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Match Preview - Fremantle v Western Bulldogs Round 4 • Sunday 6 April 2025 • 5:10 PM (AEST) Optus Stadium, Perth • Whadjuk
ChatGPT Image Apr 5, 2025, 10_38_53 PM.png
Hey WOOFERS - I had some time off work this week and thought I'd take a look at our opponents on Sunday. Well did I go down a few rabbit holes ! Anyway I've watched most of their games and tried to do some amateur analysis of the mighty dockers. I don't pretend to know how to beat them I will leave that for others to discuss but I hope I've given you the data you need to come to some conclusions. Any questions fire away. this isn't prediction thread more a how we beat them type idea. BTW i tried my best with the formatting as I did this in word and moved across.
Also : what was I thinking
Enjoy.
Lineups
Team Changes
Form
Fremantle
WB
History
Fremantle v Western Bulldogs
Key Matchups
Ruck
The ruck battle will be huge with Jackson in insane form. He’s not necessarily the greatest tap ruck in the world but does pretty well in this area. His huge strength is his work around the ground. Tim is going to have to be on his game here. If we can halve the battle I’d call that win.
O’Meara v ?
He tends to be to go to run with player in the dockers midfield, but I wonder if there’s a matchup for him. Liberatore has been in age defying form so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go to Libba or even Richards. Without Bont though he may just do a loose run with as opposed to what he did v Heeney.
Treacy
Yeah, this is a worry for me. He’s a very tough matchup as he can really motor around the field. I doubt Jones will go to him so I think we might go with Khamis for the mobility? Jones may take Voss and try and get off him whilst Lobb may take Amiss.
Forward retention
I guess this is our small forwards v their small defenders/mids/wings. They really thrive off of defensive pressure and rebound from this zone so our smalls in McNeil, LVDM and West are going to need to be on their game here to ensure they don’t get out easily.
Darcy v Pearce
My guess is this will be the matchup Freo want.I’m ok with that I don’t think anyone can go with Darcy and Pearce is a good defender, but he can be a bit clumsy for mine. So expecting a few Darcy frees ( yeah right ).
Naughton will get Cox and Ryan will probably take the third tall and try and zone off.
Fremantle Analysis
Stats that matter
How Freo Are Tracking in the Contest
Freo are doing a lot right around the ball so far this season. They're edging their opponents in key contested areas — nothing massive, but enough to show they're holding their own in the guts. Clearances, contested footy, and ground balls are all in the green which is their brand of footy under Longmuir.
Despite getting their hands dirty at the coalface, they’re getting smashed in tackles. Could point to them owning more of the footy or maybe just not bringing the heat when they don’t have it, however average is skewed by the -30 v the Cats.
Where the Scores Are Coming From – Freo vs Dogs
Fremantle have been at their most damaging when turning the ball over and launching from the back half. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, are a bit more balanced — they still score well off turnovers, but their stoppage game is a bigger driver, and they’re more potent from centre bounces too.
Both sides can hurt you in different ways, which sets up an interesting contrast for Sunday: Freo will want to intercept and rebound, while the Dogs will try to win it at the coalface and surge forward with numbers.
Phases of play
When they have it
Kick outs
Their one wood is to go long out to the bench (Northern) side where they have the mass of their players around 50-70 metres out.
Jackson and Treacy are often the targets.
Have seen variations where they spread across the entire field but this has been used sparingly.
Clarke or Ryan the most used. Wagner at times.
dataurl279016.jpg
Under Pressure
Lots of quick hands to exit and find a loose. Can get themselves into trouble by going backwards and over using it by hand. Like to spot up a kicker if they can to get it to a marking target.
Turnover
Big strength of theirs is the ability to create turnover and score. Once they’re out they generally find a target and create overlap to fashion a shot at goal. Defensive half turnovers have been impressive creating scoring chains for d50, as well as their ability to lock the ball in their forward half and create repeat entries.
O’Driscoll very dangerous if he gets it forward side of centre.
When the opposition has it
Make the ground skinny
Most teams do this and Freo are no exception. Like to protect the fat side by zoning off when teams are exiting d50. They do this very well and create many repeat entries off turnover.
Press up hard on the ball carrier.
Opposition often needs to switch to create an outlet.
Ryan plays as the interceptor and zones off about a kick behind play.
Jackson will push back and create an extra tall in defence and gets involved in the rebound as well on turnover game.
dataurl279018.jpg
Protect the corridor and try and prevent quick transition so they can always have numbers back behind the ball. Crowd the d50 and work on creating turnover and rebound.
In dispute
Stoppage
Centre Bounce
Often deploy the same setup with O’Meara as the defensive midfielder, Brayshaw and Serong more attacking. Serong is generally the one they want on the end of it where Brayshaw can be in a more neutral position at times.
This is the typical setup. It can vary but they go back to this often.
dataurl279020.jpg
Around the ground stoppages.
Numbers is the name of the game. They tend to push up a lot of players to the stoppage and try and win possession and work it out by hand.
O’Meara will play the blocking role trying to free up a Serong type to get some separation and consequent overlap.
Jackson is big at the stop.
Loose ball
Work hard to get numbers to the ball. Get lots of numbers “on the screen” and block well for team mates to get them into good position. Using the +1 in the midfield to create the outnumber often to regain possession.
Structure
Defence
Fremantle’s 2025 backline setup continues to follow a clear formula: three tall defenders, anchored around Alex Pearce, with layered support from a group of versatile rebounders and lockdown options.
Midfield
Luke Jackson has stepped into the lead ruck role and is thriving. He’s not just contesting stoppages; he’s become a genuine link-up threat, regularly pushing back to support the defence and then working forward to hit the scoreboard or finish chains of play. Right now, he’s a serious danger man and central to their transition game.
The midfield trio behind the ruck is well defined:
Forward
Fremantle’s forward line operates with a three-tall setup
ChatGPT Image Apr 5, 2025, 10_38_53 PM.png
Hey WOOFERS - I had some time off work this week and thought I'd take a look at our opponents on Sunday. Well did I go down a few rabbit holes ! Anyway I've watched most of their games and tried to do some amateur analysis of the mighty dockers. I don't pretend to know how to beat them I will leave that for others to discuss but I hope I've given you the data you need to come to some conclusions. Any questions fire away. this isn't prediction thread more a how we beat them type idea. BTW i tried my best with the formatting as I did this in word and moved across.
Also : what was I thinking
Enjoy.
Lineups
| [37] Joshua Draper, [25] Alex Pearce, [36] Brennan Cox | FB | [24] Buku Khamis, [19] Liam Jones, [34] Bailey Williams |
| [5] Heath Chapman, [13] Luke Ryan, [6] Jordan Clark | HB | [29] Lachlan Bramble, [7] Rory Lobb, [31] Bailey Dale |
| [44] Matthew Johnson, [2] Jaeger O'Meara, [30] Nathan O'Driscoll | C | [27] Joel Freijah, [21] Tom Liberatore, [42] Sam Davidson |
| [16] Murphy Reid, [32] Michael Frederick, [15] Shai Bolton | HF | [30] Lachlan McNeil, [33] Aaron Naughton, [9] Ryley Sanders |
| [20] Patrick Voss, [35] Josh Treacy, [24] Jye Amiss | FF | [23] Laitham Vandermeer, [10] Sam Darcy, [22] James Harmes |
| [9] Luke Jackson, [3] Caleb Serong, [8] Andrew Brayshaw | FOL | [44] Tim English, [8] Matthew Kennedy, [20] Ed Richards |
| [14] Jeremy Sharp, [34] Corey Wagner, [23] Karl Worner, [41] Bailey Banfield, [43] Isaiah Dudley | IC | [13] Oskar Baker, [26] Josh Dolan, [12] Harvey Gallagher, [18] James O'Donnell, [14] Rhylee West |
| [28] Neil Erasmus, [18] Liam Reidy, [17] Will Brodie | EMG | [16] Jordan Croft, [32] Arthur Jones, [25] Caleb Poulter |
| Western Bulldogs | ||
| Fremantle | In : Jaeger O'Meara, Corey Wagner | Out : James Aish, Neil Erasmus |
| Milestones |
| [8] Andrew Brayshaw – 150th game |
| [14] Jeremy Sharp – 50th game |
Fremantle
| 1 | Geelong | Loss | 69 | 147 | -78 |
| 2 | Sydney | Loss | 65 | 68 | -3 |
| 3 | West Coast | Win | 106 | 68 | +38 |
| 1 | North Melbourne | Win | 113 | 97 | +16 |
| 2 | Collingwood | Loss | 70 | 76 | -6 |
| 3 | Carlton | Win | 83 | 75 | +8 |
Fremantle v Western Bulldogs
| All Time | 19 | 21 |
| At Venue | 4 | 2 |
| Last 10 Matches | 4 | 6 |
| 2024 R14 | 12.10 (82) | 23.11 (149) |
| 2024 R7 | 14.11 (95) | 10.11 (71) |
| 2023 R16 | 11.7 (73) | 16.6 (102) |
| 2023 R6 | 10.9 (69) | 17.16 (118) |
| 2022 EF | 11.7 (73) | 8.12 (60) |
| 2022 R21 | 14.11 (95) | 11.12 (78) |
| 2021 R12 | 9.11 (65) | 13.15 (93) |
| 2020 R18 | 6.8 (44) | 11.8 (74) |
| 2019 R19 | 9.12 (66) | 16.17 (113) |
| 2019 R6 | 13.10 (88) | 9.15 (69) |
Ruck
The ruck battle will be huge with Jackson in insane form. He’s not necessarily the greatest tap ruck in the world but does pretty well in this area. His huge strength is his work around the ground. Tim is going to have to be on his game here. If we can halve the battle I’d call that win.
O’Meara v ?
He tends to be to go to run with player in the dockers midfield, but I wonder if there’s a matchup for him. Liberatore has been in age defying form so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go to Libba or even Richards. Without Bont though he may just do a loose run with as opposed to what he did v Heeney.
Treacy
Yeah, this is a worry for me. He’s a very tough matchup as he can really motor around the field. I doubt Jones will go to him so I think we might go with Khamis for the mobility? Jones may take Voss and try and get off him whilst Lobb may take Amiss.
Forward retention
I guess this is our small forwards v their small defenders/mids/wings. They really thrive off of defensive pressure and rebound from this zone so our smalls in McNeil, LVDM and West are going to need to be on their game here to ensure they don’t get out easily.
Darcy v Pearce
My guess is this will be the matchup Freo want.I’m ok with that I don’t think anyone can go with Darcy and Pearce is a good defender, but he can be a bit clumsy for mine. So expecting a few Darcy frees ( yeah right ).
Naughton will get Cox and Ryan will probably take the third tall and try and zone off.
Fremantle Analysis
Stats that matter
How Freo Are Tracking in the Contest
Freo are doing a lot right around the ball so far this season. They're edging their opponents in key contested areas — nothing massive, but enough to show they're holding their own in the guts. Clearances, contested footy, and ground balls are all in the green which is their brand of footy under Longmuir.
Despite getting their hands dirty at the coalface, they’re getting smashed in tackles. Could point to them owning more of the footy or maybe just not bringing the heat when they don’t have it, however average is skewed by the -30 v the Cats.
| Stat Category | Fremantle Diff | Bulldogs Diff |
| Total Clearances | +1.67 | +4.33 |
| Contested Possessions | +2.67 | +10.00 |
| Ground Ball Gets | +1.00 | +10.67 |
| Post-Clearance Contested Possessions | +2.33 | +8.00 |
| Tackles | –15.33 | +10.00 |
Fremantle have been at their most damaging when turning the ball over and launching from the back half. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, are a bit more balanced — they still score well off turnovers, but their stoppage game is a bigger driver, and they’re more potent from centre bounces too.
Both sides can hurt you in different ways, which sets up an interesting contrast for Sunday: Freo will want to intercept and rebound, while the Dogs will try to win it at the coalface and surge forward with numbers.
| Score Source / Origin | Fremantle Avg Pts | Bulldogs Avg Pts |
| From Forward Half | 31.33 | 32.00 |
| From Defensive Half | 33.00 | 29.67 |
| From Turnover | 51.67 | 45.00 |
| From Stoppages | 23.33 | 35.00 |
| From Centre Bounces | 15.67 | 22.67 |
| From Kick-Ins | 5.00 | 6.33 |
When they have it
Kick outs
Their one wood is to go long out to the bench (Northern) side where they have the mass of their players around 50-70 metres out.
Jackson and Treacy are often the targets.
Have seen variations where they spread across the entire field but this has been used sparingly.
Clarke or Ryan the most used. Wagner at times.
dataurl279016.jpg
Under Pressure
Lots of quick hands to exit and find a loose. Can get themselves into trouble by going backwards and over using it by hand. Like to spot up a kicker if they can to get it to a marking target.
Turnover
Big strength of theirs is the ability to create turnover and score. Once they’re out they generally find a target and create overlap to fashion a shot at goal. Defensive half turnovers have been impressive creating scoring chains for d50, as well as their ability to lock the ball in their forward half and create repeat entries.
O’Driscoll very dangerous if he gets it forward side of centre.
When the opposition has it
Make the ground skinny
Most teams do this and Freo are no exception. Like to protect the fat side by zoning off when teams are exiting d50. They do this very well and create many repeat entries off turnover.
Press up hard on the ball carrier.
Opposition often needs to switch to create an outlet.
Ryan plays as the interceptor and zones off about a kick behind play.
Jackson will push back and create an extra tall in defence and gets involved in the rebound as well on turnover game.
dataurl279018.jpg
Protect the corridor and try and prevent quick transition so they can always have numbers back behind the ball. Crowd the d50 and work on creating turnover and rebound.
In dispute
Stoppage
Centre Bounce
Often deploy the same setup with O’Meara as the defensive midfielder, Brayshaw and Serong more attacking. Serong is generally the one they want on the end of it where Brayshaw can be in a more neutral position at times.
This is the typical setup. It can vary but they go back to this often.
dataurl279020.jpg
Around the ground stoppages.
Numbers is the name of the game. They tend to push up a lot of players to the stoppage and try and win possession and work it out by hand.
O’Meara will play the blocking role trying to free up a Serong type to get some separation and consequent overlap.
Jackson is big at the stop.
Loose ball
Work hard to get numbers to the ball. Get lots of numbers “on the screen” and block well for team mates to get them into good position. Using the +1 in the midfield to create the outnumber often to regain possession.
Structure
Defence
Fremantle’s 2025 backline setup continues to follow a clear formula: three tall defenders, anchored around Alex Pearce, with layered support from a group of versatile rebounders and lockdown options.
- Alex Pearce typically takes the opposition’s number one key forward. His role is purely defensive – big body, strong positioning, and rarely leaves the 30-metre arc.
- Brennan Cox handles the second tall or more mobile marking target, with flexibility to cover ground and help in aerial contests.
- Luke Ryan is the key piece they try to free up as much as possible. He’s deployed as the main intercept defender, zoning off, reading the play, and launching rebound chains. Fremantle will often structure around creating Ryan as the spare or third-up option.
Midfield
Luke Jackson has stepped into the lead ruck role and is thriving. He’s not just contesting stoppages; he’s become a genuine link-up threat, regularly pushing back to support the defence and then working forward to hit the scoreboard or finish chains of play. Right now, he’s a serious danger man and central to their transition game.
The midfield trio behind the ruck is well defined:
- Brayshaw and Serong are well known guns and are pivotal to their clearance game.
- Jaeger O’Meara handles the defensive side, and he’s been tasked with run-with roles at times — notably shadowing Heeney against Sydney. His presence adds some accountability when Freo are up against midfielders who can drift forward.
- Nathan O’Driscoll is emerging as a genuine wing weapon. He provides strong overlap and can stretch opposition structures when he gets on his bike in transition. The other wing is usually Sharp and he really hasn't impressed me so far. I think they struggle with that second wing role.
- Matthew Johnson is looking like a real find — classy, composed, and has been used in this high half-forward/mid connector role. He spent more time on-ball with O’Meara out late against the Eagles and didn’t look out of place.
- Shai Bolton has been used sparingly in the midfield so far but is slowly getting more time on ball. Class player as we know.
Forward
Fremantle’s forward line operates with a three-tall setup
- Josh Treacy has become arguably their most important forward. He consistently presents as the outlet target up on the wing or high half-forward, often used in tandem with Luke Jackson as the long down-the-line option. He’s a strong runner with elite endurance and sets the tone with his workrate and physicality. He kicked 45 goals in 2024 and is critical in setting up territory and repeat entries.
- Jye Amiss plays deepest, working from inside 50 and leading at the ball. He’s Fremantle’s cleanest finisher inside forward 50 and while not a high-possession player, he can punish you with limited looks. His craft is solid, and he’s dangerous if allowed space to lead into.
- Pat Voss rounds out the key forward trio. He offers a big body and leads with intent, but his goalkicking is still a work in progress, which has cost him in big moments. Still, his physical presence helps bring the ball to ground and creates space for the smalls.
- Michael Frederick typically plays as the dynamic mid sized forward — pushing high and bursting back with speed. He’s also capable of drawing a wing or rebounding defender into uncomfortable spots.
- The other half-forward role is often filled by a rotating midfielder, such as Matt Johnson or Shai Bolton, who push up to stoppages and then slide back forward to create mismatches or link chains.
- One exciting development is the inclusion of Murphy Reid (#17 draft pick), who has been playing forward with increasing impact. He’s clean by foot, calm under pressure, and looks like he could evolve into a genuine weapon around the arc with his ball use and decision-making.
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