Fremantle Coach Prioritizes Speed Over Height in AFL Season Opener Against Geelong
Fremantle Dockers coach Justin Longmuir has strongly indicated that selecting additional run and speed will take precedence over deploying an all-out ruck assault when his team faces Geelong in Saturday's round one AFL clash at GMHBA Stadium. Longmuir emphasized that fatigue is expected to be a significant factor in the season opener, influencing the selection strategy.
Ruck Options and Team Selection
Longmuir stated that fielding three rucks—Sean Darcy, Mason Cox, and Luke Jackson—is unlikely against Geelong's tall division, which includes Mark Blicavs, Shannon Neale, and potentially debutant Mitch Edwards from Peel Thunder. "It's an option. Earlier in the year, you probably need the extra run. So that'd be a concern with that. It's probably not a likely option, but it's an option," Longmuir explained.
The expansion to a five-man interchange bench with no substitute has provided clubs with greater flexibility to include players who have had limited match preparation. "We saw that over the weekend. It does give you an opportunity to play someone on lower game time and even someone who maybe is returning, which probably wouldn't have happened in the past," Longmuir noted.
He added, "Maybe that player might have played sub, but the sub rule made it a little bit tricky, because you didn't know when that player was going to come on, whereas now you can sort of manage minutes across the game, and teams have used it in different ways. We've trialled different things across the pre-season and not 100 per cent sure where we've settled yet, because we haven't picked the team, but the likelihood is one or two players will cop a little bit less game time."
Injury Updates and Forward Line Competition
Half-forward Michael Frederick has been ruled out due to an ankle injury and might miss up to a month, creating an opportunity for a possible AFL debut. Candidates include mature-age Geelong VFL product Tobyn Murray, draftee Adam Sweid, or pre-season pick Chris Scerri. "He's disappointed, he's done really every minute of pre-season and to get hurt in the last training session of pre-season before the first week," Longmuir said of Frederick. "He's moved on. He'll rehab it really well and hopefully we'll get him back soon. We have a lot of small forwards that have been in good form, so there'll be some competition for spots if we go that way."
Geelong's Response and Ground Considerations
Geelong is set to welcome back key players Jeremy Cameron (quad) and Patrick Dangerfield (calf) and could field up to 20 players from last year's grand final loss. Longmuir expects a strong response from the Cats after their disappointing 56-point opening round defeat to Gold Coast. "I expect them to bounce back. Sometimes in those games and the way that played out in the weekend, the scoreboard can look a bit worse than what it actually was," Longmuir said. "We're expecting them to be a lot better than that. They just probably didn't get some of the little things right, which made it look like the big things fell apart."
While the Dockers have won two of their past three games at GMHBA Stadium, they were thrashed by Geelong there to open last season. Longmuir mentioned that the thinner Geelong ground, which often troubles visiting teams, has been discussed but is not a primary focus. "Sometimes you get caught up in those little things when you go down to Geelong with the ground size and this and that, and all the stuff that doesn't actually help you win," Longmuir remarked. "We touch on it but most of our time is spent on what we do within the ground. We got a taste of footy over the weekend, obviously. So yeah, players are excited to get out there and show what they've worked on over the pre-season and start banging some bodies from other teams."
Game Trends and Defensive Fitness
Longmuir observed that nothing in the opening round—marked by quick end-to-end high ball movement and high scores—surprised the Dockers' coaching staff. "The early games when fatigue plays a big part in it tend to open up late in games. You sort of expect it, it's pretty much the same every year. The game can look really open and really fast at times," he said. "It seems to be whoever can trust themselves and make good decisions tend to capitalise in those moments."
Defenders Alex Pearce (calf) and Luke Ryan (shoulder) must prove their fitness by getting through training. "With Luke, it comes down to selection a little bit more. So, yeah, we'll see how it plays out. He's got some good competition for spots down there," Longmuir stated. "The Geelong forward line is probably a little bit unknown with Cameron and Dangerfield coming back."
Internal Competition and Season Expectations
Longmuir highlighted that competition for spots within the Dockers squad is intense. "Feels like a lot of players have had really good summers and they'd be really disappointed to miss out round one," he said. "We've spoken about, like, round one is just one game throughout the year, it gets built up a lot, even internally amongst the players, but it's only one game. Players that miss out this week will get plenty of opportunities throughout the year, but I feel like our depth has grown, and we've got competition for spots in all areas."
He concluded with a focus on process over outcomes: "We've got high expectations internally. We want to build off what we did last year, so we're not shying away from that fact. Just focusing on outcomes and finals and where you finish at the end of the year doesn't help you win right now. And that's what we're about. We're about getting our processes right, which allow us to win week in, week out, and focusing on this week. And that's all you can do in club land."
