Thursday Night Football heads west with a blockbuster clash between the in-form Dockers and premiership fancy Hawthorn at Optus Stadium.
Fremantle Dockers vs Hawthorn Hawks
Fremantle extended their winning streak to seven matches last week, surviving a late Bulldogs charge to remain one of the hottest teams in the competition.
Now they return home to Optus Stadium where they’ve built a serious fortress, facing a Hawthorn side coming off a dramatic draw against Collingwood.
The Hawks were fortunate to escape with two points last Thursday night thanks to Dylan Moore’s goal after the siren, but they’ll need a much sharper performance here against a Dockers outfit that matches up well on them.
Leg 1 - Fremantle
The Dockers should have the edge through the midfield with Serong, Brayshaw, Young, Reid and Bolton all in strong form.
Fremantle also profile extremely well defensively against Hawthorn’s dangerous small forwards, restricting goals to midfielder-forwards 44% below league average this season.
That becomes particularly important against players like Watson and Macdonald.
The Dockers have also dominated this matchup recently, winning seven of their last eight against Hawthorn and covering the line in six of those games.
At Optus Stadium specifically, Fremantle have won five straight against the Hawks including a 13-point victory last season.
Leg 2 - Heath Chapman 15+ Disposals
This shapes as a lower-disposal style game with both teams ranking among the best defensively at limiting opposition possessions.
That makes consistent 15+ disposal players appealing, and Heath Chapman fits perfectly.
The Dockers defender is averaging 17.9 disposals per game this season and has recorded 15+ disposals in seven of eight appearances.
Leg 3 - Dylan Moore 1+ Goals
Dylan Moore continues to produce remarkable consistency year after year for Hawthorn.
He’s kicked eight goals from seven matches this season and has scored at least one goal in five of those games.
Looking further back, Moore has kicked a goal in 15 of his last 19 matches overall.
He also enjoys this matchup, hitting the scoreboard in each of his last three games against Fremantle.
Leg 4 - Blake Hardwick 15+ Disposals
Hardwick remains a crucial piece in Hawthorn’s ball movement from defensive half.
Even after a slow start against Collingwood last week where he had only three disposals at half-time, he still found a way to finish on 15.
Hardwick is averaging 18 disposals per game this season and has now recorded 15+ disposals in seven consecutive matches.
Given Hawthorn’s preference to switch and control possession from half-back, he should once again see enough football.
Same Game Multi
Fremantle / Chapman 15+ Disposals / Moore 1+ Goals / Hardwick 15+ Disposals = $5.00
