Lyon has Dockers primed for AFL Tigers

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon can't wait for the chance to play Richmond, the team that handed Freo their first AFL loss this season, at the MCG on Saturday.

Nat Fyfe of the Fremantle Dockers

Coach Ross Lyon wants Fremantle to do more to protect gun midfielder Nat Fyfe (Pic) from hard tags. (AAP)

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon can't wait for Saturday to try and take revenge against Richmond, the team which handed the Dockers their first loss of the AFL season.

Fremantle remained a game clear on top of the AFL ladder with a 42-point win over Carlton at Domain Stadium on Saturday, but the Dockers couldn't shake the lowly Blues until the final quarter.

It was enough for Fremantle to improve to a 13-2 record after round 16 and remain four-points clear of West Coast and two ahead of Hawthorn. They did, though, lose small forward Hayden Ballantyne to a shoulder injury.

Richmond beat the Dockers in Round 10 and Lyon can't wait to get a chance at redemption against the Tigers on Saturday.

"We know that Richmond are a really massive challenge at the MCG," he said.

"We are excited about that, we can't wait to get on the plane and they knocked us over here (in Perth), so we understand what they bring to the table.

"It's a big challenge but you can't sneak around in league football, you have to earn your position.

"I don't think it hurts us (to play Richmond again so soon). It's exciting."

It's a different story for Freo's round-16 victims Carlton, with coach John Barker just hoping to be competitive against Hawthorn in round 17.

Carlton might have ended up losing by 42 points against Fremantle on Saturday night, but for three quarters it was a strong showing against the league-leaders.

The Blues now have the unenviable task of facing a rampant Hawthorn on Friday night at Etihad Stadium.

"So that looks like it's going to be a solid challenge next week, but again, the boys get to learn," Barker said.

"It's not just about learning, we need to go out there and play and play in a manner that befits the Carlton Football Club.

"We know what we value on field, we got that right for three quarters (against Fremantle) and we need to get that right for four quarters next week, to be competitive.

"We don't have much of a choice with our list in terms of who we play (because of injuries), so I think everyone understands where we are at; we know where we are at and we just have to make the most of the situation we are in and keep driving these boys to higher standards."


Share
3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP

Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world