FREMANTLE ruckman Aaron Sandilands is primed to launch the season in top form against Collingwood on Friday night and remind the competition how good he can be, according to teammate Luke McPharlin.
Sandilands enjoyed a strong pre-season and was dominant in the Dockers' NAB Challenge matches, building anticipation he could produce more of his best football this season after an injury-plagued run.
On Friday night he will take on young Magpie duo Brodie Grundy and Jarrod Witts at Etihad Stadium, with veteran Ben Hudson also elevated to Collingwood's senior list this week as a potential back-up.
"He's had a wretched run and I think a lot of people forgot potentially how good he is," McPharlin said of Sandilands on Thursday.
"In recent weeks he's been in super form and he gives us an enormous advantage, particularly in the stoppage area.
"To have a figure seven foot tall and 120kg on the field is certainly an advantage, but we have to capitalise on that."
Sandilands, who missed the first 14 matches of the 2013 season because of a serious hamstring injury, has played 37 of a possible 71 games since being named All Australian in 2010.
The 211cm star was in vintage form late last year however, averaging 37 hit-outs in the last four matches and winning 44 taps in the Grand Final loss to Hawthorn.
McPharlin said Fremantle was in a strong position with all of its veterans available for Friday night's clash with the Magpies.
"We're very fortunate to have Aaron Sandilands and Matthew Pavlich, who weren't really playing much footy this time of year last year," he said.
"It's great to have our best players on the park and that certainly fills us with confidence going into the season.
Despite losing two pre-season matches against cross-town rivals West Coast, McPharlin said Fremantle had prepared "as best we can" and "everything was being targeted towards round one".
He said the Dockers' effort and intensity through their pre-season games had been at the right levels, but the team needed to work on its gameplan.
With a target to average two extra goals per game, McPharlin said there was room for the backline to be more attacking in 2014.
"We'd certainly like to be a bit more aggressive out of defence, to move the ball with a bit more penetration," he said.
"That all comes into it to find those extra goals, so there's certainly opportunities for us to be more attacking off half-back."
