Fast-starting Dockers set to face cyclone’s wrath
Justin Chadwick
Fremantle have revealed the secret behind their hot starts this season, but whether they will be able to replicate it under the wrath of Cyclone Narelle remains to be seen.
Up to 60mm of rain and strong winds are forecast for Perth on Saturday when Fremantle host injury-hit Richmond at Optus Stadium.
With cyclone Narelle having made landfall in WA but not expected to reach Perth, the AFL have declared Saturday’s game will go ahead as planned.
Richmond (0-2) enter the match severely undermanned after losing veterans Toby Nankervis (hamstring), Tom Lynch (hamstring) and Nathan Broad (calf) from last weeks 68-point loss to Gold Coast.
In contrast, the Dockers (1-1) welcome back Brennan Cox and Jaeger O’Meara from injury.
Fremantle were notorious slow starters last season, but have turned that around in stunning fashion so far this year.
The Dockers unleashed an eight-goal opening term in their round-one loss to Geelong and followed it up with a seven-goal first-quarter blitz in last week’s 48-point win over Melbourne.
Fremantle utility Corey Wagner praised the new pre-game routine set in place by Adam Beard, who is the club’s director of performance.
“I think we’ve really locked into the mental side of the game, we’re not getting too worked up in the change rooms,” Wagner said.
“In past years we probably got really fizzed up and by the time we were out in the field, we’d used half our energy. So it’s a really different strategy we took this year … we’re saving it right until the end.
“Once we’re out in the field, he (Beard) has got us doing these running circuit things to get the energy system going and that really works you up.
“And by the time we’re going, it’s red-hot.”
Last week’s win over Melbourne was overshadowed by the Patrick Voss ‘cry baby’ taunt directed at Demons defender Harrison Petty.
Voss apologised to Petty over the incident and also addressed the issue with Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir.
The 22-year-old is a much-loved player at the Dockers and Wagner praised Voss for pushing players to new heights in the gym, revealing the powerhouse forward can squat 300kg and bench press 160kg.
“He gets the boys going. Heaps of boys have lifted PBs this year because he really brings the energy,” Wagner said.
“It’s a full hour of power. He’s an animal. There’s no cruising or going through the motions.”
Wagner has become a jack-of-all-trades at the Dockers and the former North Melbourne and Melbourne utility is happy to fly under the radar while his higher-profile teammates earn widespread praise.
“At my age. I just want to win a flag now,” the 29-year-old said.
AAP