SUMMARY
Fremantle's resurgence hit a speed bump against Adelaide last round, and the Dockers need to bounce back to avoid a potentially swift tumble down the ladder. A 100-point shellacking from the Crows was Ross Lyon's biggest loss as coach in his 250th game and cost Freo valuable percentage in the race for finals spots. The Dockers sorely missed giant ruckman Aaron Sandilands (hamstring tightness) and will be sweating on his fitness for a crucial match-up against Pies star Brodie Grundy. The midfield battle looms as the key this Sunday, with Collingwood's powerful engine room – led by Scott Pendlebury, Adam Treloar and Steele Sidebottom – more than capable of taking it up to Nat Fyfe, Lachie Neale, Stephen Hill and co. at Domain Stadium. The Pies have hit some reasonable form and a third straight win would keep Nathan Buckley's men right in top-eight contention.
WHERE AND WHEN: Domain Stadium, Sunday, June 4, 2.40pm (AWST)
TV AND RADIO: Click here for broadcast guide
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
R14, 2016, Collingwood 12.13 (85) d Fremantle 5.7 (37) at the MCG
R13, 2015, Fremantle 12.8 (80) d Collingwood 11.7 (73) at Domain Stadium
R1, 2014, Fremantle 17.14 (116) d Collingwood 5.16 (46) at Etihad Stadium
R7, 2013, Fremantle 15.10 (100) d Collingwood 10.13 (73) at Domain Stadium
R14, 2012, Collingwood 15.17 (107) d Fremantle 12.6 (78) at the MCG
THE SIX POINTS
1. Fremantle and Collingwood meet for the 28th time and the Magpies hold the advantage with 16 wins to 11. The Pies are aiming for three consecutive wins for the first time since rounds 14-16, 2016.
2. This will be the 10th meeting between the sides at Domain Stadium, with five wins to four in the Dockers' favour. Collingwood hasn’t beaten Freo in Perth since round 23, 2011.
3. The Pies has been plagued by goalkicking inaccuracy (ranked 17th at 44 per cent), but Freo isn't much better going at 48 per cent (14th).
4. Centre clearances are a focal point of Fremantle's game and the Dockers rank fifth (14.3 per game) this season, although they were beaten by Adelaide (16-13) without giant ruckman Aaron Sandilands.
5. Fremantle’s 100-point loss to Adelaide last week was the heaviest defeat of Ross Lyon’s coaching career and the Dockers' biggest defeat since 2010.
6. The strength of Collingwood's midfield is reflected in the Schick AFL Player Ratings, with skipper Scott Pendlebury (2nd overall), Adam Treloar (8th), Steele Sidebottom (43rd), Taylor Adams (44th) and Brodie Grundy (74th) the top-five ranked Pies.
IT'S A BIG WEEK FOR … Ross Lyon
It was a forgettable 250th match as an AFL coach for Lyon last round and 'Ross the Boss' will be expecting a vastly-improved effort as he becomes Fremantle's longest-serving coach, passing Chris Connolly on 129 games, against Collingwood.
PREDICTION: Fremantle by nine points
