Round 16 match preview: Melbourne v Fremantle

Match details
Saturday, July 14, 1.45 pm (local time), Etihad Stadium

Melbourne
B: Daniel Nicholson, James Frawley, Luke Tapscott
HB: Joel Macdonald, Tom McDonald, Jack Grimes
C: Jack Trengove, Jordie McKenzie, Jeremy Howe
HF: Ricky Petterd, Jared Rivers, Sam Blease
F: Colin Sylvia, Colin Garland, Brad Green
Foll: Mark Jamar, Rohan Bail, Nathan Jones
I/C:  Matthew Bate, Jamie Bennell, Stef Martin, Tom Couch
Emg: James Strauss, Jake Spencer, James Magner
In: Brad Green, Mark Jamar, Ricky Petterd, Tom Couch, Tom McDonald
Out: Lynden Dunn (suspension), Jake Watts (ankle), Brent Moloney, James Magner, Jack Spencer
NEW: Tom Couch (Collingwood VFL)

Fremantle
B: Antoni Grover, Luke McPharlin, Adam McPhee
HB: Paul Duffield, Michael Johnson, David Mundy
C: Michael Barlow, Ryan Crowley, Clancee Pearce
HF: Tendai Mzungu, Chris Mayne, Stephen Hill
F: Hayden Ballantyne, Matthew Pavlich, Kepler Bradley
Foll: Jonathon Griffin, Matthew de Boer, Dylan Roberton
I/C: Garrick Ibbotson, Michael Walters, Greg Broughton, Cameron Sutcliffe
Emg: Zachary Clarke, Lachie Neale, Lee Spurr
In: Michael Walters
Out: Nick Lower (concussion)

Broadcast guide

Form
Melbourne: L, L, L, L, L, L, L, L, L, W, L, Bye, W, L, L
Fremantle: W, L, W, W, L, W, W, L, L, L, W, Bye, L, L, W

Ladder position
Melbourne: 16th
Fremantle: 12th

Head-to-head
Played: 27
Melbourne: 13
Fremantle: 14
Drawn: 0

At this ground
Played: 2
Melbourne: 2
Fremantle: 0
Drawn: 0

Last time they met
Round 13, 2011: Melbourne 22.17 (149) d Fremantle 8.12 (60) at the MCG

Recent streak
Melbourne has won three of its past five matches against Fremantle.

Memorable match
Second semi final, 2006: Fremantle 14.18 (102) d Melbourne 11.8 (74) at Patersons Stadium (formerly Subiaco Oval)
The most recent time that Melbourne played in a final was when the two sides met in the 2006 semi final at Subiaco.  Sadly, this match stopped Melbourne in its tracks, with the side falling short by 28 points against the dominant Dockers. Brad Miller starred for Melbourne with 19 disposals and 14 marks. Travis Johnstone and Brock McLean were also among the red and blue’s best.

Milestones
Melbourne: Nil
Fremantle: Nil

Coaching record
Mark Neeld: 14 matches, 2 win, 0 draws, 12 losses
Ross Lyon: 135 matches, 83 wins, 4 draws, 48 losses

Injury list
Melbourne: Clint Bartram (knee) - season, Mitch Clark (foot) - season, Michael Evans (back) - test, Max Gawn (knee) - season

Mark Jamar (calf) - test, Liam Jurrah (ankle) - 2 weeks, Kelvin Lawrence (calf) - 2 weeks, Tom McDonald (lung) - test, James Sellar (thigh) - test, Jai Sheahan (ankle) - 2 weeks, Rory Taggert (back) - indefinite, Josh Tynan (concussion) - test

Fremantle: Hayden Crozier (illness) - TBC, Zac Dawson (knee) - test, Nat Fyfe (shoulder) - 2 weeks, Antoni Grover (corked buttock) - test, Viv Michie (foot) - TBC, Anthony Morabito (ankle) - test, Aaron Sandilands (toe) - 6 weeks, Alex Silvagni (calf) - test

Players to watch
Melbourne: Nathan Jones   
The midfielder bounced back from a calf injury, which forced him out of the clash against the Brisbane Lions in round 14, to be among Melbourne’s best against Richmond last Saturday at the MCG. Jones, who has rarely missed a match, since debuting in 2006, collected a team high 25 disposals. He has genuinely become one of Melbourne’s most consistent players and best performers in 2012. 

Fremantle: Matthew Pavlich
The captain keeps on keeping on, with six goals against the Western Bulldogs at Patersons Stadium last round. He has kicked 34 goals for the season, including 23 in his past five matches. During this period, he has kicked two bags of six and one haul of five. The 270-gamer remains critical to Fremantle’s overall set-up.

Match-up to watch
James Frawley v Matthew Pavlich
Frawley looms as the man most likely to take on Pav. Frawley had 20 disposals and took 10 marks against Richmond’s Jack Riewoldt last round - the Tiger finished with 1.5 and just 16 touches. The Demon defender will have another big assignment against the Fremantle skipper this round.

Most disposals
Melbourne: Nathan Jones (317)
Fremantle: Michael Barlow (341)

Most marks
Melbourne: Jeremy Howe (83)
Fremantle: Michael Johnson (103)

Most tackles
Melbourne: Jordie McKenzie (82)
Fremantle: Matthew de Boer (84)

Most goals
Melbourne: Mitch Clark (29)
Fremantle: Matthew Pavlich (34)

How’s stat?
The last time Melbourne played Fremantle at the Docklands was round 21, 2001. After the Dockers took an early lead, the Demons bounced back to run out 35-point winners. Melbourne had an extensive list of goal scorers, with Jeff Farmer, David Neitz, Tom McDonald, Brad Green and Jeff White booting two each. 

Foot in both camps
Those who have been involved with both clubs include: Scott Chisholm, Jeff Farmer, Troy Longmuir, Troy Simmonds, Phil Gilbert, Stephen Icke, Kelly O’Donnell, Chris Connolly, Mark Riley, Cameron Schwab, Neale Daniher, Jason Norrish, Jeff White.

What Mark Neeld says …
“I went over to Perth and had a look at Freo play [last round and they play a] very solid, disciplined brand of footy. [Fremantle coach] Ross Lyon has got them all on the same page. Their game style is a really good, and they’re a hard working side. We know we’re in for a really strong contest … so we’re preparing for that.”

Key Melbourne question
Melbourne has not won at Etihad Stadium since round 19, 2007. Can it end a 12 match losing streak at Docklands?

Key Fremantle question
Fremantle is 12th on the ladder and has the same amount of wins as St Kilda, which is eighth on the ladder. Can Fremantle win back-to-back matches for the first time since rounds six and seven to keep its finals hopes alive?

Summary
Melbourne produced a disappointing performance against Richmond last round. Although the Demons went down by 23 points, the Tigers had 13 more scoring shots, but booted 23 behinds. It could’ve been a lot worse for the Demons, had the Tigers been accurate. In fact, Melbourne has lost matches by more points this season and performed better than last round. The match was marred by skill errors from both teams. This round, the Demons head to Docklands - a hoodoo venue. But it has an opportunity to rectify the situation against Fremantle, which has won three of its past 18 at Etihad Stadium, including its most recent clash at the venue - against St Kilda in round four. Interestingly, Neeld has also coached a win at the venue, after Melbourne defeated Collingwood in the second round of this year’s NAB Cup. But either way, a rare win at the ground will eventuate for Melbourne or Fremantle. Although it will be a challenge for the Demons, they did win their most recent clash against Fremantle last year and have beaten the Dockers three times since 2008, which could add some confidence.