Season 2019 - Fremantle - LOL Ross Lyon

Football Discussion Non Essendon Stuff
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Fremantle

Coach – Ross Lyon

2018 –
Points For – 16th
Points Against – 14th

Top 5 Best and Fairest

  1. Lachie Neale
  2. David Mundy
  3. Nat Fyfe
  4. Ed Langdon
  5. Luke Ryan

2018 Rising Star Noms

Brennan Cox (Round 12)
Adam Cerra (Round 16)

Ins – Travis Colyer, Reece Conca, Rory Lobb, Jesse Hogan, Sam Sturt, Luke Valente, Lachlan Schultz, Tobe Watson

Outs – Michael Apeness, Brady Grey, Michael Johnson, Lachie Neale, Danyle Pearce, Tom Sheridan, Lee Spurr, Luke Strnadica, Cam Sutcliffe

My Prediction

I am probably in the minority by a fair distance here but I really like the way Ross Lyon has done about this rebuild. It has looked clunky at times and they have looked atrocious on the way through but I think they are real close to where they want to be. They have recruited and traded well, if they had kept Neale, I would rate them a chance to make the eight this year.

The backline is probably the main concern for Fremantle at this point of time. They are lacking a real big key position back but with Lyon’s philosophy that may not be an issue. He has his role players back there and he does have talent with Ryan and they recruited well with Wilson having an impact last year for them. They don’t have a lot of depth back there but they defend the field well all over and rarely allow the opposition the chance to deliver the ball well.

The midfield will miss Neale but Fyfe showed signs last year that he is real close to being able to rip the competition to shreds again. Cerra and Brayshaw look golden and the Hill boys along with Colyer will give them line breaking pace on the outside. It isn’t a complete midfield yet and probably needs one more genuine extractor especially with Mundy playing a bigger role up forward but they are building a very handy centreline.

The forwards are hard to beat. For the first time I can remember, they won’t fail based on lack of talent. Lobb and Hogan give them two of the best key forwards going around, they also release Cam McCarthy to be the third tall that he was successful being at GWS. They will stretch a lot of teams and they have Ballantyne, Walters and Matera causing chaos at their feet. A lot is going to depend on the chemistry but its going to be fun to watch.

Sandilands is a hell of a ruckman, I cant believe he is still running around and I think this will be the last we see of him, Darcy looks ready to step up as well if he can keep his body upright. The coach will be under pressure this year and will need good strong early results to stop the news story building. They have a decent list but the youth is always a concern.

I think they will be close to the top eight this year. I think they have traded and recruited well and the improvement from their young players will carry them as well. I would be surprised if they were on the wrong end of too many beatings but if they cop a couple early, then it could be a disaster. I think somewhere between 10th and 12th looks the mark for mine.

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ROSS DA BOSS

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LOL Ross Lyon.

But good stuff otherwise.

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P.S. They are, in fact, the ones who should be leading.

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If they dont get many injuries, they will be playing finals I suspect. Big Sandi and Fyfe are the two keys. If these two blokes stay fit and in form they will do well.

If not, they will slide to just outside the 8.

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Freo Best 22

B: Ryan, Hamling, Logue
HB: Conca, Pearce, Wilson
C: B Hill, Mundy, S Hill
HF: Walters, Hogan, McCarthy
F: Matera Lobb , Ballantyne
FOLL: Sandilands, Fyfe, Blakely
I/C: A Brayshaw, Cerra , Langdon, Colyer
Emg: H Bennell, S Darcy, B Banfield

As Allblack said Key defenders looks to be a weakness. Griffen Logue has potential in the future to add star potential here being a high pick.
Forwardline looks good, but they will need to build cohesion, know each others leading patterns etc So it may not be great from round 1.
If Sandilands is fit Midfield should do ok, with youngsters a year older.
Brayshaw Cerra and Langdon should be getting lots of midfield time and need big preseasons, maybe we see S Hill rotating off the bench at the end of the year and Mundy rested forward more?

You would love to slot in Harley Bennell into the team, but its more likely that Colyer will be playing a role for them instead.
Mundy, S Hill and Ballyntyne coming towards the end of their careers but should still be able to contribute in 2019.

If they get injuries depth will be tested.

My guess is that we see them rise up the ladder a bit, in contention for the 8
7 - 12th

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They beat us in Round 2 in 2018. Jeez you can’t even underestimate FC. Sandilands “running around” ?, More and more like an Easter Island statue each year.

But yes, average. Of 11 games in Perth, they will win at most 9, so that puts them around 12-14th

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We beat us in round two. It was woeful.

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Bottom four, with Scum, Sainters and GC.

Sandilands is shot, Fyffe is their only star, and he has injury concerns and Ross is a Toss. Reckon they will struggle to win a game away from WA and 6 at most at home.

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Hogan and lobb will make a massive difference. Conca and colyer will be handy for them too. They have some real good kids, Langdon, cerra, blakeley, Ryan and Bradshaw are rippers. If fyfe, Walter’s and Brad hill stay fit along with good seasons from Hogan and lobb they will be hard to beat at home and go close to making the 8 I reckon.

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Perth teams play 12 games at their home stadium each year and I reckon with a standard list they should get 8-9 wins in Perth.

What hurts them is their fixture. St Kilda and Gold Coast are the only away games I’d back them to win, and maybe us at Docklands. Not sure they’ll get 12-13 wins with that.

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Connor Blakely looks to have hurt his hamstring, out for 12-14 weeks

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Geeze.
It’s either hanging on by a couple of threads (literally) or he’ll need surgery.

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Huge blow. He’s a gun

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Another calf injury for Bennell. Into his 4th year at Freo now and he’s still only played 2 games for them

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what a waste of fking talent. by the sounds of it as well, Peter Bell wants him gone ASAP

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Calf or, you know, “calf”?

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4th year - surely have they havet re-contracted him somewhere along the way?

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Neale’s a big loss. Real big.

2m Rory Lobb is good value. McCarthy is a flake and Hogan should be better. Melbourne didn’t do more to keep him…

Walters is a terrific player. Ballantyne was good but is pretty beaten up and this Matera isn’t fit to carry the bags of either Wally, Peter or Phil.

I don’t know. Around 8x wins would be a fair result. More if they can find a replacement magnet for Neale.

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I was hoping Sydney would have gone harder at Neale when it became clear that he was committed to leaving Fremantle. Would have been the ideal replacement for Hannebery.

Brisbane have done well there.

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