GEELONG star Steve Johnson has escaped suspension and won't face the attention of Ryan Crowley this week, but it does not mean he can breathe any easier, according to Fremantle defender Paul Duffield.
Johnson looms as a key figure in the Cats' vital clash with the Dockers at Simonds Stadium on Sunday.
Crowley has kept Johnson to 20 possessions or fewer in their past four clashes, dating back to the 2012 semi-final. Fremantle won three of those matches and lost the fourth by just two points.
Johnson's frustration at Crowley's close attention has spilled over at times, but with Crowley provisionally suspended due to a positive test for a banned substance last year, the Geelong midfielder could be a game-breaker this week.
Match preview: Geelong v Fremantle
But following Clancee Pearce's job on Port Adelaide captain Travis Boak last weekend, Duffield said the Cats star could need to prepare for attention from a different source this time around.
"I think Clancee Pearce did a reasonable job on Boak on the weekend," Duffield said. "That might be something we look to go for again.
"Ryan's been fantastic on Steve for a long period of time. We know he's an exceptionally damaging player, and he can take games apart by himself. He's probably one of the players we've got to try to curtail.
"He's really fit and he's a strong, hard determined player.
"Clancee will continue to work on it. He's got some great mentoring from Ryan at this stage in time to help him out."
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon was reasonably pleased with the job Pearce did on Boak although the coach did concede that Port's captain got away from him in the last quarter to finish with 25 touches and a goal.
Fremantle is not writing off Geelong despite the Cats heavy opening round defeat to Hawthorn.
The Cats were humbled at the MCG on Easter Monday, raising questions as to whether their once mighty empire may be in a state of decline. But Duffield said people have been sucked into the debate about Geelong for a number of years and every year they continue to excel.
"I think we've sort of been under the understanding that they might fall away a bit for the last couple of years and they haven't," Duffield said.
"They've still finished really high on the ladder and been one of the best sides in the competition.
"We have a huge respect for Geelong. We know they're a fantastic side and they have been for a lot of years, so I don't think we ever think that they're developing any weaknesses at all and we go in expecting their very best, which is really good football."
Fremantle and Geelong have developed a healthy rivalry over recent years. The two teams have met in three finals in the last five seasons. The Dockers have won two of them, including a famous qualifying final win at Simonds Stadium in 2013.
The two sides produced another nail-biter at Simonds Stadium in round 20 last season when David Mundy missed a shot after the siren to see the Cats scrape home by two points.
The Dockers are in good shape following a seven-point over Port Adelaide last Sunday.
Their squad is reasonably healthy with the exception of one key area that the Cats could possibly exploit. Key defenders Zac Dawson (groin) and Alex Silvagni (hamstring) are still a couple of weeks away from returning.
The Dockers did not have to deal with a particularly tall forward line against Port Adelaide but the Cats' twin towers of Tom Hawkins and Mitch Clark may stretch them a little further.
Duffield was confident that All Australian defenders Michael Johnson and Luke McPharlin could do the job.
"They are both very good tall forwards and Michael Johnson and Luke McPharlin are great defenders, so they will be great contests and I am sure they will lead to shaping the contest one way or another," Duffield said.
