Head to head: Fremantle 6 wins, Geelong 18 wins
Last time: Geelong 14.10 (94) d Fremantle 8.6 (54), round 22, 2009 at Skilled Stadium
MISSING IN ACTION
Fremantle
Chris Tarrant (ankle) - test
Garrick Ibbotson (shoulder) - 4 weeks
Antoni Grover (knee) - 4-5 weeks
Tim Ruffles (knee) - 5-7 weeks
Scott Thornton (groin) - 5-7 weeks
Geelong
Mitch Brown (leg) - 3-5 weeks
Ranga Ediriwickrama (hamstring) - test
Darren Milburn (hamstring) - 1 week
Steven Motlop (shoulder) - TBA
Matthew Scarlett (suspension) - 1 week
Travis Varcoe (thumb) - 5-7 weeks
SUMMARY
Fremantle’s super start to the season should ensure a close-to-capacity Subiaco Oval for the round three clash between second and fourth on the ladder.
After ripping Adelaide to shreds in the opening round, a new-look Freo chalked up its first Victorian win in three years last week when it beat Essendon. Still, it hasn’t beaten the Cats at home since round 5, 2004 and has lost seven straight against Mark Thompson’s side.
Geelong, also undefeated after two rounds, will have one day less to recover after a bruising encounter against Hawthorn on Easter Monday, but the reigning premiers again showed hunger isn’t a problem as they clawed back from a four-goal deficit for the second straight week.
The Cats beat Freo in the west during the pre-season and - having won their last six matches at Subi by an average margin of 52 points - will be confident of maintaining their record over the men in purple.After ripping Adelaide to shreds in the opening round, a new-look Freo chalked up its first Victorian win in three years last week when it beat Essendon. Still, it hasn’t beaten the Cats at home since round 5, 2004 and has lost seven straight against Mark Thompson’s side.
Geelong, also undefeated after two rounds, will have one day less to recover after a bruising encounter against Hawthorn on Easter Monday, but the reigning premiers again showed hunger isn’t a problem as they clawed back from a four-goal deficit for the second straight week.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Fremantle tagger Ryan Crowley didn’t endear himself to Geelong supporters at Skilled Stadium a couple of seasons back - or to Gary Ablett’s teammates - with his close-checking tactics on the Geelong superstar. On Sunday Crowley can again expect a run-with role on the Cats’ maestro - who is eager to atone after what he felt was a sub-standard 38-possession game last week.
Shannon Byrnes has become a crucial element of the Geelong forward line. His emergence from fringe player to genuine danger man has been all the more important given the early-season absence of Mathew Stokes and Travis Varcoe. Byrnes also likes the open spaces of Subiaco, booting a career-high five goals against Freo on this ground last year.
QUESTION MARKS
Aaron Sandilands has been in dominant form in the opening two rounds of the season. Can Brad Ottens and Mark Blake curb his influence and allow their star midfielders first use?
Fremantle’s youngsters have been terrific in the opening fortnight of the season but Geelong’s bigger bodies proved the difference against Hawthorn last week. Will the lighter frames of Barlow, Hill, Morabito and Ballantyne cope with the hardened Cats?
WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
Suspensions and injury have closed the gap. Should Chris Tarrant’s ankle not be right it will hurt Freo, while Matthew Scarlett is out and Cameron Mooney may well be - pending the tribunal’s decision - for the Cats. It is likely to again come down to the middle. Sandilands’ influence will be critical, but Geelong’s band of elite midfielders might just get it home.
PREDICTION
Geelong by 14 points
Follow Chris Pike's inside view of Fremantle v Geelong at #aflfreocats on Twitter.com from 4.40pm (EST) Sunday or @AFL_ChrisPike#aflfreocats
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
