HEAD TO HEAD: Adelaide 16 wins, Fremantle 10 wins
LAST TIME: Adelaide 16.9 (105) d Fremantle 12.10 (82), round 11, 2010 at AAMI Stadium
TV: Fox Sports - (Melbourne/VIC, Sydney/NSW, Brisbane/QLD, Hobart/TAS 3:00pm, Adelaide/SA, NT/Darwin 2:30pm) Network 10- (Perth/WA 1:00pm, Adelaide/SA 5:30pm)
RADIO: ABC774, 11116SEN, FIVEaa, Triple M, ABC891, 6PR, ABC720, ABC936, ABC105.7
A full replay will be available on afl.com.au 12 hours after the completion of the match
BETFAIR ODDS: Adelaide 1.55, Fremantle 2.76
FORM: Adelaide: W Fremantle: WL
SUMMARY
There are a number of similarities between these two sides.
Adelaide and Fremantle almost traded places on the AFL ladder last season, with the Crows - unable to make good on their expectations of a top-four finish - tumbling out of the eight, and Fremantle surprising the football world by jumping from 14th position in 2009 to sixth in 2010.
The two teams also appeared to switch pre-seasons this year, with Freo enduring the nightmare run of injuries that derailed the Crows' season last year.
Fortunately for coach Mark Harvey, his players were able to turn around a disappointing pre-season campaign in round one and snatch an unlikely, but handy win over the Brisbane Lions.
Both sides boast exciting youth and both are considered worthy opponents this season, without being regarded as serious premiership contenders.
Only two kicks separated the teams at three-quarter time when they last met at AAMI Stadium in round 11 last season.
The Crows got up that day in Tyson Edwards' farewell game and will have to muster another special effort to shake off Freo this week in what promises to be another tight contest.
QUESTION MARKS
Who will support Ivan Maric in his battle against All Australian ruckman Aaron Sandilands? Kurt Tippett is expected to return from an ankle injury, but the Crows might also keep utility Shaun McKernan in the team to form a three-pronged attack against Fremantle's man mountain.
Can Fremantle kick straight? Freo had four more scoring shots than the Cats last weekend, but lost by two goals. Matthew Pavlich and Chris Mayne were among the players to butcher potential match-winning shots at goal in the last quarter.
How will Adelaide respond to the early-season bye? The weekend off has given a few sore Crows extra time to recover from round one, but has the bye stalled their momentum?
PREDICTION
Adelaide by 17 points
TOYOTA AFL DREAM TEAM WATCH
Richard Tambling starred in Adelaide's win over Hawthorn in round one, gathering 19 possessions and nine marks to post an impressive DT score of 92. The Richmond faithful won't want to hear it, but Tambling has settled in well at his new club and might be one to watch at $237,300. Mark Harvey angered a lot of DT coaches by subbing rookie Nick Lower out of the game in the third quarter against Geelong. The ex-Port Adelaide defender racked up 106 points in round one and knows AAMI Stadium better than anyone at Fremantle.
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The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
