill 32 D.Pearce 6
Half Forwards M.Walters 10 M.Pavlich 29 H.Crozier 17
Forwards A.Pearce 25 C.Mayne 23 H.Ballantyne 1
Followers J.Griffin 12 N.Fyfe 7 L.Neale 27
Interchange N.Suban 8 L.Weller 14 M.Taberner 20 M.Barlow 21
Emergencies J.Hannath 38 B.Grey 28 D.Tucker 18
In: J.Griffin , H.Crozier , M.Taberner
Out: A.Sandilands (ribs) , M.De Boer (Omitted) , T.Mzungu (Omitted)
Lachlan Hansen could return to North's side on Sunday.
THE COACH SAID:
THE SIX STATS (AFL.com.au):
1. The Dockers could really feel the pain of losing Sandilands against North. The giant ruckman was best on ground with 43 hit-outs, 14 disposals and two goals last time the teams met. Roos counterpart Todd Goldstein was almost as good with 28 hit-outs, two goals and 15 touches, earning two Brownlow votes.
2. North and Freo are an extreme contrast in terms of scoring. The Roos are averaging 120 points a game (second best in the AFL) while Freo is averaging just 65 points (third worst).
3. The Dockers have never lost four consecutive games under Ross Lyon, the club hasn’t lost four in a row at any time since the last four games of 2011 and as a senior coach Lyon has lost four in a row only once, early in his first season in 2007.
4. The Roos have dominated Freo at Etihad Stadium, winning five of the six meetings. North holds sway overall, too, with 16 wins from 26 clashes.
5. Freo's one-time clearance advantage has deserted them this year. The Dockers are ranked 14th (32.3 per game) while the Roos are ranked second, averaging 42.
6. Star ruckman Goldstein climbed one spot to third overall, his highest ever position in the Schick AFL Player Ratings, after booting a career-best five goals and winning 38 hit-outs in the Roos' five-point win over Melbourne.
North has won five of six meetings against Fremantle at Etihad Stadium.
THE BURNING QUESTIONS:
Can the Dockers cover Sandilands?
The loss of Aaron Sandilands is significant for Fremantle. Jonathon Griffin has shown he can step up in Sandilands’ absence previously, but he’ll face one of the best rucks in the competition; Todd Goldstein. The North big man kicked five goals last week, and will no doubt be looking to bounce back after Max Gawn got on top of him at the stoppages.
Will Jacobs tag Fyfe?
The Brownlow Medalist is a clear standout, but North also has the likes of Lachie Neale and Stephen Hill worry about. Jacobs has started where he left off last season, shutting out Daniel Rich and Nathan Jones in his two outings so far.
Will the streaks continue or end?
North has the chance to make it four wins in a row, while Fremantle can end it’s string of three consecutive losses. It’s Brad Scott’s best start versus Ross Lyon’s worst. When the final siren sounds on Sunday, North will be hoping to keep its unbeaten run alive while the Dockers will be hope to snap its losing ways.
Can Brad get another one back?
Of all the current coaches, Brad Scott’s record against Ross Lyon (St Kilda/Fremantle) is the worst with two wins and seven losses from nine games. North was able to defeat the Dockers in Perth last time and Scott will have the chance to claw another back at Etihad. Club-wise, Scott’s record against Fremantle stands at four wins and five losses.
Will Harvey’s Boom start continue?
Brent Harvey has booting 11 goals in three games, including a career-high six last week. The North champion kicked four majors when the teams last met, and with no Ryan Crowley in the Dockers’ line-up, he could take full advantage.
Brent Harvey kicked four goals in North's last meeting against Fremantle.
