The fourth of Saturday’s AFL Round 6 matches will be played between Gold Coast Suns and Fremantle Dockers. The opening bounce is set to commence at 7:40pm local time with the game to be played at Metricon Stadium in Queensland. The away team Fremantle Dockers are the current favourites for the match despite many thinking Gold Coast can stage an upset. View our match preview and teams for the game between Gold Coast Suns and Fremantle Dockers.

Round: Round 6 7:40 PM May 04, 2013
Stadium: Metricon Stadium
Weather: 25° Mostly fine, possible shower.

Featured Bookmakers:

Gold Coast Suns $3.05 vs Fremantle Dockers $1.38 at Sportsbet Australia get a $500 FREE BET on this match

Gold Coast Suns $3.30 vs Fremantle Dockers $1.35 at Luxbet Australia get a $500 FREE BET on this match

Odds Comparison:

Gold Coast Suns	3.05	3.15	3.30	3.15	3.05	3.07
Fremantle Dockers	1.38	1.35	1.35	1.35	1.38	1.39

Preview:

The Gold Coast find themselves with the rare opportunity of possible back-to-back wins having walloped the GWA last week by 44 points with young mid-fielder Jaegar O’Meara, earning the NAB Rising Star nomination in the process.

They host the Fremantle Dockers who continue to put their home crowd through stressful emotions with a solitary point last week against Richmond.

The Suns have performed well in each of their three home games this year including a win over St. Kilda in Round 1, a narrow loss to Brisbane and after being competitive early, a loss to the undefeated Port.

They still have a long way to go to be a competitive force, week in week out in the AFL competition but there has been distinct improvement in skill and attitude for the Suns this year compared to last.

Freo have beaten the Suns on both occasions the two sides have met with the most recent being Round 6 last year where Dockers got a scare before running out seven point winners

Dockers should be too good again but in a round where there are several very short priced favourites, it may be worth, to add a little value, taking the Suns with the points start.

Teams:

Gold Coast Suns:
B: Trent McKenzie, Tom Murphy, Dion Prestia
HB: Danny Stanley, Rory Thompson, Greg Broughton
C: Michael Rischitelli, Gary Ablett, Jarrod Harbrow
HF: Harley Bennell, Tom Lynch, Aaron Hall
F: Zac Smith, Sam Day, Brandon Matera
Foll: Charlie Dixon, Karmichael Hunt, David Swallow
Int: Matt Shaw, Jared Brennan, Jesse Lonergan, Jaeger O’Meara
Emerg: Jack Hutchins, Timmy Sumner, Daniel Gorringe

IN: Harley Bennell, Jesse Lonergan
OUT: Steven May (hamstring), Jack Hutchins

Fremantle Dockers:
B: Lee Spurr, Zac Dawson, Michael Johnson
HB: Garrick Ibbotson, Luke McPharlin, Clancee Pearce
C: Tendai Mzungu, Ryan Crowley, Nick Suban
HF: Michael Barlow, Chris Mayne, Hayden Ballantyne
F: Hayden Crozier, Jack Hannath, Michael Walters
Foll: Jonathon Griffin, Matt De Boer, David Mundy
Int: Danyle Pearce, Paul Duffield, Cameron Sutcliffe, Alex Silvagni
Emerg: Lachie Neale, Tom Sheridan, Tanner Smith

IN: Paul Duffield, Alex Silvagni, Cameron Sutcliffe, Hayden Crozier
OUT: Kepler Bradley (knee), Stephen Hill (quad), Nathan Fyfe (suspension), Lachie Neale

In The News:

Suns coach wary of wounded Dockers in AFL

Their opponents might be undermanned but Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna expects a fierce AFL match on Saturday night against Fremantle.

The Dockers head to Metricon Stadium without star midfielder Nathan Fyfe, who is serving the first game of a two-match suspension, while Stephen Hill (quad) is also not heading east.

With captain Matthew Pavlich (Achilles) and giant ruckman Aaron Sandilands (hamstring) also sidelined, some are sniffing another upset win for the Suns at their home ground.

The Dockers narrowly won last year’s fixture on the Gold Coast by seven points, but McKenna doesn’t believe Fremantle’s big omissions will make it any easier to narrow that gap this time around.

“The tags that are going to run out and the players that are going to run out, we know that there’s going to be a fierce contest,” McKenna told reporters.

“Contested ball and then tackle pressure, regardless of who is there, we know what’s coming.

“We’ve got to be able to withstand that heat and then put some pressure on them.”

McKenna has made two changes from the Suns team which easily accounted for Greater Western Sydney last weekend in Canberra, omitting Jack Hutchins and Steven May.

Coming back into the side is Harley Bennell (hamstring), who was best on ground in that narrow loss to the Dockers last season, while Tasmanian product Jesse Lonergan will make his AFL debut.

McKenna admits Bennell was deliberately kept out of the trip to play the Giants with an eye on the Dockers match after his three-goal, 37-disposal display in 2012.

“You probably wouldn’t do it for most but he’s got some credits in the bank – he’s got some good history,” McKenna said.

“He probably could have played last week but with travel, all those things, we left him out to make sure he was cherry-ripe to go this week.”

Lonergan, who was on course for a round-one debut before a wrist injury sidelined him for six weeks, is another deliberate choice to take on the Dockers.

McKenna believes the muscular 18-year-old can mix it with the Dockers and Lonergan doesn’t appear fazed about being thrown into a red-hot contest first time out.

“That’s my kind of game,” he said.

“Contested footy and that stuff, hopefully I can bring that to the table.”