AFL ROUND 17 2007: FREMANTLE V GEELONG; CATS CHASE TWELFTH WIN IN THE WEST; MATCH PREVIEW PLUS TV / RADIO BROADCAST DETAILS
Ben Jensen 26 July 2007

By Ben Jensen FREMANTLE DOCKERS V GEELONG CATS GEELONG travel across the Nullabor for what is hopefully the only time this season, to face the Fremantle Dockers. The Cats are chasing their twelfth win in succession and third win out of four interstate, after back to back wins in Adelaide earlier in the season. For the Cats Paul Chapman was a surprise withdrawal with an adductor injury while Tom Hawkins has been omitted. Replacing the pair are Nathan Ablett and Matthew Scarlett. Scarlett will play a key role in negating Freo Captain and key forward Matthew Pavlich.

For the Dockers giant ruckman Aaron Sandilands returns from injury while wayward forward Jeff Farmer returns, missing matches due to a combination of injury and having undertaken a drunken rampage in a Perth casino car park.

Fresh from boning their coach and putting in a cynical spirited display in Adelaide last Saturday, Fremantle are a club in disarray but with wholesale player changes a certainty post-season, will be full of players keen to save their careers.

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James Kelly will play his 100th game for the Cats, after making his debut in 2002, the same season as Gary Ablett, Jimmy Bartel, Steve Johnson and David Johnson, all of whom played in the VFL Premiership under current Development Coach Ron Watt.

INJURY LIST

LAST TIME

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LAST GAME DETAILS

UMPIRES

'The River' Margetts, 'Goofy' McLaren, 'The Lady' Avon

MILESTONES

James Kelly will play his 100th game.

WEATHER

Showers, top of 19.

TIP?

CATS by 13 points

BETTING (As At TBA) (Check OnThePunt for latest odds)

GEELONG

IN: Matthew Scarlett, Nathan Ablett
OUT: Paul Chapman (adductor), Tom Hawkins

B: Milburn Scarlett Enright
HB: Mackie Egan Harley
C: Corey Bartel Wojcinski
HF: Byrnes Mooney Selwood
F: S Johnson N Ablett Stokes
FOLL: Ottens G Ablett Ling
INT: Blake Kelly Hunt D Johnson
EMER: Varcoe King Hawkins

FREMANTLE

IN: Sandilands Farmer
OUT: Dodd (shoulder bruising) Warnock

B: Black McPharlin Grover
HB: Thornton Johnson Mundy
C: M Carr Hasleby Headland
HF: Solomon Pavlich Farmer
F: Hayden Drum Tarrant
FOLL: Sandilands J Carr Bell
INT: Crowley Duffield Gilmore McManus
EMER: Cook Schammer Warnock

CATS INJURY LIST

REFER INJURY LIST FOR UPDATES (Updated on Tuesday nights)

As advised by the club, 24/7/2007

(The Cattery's comments in brackets)

NEW - Paul Chapman Adductor Undetermined

Liam Bedford Quad strain Test (On Track)
Brent Prismall Wrist 1 week (On Track)
Nathan Djerrkura Quad strain 2-3 weeks (New - flared up again)
Sam Hunt Finger 1-2 weeks (On Track)
Max Rooke Hamstring 3-4 weeks (Heading to Europe to seek a cure)
Joel Reynolds ACL Season

FREMANTLE DOCKERS INJURY LIST

As advised by the club, 23/7/2007

Dodd (Severe shoulder bruising) 2-4 weeks
Campbell (knee) - 2 weeks
Parker (hamstring) - 2 weeks
Peake (collar bone) - 1 week
Rumble (hamstring) - 1 week
Dunn (knee) - Test
Longmuir (long term injury list)

LAST TIME

19 MAY 2007; AFL ROUND 8 2007: CATS SUPREME IN ROUTINE WIN OVER DOCKERS
GEELONG beat Fremantle by twenty five points in front of 20,435 at Skilled Stadium. James Kelly had one of his best games for the club while Jimmy Bartel and Gary Ablett again dominated the midfield and must be in the All Australian selectors' thoughts if not the umpires' Brownlow votes. The rain held off and the sun shone, although the strong wind made for cold conditions. Fremantle struggled with the 'Geelong doctor' but the Cats had no such troubles in the opening term kicking six straight goals.

GEELONG 6.0 9.5 11.9 14.10 (94) DEFEATED
FREMANTLE 3.2 4.6 5.7 10.9 (69)

GOALS:
GEELONG: S Johnson 4 G Ablett 2 C Mooney N Ablett T Varcoe D Wojcinski C Ling B Ottens J Hunt M Stokes. FREMANTLE: P Bell 3 M Pavlich 3 C Tarrant 2 L Webster P Duffield.
BEST:
GEELONG: J Kelly J Bartel G Ablett S Johnson M Egan D Wojcinski K Tenace C Ling.
FREMANTLE: J Carr M Johnson L McPharlin P Bell A Sandilands M Carr.

Steve Johnson wowed the crowd with four goals in his third game back and stood tall on the forward line. As one fan exclaimed aloud midway through the pivotal first term "thank God he's learned his lesson". The athletic backman Matthew Egan toweled up Freo Captain Matthew Pavlich with a fantastic game at centre half back. The defensive pressure of Travis Varcoe and Matthew Stokes resulted in a number of turnovers just outside Geelong's forward line.

Matthew Scarlett, who is a Dad 'again' with a baby daughter, had a influential game across the backline. Kane Tenace, on a knife-edge at the selection table most Thursday nights cemented his spot in the side and, like Kelly, may have played his best game ever. On the opposite wing David Wojcinski improved on last week but was still spraying his kicks at goal wide, albeit in windy conditions.

GARY ABLETT SHOULD ENJOY SUBIACO'S WIDE OPEN SPACES

VFL

VFL ROUND SIXTEEN 2007

GEELONG HAS THE BYE THIS WEEK

TOM LONERGAN (CLICK IMAGE TO VISIT THE WEBSITE OF ZAIDEE'S RAINBOW FOUNDATION)