Lyon back Dockers to rebound

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon has faith in his AFL team bouncing back with Michael Johnson and Aaron Sandilands to return against Gold Coast on Saturday.

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon is challenging his team to prove they aren't daydreamers when they take on Gary Ablett and the Suns on Saturday.

He's backing the Dockers to rebound in the home AFL clash in the wake of their opening round humiliation at the hands of the Western Bulldogs, but says it's time for action not more words.

The Dockers scored just one goal by halftime against the Dogs before losing by 65 points at Etihad Stadium.

The return of Aaron Sandilands (suspension) and Michael Johnson (calf) and the return to Domain Stadium should help against Gold Coast.

"I'd be disappointed if we don't respond but until we see it, it's all just feelings and emotions," said Lyon on Thursday.

"I'm sure we were feeling good last week and we were feeling confident but feelings don't get it done, actions get it done. We want to bring the action this week.

"I'm fundamentally a coach who has a close working relationships and believes in his playing group, and believes anything is possible.

"That hasn't changed one iota, but if you have high expectations, it has to be matched by work rate otherwise you are just a daydreamer."

Fremantle regularly tagged the Suns superstar skipper Ablett previously using Ryan Crowley, but Lyon doesn't expect to use that tactic with another tagger on Saturday.

Instead he will back his own midfield stars, the likes of Nat Fyfe, David Mundy, Lachie Neale and Michael Barlow, to outperform their opponents.

"We haven't tagged for a while. We sort of have people accountable for them," Lyon said.

"It's been proven in numerous other teams and numerous games that it's not about one player. It's about all players contributing.

"I'm sure Gary will play well but we hope as a collective we play well enough to beat him and the Gold Coast Suns."


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