Fremantle coach Ross Lyon is confident his newly-acquired squad will adapt to his game plan quickly, but admits he won’t be able to fully judge their strengths and weaknesses until the AFL season begins.
Lyon, who quit his post at St Kilda to link up with Fremantle last September, claims the Dockers need to become an 11-goal better side in order to match it with the league’s heavyweight teams.
The former Saints coach has drilled the basics into Fremantle’s players over the summer, placing a heavy emphasis on how they compete both with and without possession of the ball.
Fremantle beat Essendon and lost to West Coast in their opening NAB Cup games.
But Lyon wants to wait and see how his charges perform in the season proper before making any definitive judgements.
“We haven’t played an AFL game for four points, so under extreme pressure is when we really find out about each other,” Lyon told the AFL website.
“They have a really good work ethic, they’re young and enthusiastic, they’re vibrant and keen to build great teamsmanship with the aim of becoming a great team.
“I’m pretty basic; I just coach the three phases of the game – contest, pressure and use. I’m sure they’re getting their heads around it.
“You want freedom within structure. You have structures set up that provide plenty of possibilities and alternatives and options, depending on what the opposition’s doing.
“And you let that great talent, like (Aaron) Sandilands and (Matthew) Pavlich and those guys, express themselves within that.”
Fremantle’s players will get another chance to impress Lyon in Sunday’s pre-season clash with Richmond at Patersons Stadium.
The Dockers have named a strong squad, with only David Mundy (ankle), Anthony Morabito (quad), Michael Barlow, Antoni Grover and Garrick Ibbotson the notable omissions.
Richmond are resting vice-captain Trent Cotchin, Nathan Foley, Shaun Grigg, Daniel Jackson and Dylan Grimes, while Reece Conca is suspended.
Brett Deledio will also miss the match due to a hamstring injury.
The Tigers lost to North Melbourne but bounced back to beat Hawthorn in round one of the pre-season competition.
