Saturday third AFL Round 9 match is between Fremantle Dockers and Geelong Cats with the game to be played at Patersons Stadium. The opening bounce is set to commence at 19.40pm local time with away team Geelong Cats currently holding favouritism. View our AFL live scores, odds and results for the game between Fremantle Dockers and Geelong Cats.

Round: Round 9, Saturday May 17, 19.40pm
Stadium: Patersons Stadium
Weather: 24° Partly cloudy.

Odds Comparison:

Fremantle Dockers	1.92	2.00	1.92	2.00	1.92	1.92
Geelong Cats	1.92	1.82	1.92	1.82	1.92	1.90

All odds are subject to change. Odds listed are correct at the time of the latest update.

Preview:

The Dockers take on the Cats on Saturday, 5.40PM Western Time at Patersons Stadium.  This looks like a killer match-up, with the Cats on fire and Fremantle looking to rebound from an 18-point loss against Port Adelaide in round eight.  These two sides always manage to put on a good show, and this weekend will be no exception.  Fremantle have beaten Geelong in the last two finals these sides have played against each other, and that fact alone makes this a must-watch game.

The Cats had a bye last round and will travel west for this match fresh and feeling confident.  With just one loss to their name against Port Adelaide in round six, they do have the better form going into this match.  However, travelling to Perth is never easy, and Geelong have struggled a bit away from home this season.  All the ingredients are there for a killer match, with the Dockers possibly having the edge due to their home ground advantage and shear desperation for a win.

Teams:

Fremantle Dockers
B, Paul Duffield, Zac Dawson, Lee Spurr
HB, Danyle Pearce, Michael Johnson, Nick Suban
C, Stephen Hill, Ryan Crowley, Cameron Sutcliffe
HF, Nat Fyfe, Matthew Pavlich, Michael Barlow
F, Chris Mayne, Zac Clarke, Hayden Ballantyne
Fol, Aaron Sandilands, Tendai Mzungu, David Mundy
I/C, Lachie Neale, Alex Silvagni, Tommy Sheridan, Matt de Boer
Emg, Garrick Ibbotson, Matt Taberner, Clancee Pearce,
In, Zac Dawson, Tommy Sheridan,
Out, Clancee Pearce (Omitted), Hayden Crozier (Omitted)

Geelong Cats

B: A.Mackie, T.Lonergan, H.Taylor
HB: C.Enright, J.Rivers, C.Guthrie
C: M.Duncan, J.Selwood, J.Kelly
HF: T.Varcoe, H.McIntosh, S.Johnson
F: J.Murdoch, T.Hawkins, S.Motlop
FOLL: D.Simpson, J.Bartel, G.Horlin-Smith
Interchange: J.Bews, M.Blicavs, T.Hunt, J.Sheringham
EMG: J.Jansen, J.Schroder, J.Walker
In: A.Mackie, J.Bews
Out: M.Stokes (Suspension) , G.Burbury (Groin)

News:

Geelong coach Chris Scott fully understands the theatre surrounding the Cats’ modern-day AFL rivalry with Fremantle.

He just doesn’t believe it will play any meaningful role in deciding who actually wins Saturday’s big game at Patersons Stadium.

The Dockers have won three of the past four clashes between the two sides, including a monumental upset in last year’s qualifying final at Simonds Stadium.

Fremantle duo Ryan Crowley and Hayden Ballantyne have a special knack of getting under the Cats’ skins, with Steve Johnson often playing the same role for Geelong.

“It will be a pretty fierce contest, I don’t think anyone shies away from that,” former Dockers assistant coach Scott said on Tuesday.

“My personal view is that the niggle is over-rated – always has been, always will be.

“But it’s good for the theatre.

“The Freo crowd probably aren’t a big fan of Steve Johnson and the Geelong crowd probably aren’t a big fan of Ryan Crowley and Hayden Ballantyne.

“But it’s a little bit different when you know them personally as well.

“They’re the kind of guys where you’d love to hate them, but you don’t.

“… I guess on one level if you want me to say ‘yeah, it’s going to be fiery, and there’s going to heaps of niggle and we’ll be at each other’s throats’ then I’ll say that if you want.

“You just know I don’t really believe it.”

The Cats will welcome back defender Andrew Mackie from a hamstring injury, probably in a straight swap for suspended midfielder Mathew Stokes.

“Mackie is an important player for us, an All-Australian defender, a member of our leadership group and an important part of the way we play,” said Scott.

“If you take out a player of that calibre there tends to be a bit of a domino effect.”

A win on Saturday will see the Cats draw level with Port Adelaide atop the ladder.

Fremantle sit further back in eighth place with a 4-4 win-loss record, badly needing a victory to build some momentum ahead of a bye the following weekend.