Ballantyne in, McPharlin out
Fremantle will be without All-Australian defender Luke McPharlin on Saturday night against the Cats
Fremantle has named Hayden Ballantyne for Saturday night’s game against the Cats while keeping Luke McPharlin out.
Despite having a minor procedure on his jaw earlier in the week, Fremantle’s General Manager of Player Management, Chris Bond, says Ballantyne’s week on the track was a clear indication that he was right to go.
Another player Bond was dubious about was Stephen Hill, however, he too has pulled up better than expected and will be there to inject his speed on Saturday night.
“They have trained well all week,” Bond told www.fremantle.com.au
“We were a bit concerned with ‘Hilly’ after the game (against Port) but he’s trained really solidly all week and we knew in the middle of the week that he was going to play.
“Hayden as well, he’s someone that we wouldn’t have taken any risk with and he’s been made available to play.”
Up the other end of the field the Dockers will be miss their most elite defender, Luke McPharlin, however, the blow won’t be too hard with the return of key defender Zac Dawson.
“We think it’s really important, he’s one of our key backs and he’s played some great footy for us since he’s been here,” Bond said.
“But in saying that, we need to make sure that all our pressure all over the ground is really solid to help those players out (in defence).”
Fremantle will also add some young fresh legs back into the midfield to boost their chance against the Cats.
“He’s gone back and played some excellent football at Peel and been able to generate a fair bit of ball and been able to use it well,” Bond said.
The Cats will take on the Dockers at Patersons Stadium Saturday night at 7:40pm AEST.