By Justin Chadwick
The cook-up at Sean Darcy’s house was the most talked about barbecue in Perth over the past week, but Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir is still looking for his invite.
The Dockers’ dire 0-2 start to the season has resulted in some soul-searching among the player group leading up to Sunday’s western derby against West Coast.
The Eagles and Dockers in action in round three last year.Credit:AFL Photos
A day after Fremantle lost to North Melbourne by a single point last Saturday, Darcy hosted a team barbecue at his house.
The get-together gave the players the perfect chance to bond and reflect on recent events, and Fremantle hope it will result in a much better display in the western derby.
Longmuir has been a man under pressure this season.
He’s had to defend Luke Jackson’s form, find a fix to the club’s misfiring forward line, and also get to the bottom of the club’s midfield woes.
So when the chance came up to have a bit of a light-hearted moment with the media in the lead-up to Sunday’s derby, Longmuir took it with both hands.
“No I didn’t [get an invite], I was a bit flat on that,” Longmuir said with a wry smile when asked about Darcy’s barbecue.
“A lot’s been made of that barbecue. Our players have caught up all pre-season, they caught up all last year.
“They hang out together in their down time. I think it’s a good thing.
“I don’t think it was anything out of the ordinary having a barbecue at Sean’s house, apart from the lack of an invite.”
Longmuir has reacted to the back-to-back losses by axing midfielder Will Brodie.
Ruckman/forward Jackson is set to spend stints on-ball as a big-bodied midfielder to help give the Dockers some spark, while forward Sam Switkowski could join him in the middle.
Fremantle’s stagnant ball movement has been widely panned over the past two weeks, but Longmuir doesn’t feel like the team is far away from finding answers.
“In short, we’ve been getting the ball inside 50 enough. We need to make more of that,” Longmuir said.
“And if we can get some stoppage going our way, I think it will contribute to a better brand of footy.”
Dockers midfielder Matthew Johnson will make his AFL debut as the tactical sub, while the inclusions of Nathan O’Driscoll and Michael Walters into the 22 will add further excitement and X-factor.
West Coast are aiming to build on the run-and-gun game style that helped propel them to a 19-point win over GWS last week.
The Eagles’ ability to win the contest and the stoppages battle proved crucial, with coach Adam Simpson challenging his players to reproduce that form.
West Coast defender Tom Barrass has endured a tough start to the season, with North Melbourne’s Nick Larkey booting six goals on him in round one, and GWS spearhead Jesse Hogan returning 3.4 last week.
Simpson is confident Barrass will regain his hot form from last season soon.
“He’s a bit rusty at the moment. He’s working really hard on his craft, being a really good defender,” Simpson said.
“A bit of it is supply, a bit of it is just getting into the rhythm, back working with Gov [Jeremy McGovern] and the rest of the backs.
“We’re not too worried about that.”
AAP
