Lyon to put friendship with Roos on hold

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon says he'll be taking his best possible side to Darwin for the clash with Melbourne on Saturday night.

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon gives a radio interview

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon says he'll be taking his best possible side to Darwin to play the Demons. (AAP)

They're close friends with a water-tight bond, but Fremantle coach Ross Lyon won't be doing Paul Roos any favours when the Dockers lock horns with an improving Melbourne in Darwin on Saturday night.

Lyon honed his coaching skills while working as an assistant to Roos at Sydney last decade, with the pair masterminding the Swans' premiership in 2005.

Roos is now in charge of the Demons, while Lyon is the head honcho of a Dockers outfit expected to push for premiership glory.

Fremantle will be hot favourites to put Melbourne to the sword on Saturday.

And if Roos thought his good mate would go easy on him, he better think again.

Lyon says he'll resist the temptation to rest any of his star players for the trip, and he also expects key defender Luke McPharlin to return from a knee injury.

"Paul's a good friend of mine. But there will be no friendships up in Darwin," Lyon said after Fremantle's seven-point win over West Coast.

"We are going there to improve our footy and get the four points.

"It's a tough trip and we'll be taking our best possible team."

McPharlin has missed the past three games with a knee injury, but the 32-year-old's likely inclusion is a big boost to a side still missing Michael Johnson.

Anthony Morabito will again be in the selection mix, while Colin Sylvia's spot could come under scrutiny after he tallied just eight possessions and a goal before being subbed off against the Eagles.

The fourth-placed Dockers face the Demons, Giants, Saints and Blues over the next four weeks, giving them an excellent chance to stretch their winning streak to 10 games.

In contrast, West Coast's finals hopes appear over, with the Eagles sitting two wins adrift of eighth spot with just eight games remaining.

In a further blow for the Eagles, defender Mitch Brown appears set to miss the rest of the season after injuring his right knee against the Dockers.

West Coast fear Brown might need a reconstruction after his knee twisted awkwardly as he crashed to the ground in the third quarter.

The Eagles take on a star-studded Sydney forward line at Patersons Stadium on Sunday, with the likes of Lance Franklin, Kurt Tippett, Adam Goodes and their army of smalls capable of inflicting major damage.

Eagles coach Adam Simpson ruled out the prospect of luring former Eagles skipper Darren Glass out of retirement to cover for Brown.

Instead, emerging forward Jeremy McGovern could be swung to defence to help quell the Swans' monster forwards.


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