Adelaide and Fremantle have met 35 times. The Crows hold the overall lead 20 – 15.
The Crows ended a four-game losing streak against the Dockers in Round Six this season, recording a 33-point victory at Adelaide Oval. On that day, Eddie Betts kicked four goals.
Adelaide’s last win over Freo at Subiaco was in Round 10, 2012. The Club’s most recent victory at Domain Stadium was a stirring come-from-behind win over West Coast in Round 12 this season.
The Crows are aiming to win two games in WA in a single season for the first time in their history.
Betts is fourth in the AFL for goals this season with 54. Reigning Coleman Medallist Josh Kennedy leads the way again on 67.
Betts will play his 249th AFL game this weekend, drawing level with former Melbourne and Fremantle forward Jeff Farmer in equal-10th for games by an Indigenous player.
Josh Jenkins, who has kicked 52 goals to be fifth in the Coleman Medal race this season, has already surpassed his previous best season tally of 46 goals from 21 games in 2015. Jenkins (173 career goals) needs eight more goals to move into the top 10 in Adelaide’s all-time goalkicking.
Prolific Fremantle midfielder Lachie Neale has amassed 630 possessions this season – 32 more than the next-best player in the League. Neale also leads the competition in contested possessions (307), ranks second in hard ball-gets (140) and third in total clearances (134).
Crow Tom Lynch and GWS forward Toby Green lead the League in score assists (34).
Forward-turned-midfielder Michael Walters has been involved in more team scores (121) than any other Fremantle player.
Walters also leads his club’s goalkicking with 29 – one ahead of retiring champion Matthew Pavlich (28). Walters has averaged three goals in his past three clashes with the Crows.
Pavlich needs three goals to reach 700 career goals, having kicked 697 goals since his debut in 2000.
Adelaide captain Taylor Walker has averaged 2.6 goals in his 10 career games against Freo.
Ruckman Aaron Sandilands made his long-awaited return from a serious rib injury last weekend. Sandilands has the highest percentage of hit-outs won (60.7%) of any ruckman this season.
All Australian defender Daniel Talia is fourth in the competition for intercept possessions (136).
Young midfielder Brad Crouch has enjoyed the biggest jump (34.1) in Champion Data ranking points in the past month, climbing from 75.3 to 109.4 points.
Despite not translating into wins this season, Fremantle remains one of the best pressure teams in the competition. The Dockers are the best at converting forward 50m turnovers into scores. They also have the sixth-best tackling efficiency of any side.
Freo forward Chris Mayne is No.1 in the AFL for forward 50m tackles.
The Dockers have used 38 players this season – the equal-second most of any club. Adelaide has used the fewest (29) players of any team.
In-form Crow Rory Sloane has averaged 28 possessions, seven tackles and five marks in his last three games against Fremantle.
Adelaide’s biggest-ever score against the Dockers was 25.17 (167) at Football Park way back in Round Two, 1998. The Club’s highest win over Fremantle was 117 points in Round 15, 2009, when the Crows held the Dockers to one goal in the wet at Football Park.
Premiership hero Darren Jarman holds the record for most Crows goals in a game against Freo. Jarman slotted 8.1 in Adelaide’s one-point loss to the Dockers at Subiaco in Round 17, 1998.
Scott Thompson, who is in the frame to return after a weekend off,holds the record for the most possessions by a Crow against the Dockers. The midfielder had 40 disposals, nine clearances and nine tackles in Adelaide’s 25-point loss to Fremantle in Round Three, 2011.
