FREMANTLE coach Ross Lyon was "disappointed" Joel Hamling's defensive methods were questioned by Western Bulldogs counterpart Luke Beveridge after last Saturday night's clash at Optus Stadium.
Hamling kept Aaron Naughton scoreless and to just two uncontested marks in the first half, before the Dogs youngster was swung back to defence.
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Beveridge didn't want to create a headline during his post-game press conference, but was frustrated Naughton didn't receive free kicks for being held.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Lyon defended ex-Bulldogs premiership player Hamling's stopping technique in the 19-point win.
"I was disappointed that it was alluded to that he hung on," Lyon said.
"I watched the game, I didn't see one hold.
"He doesn't hold, he actually doesn't play with much body, he just uses his speed and gets a fist in."
Beveridge's comments prompted Lyon to take a closer look at Hamling's method, and he disagreed with his Dogs counterpart.
"I'm just saying it pricked my attention and I had a really close look at it," Lyon said.
"I thought it was inaccurate."
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Hamling and Alex Pearce have become one of the League's best key defensive pairings, and part of a unit which ranks second for points against this season.
This Sunday at Adelaide Oval they could share duties on Crows skipper Taylor Walker, who has returned to form with seven goals and 15 marks in the past two rounds.
"Joel's in really good form defending and so is Alex, but you need pressure on the ball up the field," Lyon said.
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"If we don't have pressure on, Stephen Silvagni wouldn't be able to stop Taylor."
Lyon admitted it was difficult weighing up whether Connor Blakely would force his way back into the line-up after one game at Peel following a long-term hamstring.
"He's such a critical player for us going forward and on our list, big inside mid who went to half-back and had a best on ground when he went there," Lyon said.
"He's played his first one, we'll assess, he's got to get through a week of training, what's good is that it's going to be difficult to get him in, even if we wanted to get him in, based on form because the team's in form.
"That's a good proposition to have and to deal with."
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Versatile tall defender Taylin Duman is also available after suspension but Fremantle could go in unchanged for the first time since round 21 last year.
The Dockers are growing in confidence after a 4-2 start, and the next stretch against the Crows, Richmond, Essendon, Brisbane and Collingwood before the bye will give a strong indication of their finals credentials.
"What we preach to the players really is don't get caught up in the results and just focus on the action required, which is preparation," Lyon said.
"Every week we're building belief in what we're doing and it's coming together."
