As the AFL season enters the business end of its proceedings, Fremantle know they are going to need all hands on deck if they are going to have any chance of going one better than last year and winning the title.
While injuries are part and parcel of the AFL, suspensions are something that coaches will be determined to avoid at this important part of the season. Fremantle head coach Ross Lyon will have been tearing his hair out after losing young sensation Nat Fyfe for two crucial games after being handed a ban for striking Hawthorn’s Jordan Lewis, an event which forced the likes of bet365 to alter their odds on the team, and the club’s fans will be interested to see the impact the loss has on the Dockers.
Fyfe will miss the games against Brisbane and Port Adelaide after failing in his bid to overturn a two-match AFL ban for striking Hawthorn’s Lewis, and the 22-year old will miss his sixth game in two years through suspension. The youngster’s latest indiscretion has now seen his coach come out to call on Fyfe to deal with being targeted by the opposition in a different manner. Currently fourth in the table, the Dockers are in danger of slipping to fifth if they lose to Brisbane this weekend and Lyon has admitted his frustration at losing such a key player for such a big game.
“Lewis himself in his early days frequented the tribunal. It’s just that competitive spirit. It’s about harnessing it in the right way. In the heat of the moment, it doesn’t take much to go wrong to find yourself in trouble,” said the Fremantle boss.
“I’ve got no real concerns there. Nathan’s an incredibly intelligent guy, focused firmly on team success and I’m sure he’ll get the balance right. I think what gets lost with Nathan is he’s 22. But he’s a real emerging leader of this football club. He’s a really big influencer on and off the field, and he’s a pleasure to coach.”
The 2013 Doig Medal winner has scored 75 goals in 90 appearances since breaking into the Dockers team in 2010, but Fyfe’s on-field achievements have often been shadowed by his failure control his temper. While the 22-year old will be available for the Finals, Fremantle will know Fyfe’s discipline issues could cost them dear at some point and the youngster will need to figure out a more productive way of dealing with being singled out by the opposition.
Ahead of their trip to the Gabba to take on Brisbane, the Dockers will also be without Michael Barlow after the midfielder broke his left thumb in Round 21. In more promising news, goal poacher Hayden Ballantyne is in-line to return to the starting line-up after missing last week’s impressive victory over Hawthorn with a hamstring injury. Anthony Morabito, Nick Suban, Matt de Boer and Garrick Ibboton are also back in contention for a recall after missing the Hawks win. Luke McPharlin misses out again after being ruled out for another three weeks with his calf injury, possibly keeping him out of action for the first week of the Finals.
