april 18- 19, 2015 $2 - the west...

Parts 1&2 Saturday 13-27Sunday 16-28 Details P122

Birth of a legendYOUR OFFICIAL 28-PAGE SOUVENIR GUIDE

IT’S SHOWTIME

WESTERN DERBY SPECIAL EDITION

Photomontage

DOCKER CLARKE TIPPED TO PLAY P3LATEST TEAMS AND TIPS P4-5

WHY EAGLES SHOULDN’T TAG FYFE P6

M †

April 18- 19, 2015 $2.50Gascoyne, Shark Bay $2.60, Pilbara, Kimberley $3.50. GST INC.

M †

SPORT WESTERN DERBY2 April 18- 19, 2015

M †

WESTERN DERBY SPORT 7April 18- 19, 2015

West Coast’s use of the centrecorridor has increased this season and is a key reason whythey are the league’s most accu-rate goal-kicking team.

The Eagles have kicked 34.14in the opening fortnight, a 70.8per cent strike rate when shooting for goal.

Essendon and St Kilda are theonly other clubs operating above65 per cent accuracy.

The competition average isjust 58.5 per cent, but does notinclude rushed behinds.

The Eagles’ centre corridoruse has risen from 30.3 per centlast year to 34.8 per cent in theopening two rounds, resulting ina spike of 13.6 goals a game onaverage last season to 17 thisyear.

“Ideally you’d like to get yourshots from directly in front,”Eagles coach Adam Simpsonsaid.

“That’s every team’s focus.

“It doesn’t always happen thatway, but the first couple ofrounds and at stages last year wegot some good avenue throughthe corridor and took thatadvantage. That’s not to say ithappens every week.”

Coleman Medal leader JoshKennedy’s 12.3 has been a key tothe team’s accuracy.

In-form Dockers veteran LukeMcPharlin is likely to play onKennedy tomorrow. The Eaglehas never kicked more thanthree goals in a western derby.

Simpson said Kennedy hadbeen fantastic, but the entireteam had worked hard to makethe most of its opportunities.

“You always want to haveshots from the corridor, but JoshKennedy is an elite kick so if youget it in his hands, goal kicking isgoing to look good,” Simpsonsaid. “We’ve done a lot of workover pre-season and since I’vegot here on goal kicking. We’dhave to do it every training session, like most clubs do now.”

GOAL KICKING IMPROVES

Accurate

Eagles are

AFL’s best

t Craig O'Donoghue

Dead-eye dick: West Coast’s Josh Kennedy booted 10.1 against Carlton. Picture: Daniel Carson/AFL Media

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon’sstrategy against West Coast hasbeen a constant over the past fewseasons — limit the influence ofAndrew Gaff, Luke Shuey andShannon Hurn.

It’s a plan which has helpedthe Dockers win the past fiveencounters against their cross-town rivals.

However, Gaff, buoyed by a 69-point win over Carlton lastFriday night, says it’s anapproach which will be tested atDomain Stadium tomorrow byan Eagles midfield which hasembraced coach Adam Simp-son’s call for greater versatility.

Gaff averages only 18 disposals in his eight gamesagainst the Dockers — his worstrecord against any side.

But he enters the 41st westernderby full of confidence afteramassing 28 possessions, sixtackles and five inside 50s in thedemolition of the Blues.

The 22-year-old seems certainto be afforded close attention bythe Dockers.

But Gaff said the Eagles’ ability to swap positions, as wellas the form of the midfieldgroup, would hopefully cause

some headaches for the Dockers’strategists.

“We have a couple of guysdoing different roles at themoment and that helps,” he said.

“(Opposition) sides have tofigure out what happens if we’reall playing in different positions.

“We have a few guys up andgoing, especially after last week-end, so they’ve got a decisionwhether they want to go withanyone or one or two, I guess.”

The demolition of Carlton wasa positive step forward for theEagles, who are aiming to defytheir recent injury crisis andreturn to the finals for the firsttime since 2012.

But Gaff said playing theDockers was a far greater chal-lenge, acknowledging a western

derby was more than a regularhome-and-away fixture.

“It’s always a different kind of game, it’s always pretty congested in games againstFreo,” Gaff said.

“It’s definitely a step-up inmany categories.

“It’s a real finals-like game, sowe need to start winning thesegames if we’re going to take thenext step toward September, Iguess.”

Possibly working in WestCoast’s favour tomorrow is the fact that the fixture is a homegame — something the clubhopes to emphasise by handingout more than 20,000 free flags.

The flags will be available out-side gate 10 from 1pm, with theaim to make things as uneasy as possible for the “visiting”Dockers.

“We like making it uncomfor-table for them,” Gaff said.

“The last few years they’vehad the wood over us and weneed all we can at the moment toget the wood over them.

“We know that it spurs us on,especially in the last quarter.

“In the Freo home games theyboo pretty hard when we’regoing well and I’m sure we do thesame when they’re going well.”

VERSATILITY THE KEY

New plan for

Lyon’s blanket

On the rise: Andrew Gaff, fourth in the Eagles’ fairest and best lastseason, has made a solid start to 2015. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

t Nick Rynne

We have a few

guys up and going

... so they’ve got

a decision ...

Andrew Gaff

M †

Visit mazda.com.au or call 1800 034 411 to fi nd your local Mazda Dealer 81207

This advertisement is a manufacturer’s advertisement and vehicles must be bought from dealers. Private Buyers only. Demonstrator model colour and availability may vary between dealerships.

Genuine demonstrator savings across the entire Mazda range. See your nearest Mazda Dealer before they’re gone.

SAVE NOW WITH M{zd{2 DEMO DEALSM{zd{3 DEMO DEALS

M{zd{6 DEMO DEALSCX-5 DEMO DEALS

CX-9 DEMO DEALSBT-50 DEMO DEALS

ends todayends today


Fremantle ruckman Zac Clarkeis rapidly firming to play intomorrow’s western derby aftertraining yesterday before beingnamed in the club’s 22.

The presence of Clarke, whotweaked an ankle and knee latein last Sunday’s 44-point winagainst Geelong at Simonds Stadium, takes on added signif-icance in this derby as the Dock-ers attempt to stretch an Eaglesdefence compromised by the lossof power defenders Eric Mac-kenzie and Mitch Brown for theseason because of serious kneeinjuries.

Their losses hastened thereturn to the AFL of Will Scho-field last week after a pre-seasoninterrupted by an ankle prob-lem, while Elliot Yeo has playedthe first two games as a talldefender despite Adam Simp-son’s wish to try him as a mid-fielder.

Final selection followed a reasonably predictable line yes-terday as both clubs prunedtheir squads of 25 by three.

Ruckman Jack Hannath, theversatile Tendai Mzungu andforward Max Duffy were exclud-ed for Fremantle while JamieBennell, Brant Colledge andFraser Mcinnes were the playersleft out at West Coast.

The Dockers brought HaydenCrozier into their line-up toreplace the suspended HaydenBallantyne. West Coast opted forexperience, with Josh Hill andSam Butler included for theinjured Simon Tunbridge andthe omitted Bennell.

Both clubs are expected tohold at least one and possiblytwo emergencies out of today’sWAFL “derby” between EastPerth and Peel Thunder.

But Fremantle football man-ager Chris Bond expressed quietconfidence that Clarke would beready to face the Eagles.

“He has trained today. We willstill obviously monitor him butwe are really confident that hewill be able to perform,” he said.

“He has got through trainingreally well. We always hold atleast one over if not two but wehaven’t finalised that as yet.

“We might not even do thatuntil tomorrow until we see how

everyone wakes up.” Bond said itwas a close selection decision between Crozier and Mzungu inparticular.

“We think we have got a coupleof players who are vying for positions and Croz has got hisopportunity,” he said.

“At the end of the day he hasgot a good opportunity to per-form and we expect that he willtake it.”

Crozier shone in early intra-

club matches for Fremantlebefore an ankle injury inter-rupted his run into the seasonand he narrowly missed selec-tion in Fremantle’s team forround one against Port Ade-laide. He and Mzungu travelledas emergencies to Geelong lastweekend.

The struggles of Crozier andMzungu to fight their way intothe team shows how healthy theDockers are at the moment.

Mzungu has splayed 86 gamessince his debut in 2011 and hadmissed just one game since RossLyon’s arrival prior to this sea-son. Crozier fought his way intoFremantle’s team for the finalsix games of last season, includ-ing two finals.

“Both were really strong can-didates for this game,” Bondsaid.

“There will still be opportu-nities for ‘Muzz’ to get back in

and when he does we know howimportant he can be to us.”

Bond said the strong competi-tion for spots in Fremantle’s 22was a good thing for the club.

“It is what all teams crave andit is healthy,” he said. “We havegot some really good people thathave missed out and we knowthey will work their hardest anddo everything they can to getback into the team. That holds usin really good condition.”

LATEST ON SELECTION

Clarke on track to line up

Important inclusion: Zac Clarke’s presence in attack against Geelong showed his value to the Dockers. Picture: Scott Barbour/Getty Images

t Mark Duffield

M †


EXPERT TIPS

41st WESTERN DERBY

WEST COAST v FREMANTLEDOMAIN STADIUM, 2.40PM TOMORROW

TV time: Channel 7, Fox Footy from 2.30pmHead-to-head: West Coast 21, Fremantle 19

Possible line-upsWest Coast mentioned fi rst, kicking down

B: Jackson Nelson (30) Jeremy McGovern (20) Elliot Yeo (6) 19, 2 games, 0 derbies 23, 15 games, 1 derby 21, 42 games, 1 derby

F: Michael Walters (10) Matthew Pavlich (29) Chris Mayne (23) 24, 52 games, 3 derbies 33, 315 games, 30 derbies 26, 130 games, 11 derbies HB: Shannon Hurn (25) Will Schofi eld (31) Brad Sheppard (5) 27, 154 games, 14 derbies 26, 112 games, 10 derbies 23, 61 games, 7 derbies

HF: Michael Barlow (21) Matt Taberner (20) Nick Suban (8) 27, 91 games, 8 derbies 21, 14 games, 1 derby 24, 107 games, 7 derbies C: Andrew Gaff (3) Matt Priddis (11) Matt Rosa (24) 22, 87 games, 8 derbies 30, 175 games, 16 derbies 28, 153 games, 12 derbies

C: Danyle Pearce (6) Nat Fyfe (7) Stephen Hill (32) 29, 205 games, 4 derbies 23, 94 games, 9 derbies 24, 130 games, 11 derbies HF: Patrick McGinnity (35) Scott Lycett (29) Sharrod Wellingham (12) 26, 83 games, 8 derbies 22, 24 games, 2 derbies 26, 117 games, 1 derby

HB: Paul Duffi eld (41) Michael Johnson (37) Garrick Ibbotson (5) 30, 159 games, 14 derbies 30, 192 games, 15 derbies 27, 129 games, 9 derbies F: Jamie Cripps (15) Josh Kennedy (17) Mark LeCras (2) 22, 52 games, 3 derbies 27, 142 games, 9 derbies 28, 132 games, 11 derbies

B: Lee Spurr (34) Luke McPharlin (18) Cameron Sutcliff e (33) 27, 62 games, 5 derbies 33, 240 games, 19 derbies 22, 49 games, 4 derbies

Ruck: Nic Naitanui (9)

24, 110 games, 10 derbiesChris Masten (7)

25, 120 games, 11 derbiesLuke Shuey (13)

24, 88 games, 7 derbies

Interchange: Dom Sheed (4)

20, 12 games, 0 derbiesLiam Duggan (14)

18, 1 game, 0 derbiesSam Butler (26)

29, 121 games, 9 derbiesJosh Hill (33)


Emergencies: Brant Colledge (21)

20, 2 games, 0 derbiesFraser McInnes (36)21, 0 games, 0 derbies

Jamie Bennell (44)24, 77 games, 2 derbies

Ruck: Aaron Sandilands (31)

32, 218 games, 19 derbiesDavid Mundy (16)

29, 212 games, 18 derbiesClancee Pearce (46)


Interchange: Zac Clarke (30)

25, 76 games, 6 derbiesHayden Crozier (17)21, 23 games, 1 derby

Lachie Neale (27)21, 48 games, 3 derbies

Matt de Boer (9)25, 117 games, 11 derbies

Emergencies: Max Duff y (24)

22, 2 games, 0 derbiesTendai Mzungu (13)

29, 86 games, 7 derbiesJack Hannath (38)


MARK DUFFIELDFremantle by 30 points

Ross Glendinning Medal: David Mundy (Fre)

STEVE BUTLERFremantle by 26 points

Ross Glendinning Medal: Michael Barlow (Fre)

CRAIG O’DONOGHUEFremantle by 28 points


DALE MILLERFremantle by 28 points


BRIDGET LACYFremantle by 17 points


NICK RYNNEFremantle by 29 points

Ross Glendinning Medal: Nat Fyfe (Fre)

SHAYNE HOPEFremantle by 35 points

Ross Glendinning Medal: Lachie Neale (Fre)

BASIL ZEMPILASFremantle by 16 points

Ross Glendinning Medal: Nat Fyfe (Fre)

ADRIAN BARICHFremantle by 12 points

Ross Glendinning Medal: Michael Barlow (Fre)

PETER BELLFremantle by 36 points

Ross Glendinning Medal: Lachie Neale (Fre)

ANDREW EMBLEYWest Coast by 12 points

Ross Glendinning Medal: Matt Priddis (WC)

*Maximum bet is $50. Available under TAB specials from midday Sunday April 19 for a limited time only. TAB supports responsible wagering. Call 1800 858 858 or visit www.gamblinghelponline.org.au for support.

*Limited Time Only

1ST GOAL SCORER BONUS*$5 for any player from the group listed.

Josh Kennedy West Coast

Mark LeCras West Coast

Matthew Pavlich Fremantle

Nat Fyfe Fremantle

FROM MIDDAY SUNDAY

M †


M †


Fortune favours the brave. IfAdam Simpson is to maximisehis team’s chances of pullingoff a derby upset tomorrow, hemay have to make the boldestmove in his AFL coachingcareer by not tagging white-hotDocker Nat Fyfe.

It would take courage. Nocoach wants the fallout fromsending a tag elsewhere only towatch Fyfe dominate, but thereis a case to argue that StephenHill is still the Fremantlemidfielder to tag.

A number of Dockers areflying under the radar becauseof Fyfe’s start to the season. Hehas 20 out a possible 20 votes inthe AFL Coaches Association’sMVP award after the first tworounds.

David Mundy’s enormouslast quarter helped lift theDockers to victory against Portin round one while Fyfe,Mundy, Michael Barlow andHill had 135 possessions andkicked eight goals betweenthem against Geelong.

Geelong did not run a full tagon Fyfe but had an accountablemidfielder, Cameron Guthrie,with him for much of thematch. It’s fair to say that tacticdidn’t work, with Fyfe having 36possessions and kicking threegoals. But Hill, left to his owndevices on a wing, was just asdevastating.

His 10 inside 50s included histwo goals, three goal assists and a further three that shouldhave been goals, but wereopportunities missed byteammates.

This is why Hill has beenFremantle’s most tagged mansince 2010. He is as deadly aninside-50 player as there is inthe AFL. The Dockers have won56 per cent of Hill’s 130 games.When he has five or moreinside 50s, the winningpercentage rises to 77. He has alethal left foot and a nose forwhere the ball should go.

Even if Simpson wants Fyfetagged, it is debatable whetherhe has the player who can do it.Matt Rosa, who did such a greatjob on Chris Judd last Fridaynight, could run with himaround the ground, but wouldhave his hands full at stoppagesand may not cope in the airwhen Fyfe takes him insideFremantle’s forward line. Andif it is not Rosa, then who?

When Fremantle toppledHawthorn at PatersonsStadium last year, the Hawkssent Will Langford to Fyfe. TheDocker still had 24 touches andkicked two goals despiteLangford’s best efforts. Hill hadthe ball 23 times and kickedthree goals as the Dockersemerged clear victors in themidfield.

A few weeks later PortAdelaide sent tagger Kane

Cornes to Hill in a semifinaland went head-to-head withFyfe using Ollie Wines tocounterattack. Hill had a goodmatch and Fyfe had 28possessions and kicked twogoals, but Wines’ 26 touchesand three goals wereinstrumental in lifting his teamto victory.

West Coast need a break-evenresult midfield at worst. This iswhere the Dockers have decided

the past five derbies, chokingball users Luke Shuey andAndrew Gaff out of the contestby using tagger Ryan Crowleyand an accountable midfielder— often Tendai Mzungu — onGaff. With Crowley absent andMzungu no certainty to play,there may be opportunities forShuey and Gaff to have agreater impact on this game.

Let’s not forget also that NicNaitanui will be in better shape

for this derby than he has beenin since the first half of 2012.His duel with Aaron Sandilandsshould be a beauty and ahighlight of the match.

West Coast’s mids were wellbeaten by the WesternBulldogs’ engine room in roundone, but rebounded to dominatea hapless Carlton.

Support for Matt Priddis willbe critical tomorrow. TheBrownlow medallist has dippedbelow 24 possessions just oncein West Coast’s five derbydefeats since their last win inround nine, 2012, but thedamage has been done by theDockers’ big-bodied engineroom all around him. Shuey,Gaff and Sharrod Wellinghamneed to stand up tomorrow tomake sure the midfield battle ishalved and their attack getsequal supply.

If it gets that, West Coasthave the forwards who can kickthem into this contest. JoshKennedy will probably get LukeMcPharlin and Mark LeCrasmight get Garrick Ibbotson, butgiven reasonable supply,Kennedy and LeCras arecapable of kicking the six goalsbetween them that would givethe Eagles a toehold. And theiropportunist Jamie Cripps isdangerous and in good form,after kicking five goals againstthe Bulldogs in round one.

At the other end, theDockers’ attack is weakened bythe absence of HaydenBallantyne, but will still pose asignificant threat to an Eaglesback line without EricMackenzie and Mitch Brown.Simpson has decisions to makeon which Matt to send in-formJeremy McGovern to — Pavlichor Taberner — and he will wantto keep skipper Shannon Hurnin a position to providerebound, while findingsomeone experienced andcapable enough to cover thedangerous Michael Walters.

West Coast will again bestretched. After Pavlich andTaberner there is still ChrisMayne and the possibility of aresting ruckman to cope with.

All this before Simpson startsworrying about Fyfe, Mundy,Barlow and co drifting forward.The last thing he needs on topof that is Fremantle’s forwardsgetting surgical delivery from aseries of scything Hill passes.

Fyfe not the one to tag

Chief football writer Mark Duffield runs a rule over the key players in western derby 41

Must be stopped: Forget Nat Fyfe, Stephen Hill is Fremantle’s real dangerman. Picture: Will Russell/AFL Media

8 • APRIL 18- 19, 2015 CLASSIFIEDS THE WEEKEND WEST8 • APRIL 18- 19, 2015 M † THE WEEKEND WEST

ISSN 0312-6323

9 7 7 0 3 1 2 6 3 2 0 6 0

april 18- 19, 2015 $2 - the west...

Documents