How Young the forward could help break Blues curse
Despite the two sides' contrasting form, the Blues have been a thorn in the Dockers' side in recent clashes with Fremantle only winning one of their past eight encounters.
The teams have not faced each other since the Dockers' infamous after-the-siren loss in Gather Round last year, with their last victory over Carlton coming back in 2022.
However, one man who has avoided a downturn against the Blues is Hayden Young, who boasts a remarkably consistent record against them.
In his past three clashes against Carlton, Young has recorded 25 touches, well above his career average, in each game to be among the best for his side despite their defeats.
But it could be a forward switch that helps Young and Fremantle break their Carlton hoodoo.
In just six games this season, Young has already kicked seven goals, more than half the total (13) he managed across his 23 games last season, as the Dockers manage his on-ball minutes by playing him in the midfield and up forward.
Young has never troubled the scorers in his previous encounters with the Blues but coach Justin Longmuir says he hopes he can continue to shine in his dual role.
'He has changed our midfield mix, and it's a testament to the work he put in while he was injured,' Longmuir told 7NEWS.
'He's just another big body in there and another player the opposition have to worry about, which takes the pressure off the other two.
'Having a left-footer in there and someone who can use the ball the way he does is obviously a really good weapon.
'We'll continue to mix his time between midfield and forward and hope to see his impact continue in both areas.' Justin Longmuir said there's still more improvement to find. Credit: Janelle St Pierre/AFL Photos / Getty Images
The Dockers have won nine of their past 10 games but Longmuir said there was still improvement to find, particularly after they wasted a string of chances to kill the game off earlier against West Coast.
'We wasted some opportunities, especially in those middle quarters, but any time you're generating 40 shots on goal, is a good performance,' he said.
'Our defence held up well and we generated enough opportunities, but there's still some work to do.'
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Dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe could receive an SOS call as early as this week after Fremantle confirmed Hayden Young had suffered an adductor strain. Young tweaked his groin tackling an opponent in Fremantle's 27-point win over Carlton at Optus Stadium on Sunday. The 24-year-old was playing just his third game back from hamstring surgery, and his groin setback leaves a massive hole in the midfield. The Dockers confirmed on Monday Young would definitely miss Saturday night's match against Port Adelaide, with a more concrete timeline to be provided in coming days. "We've escaped serious injury. It's just a matter of whether we can get him back before our last game," Dockers coach Justin Longmuir said on AFL 360. "We're cutting it pretty fine with timelines. We'll get a little bit more information back and see where the timelines fit. "Clearly the last couple of weeks has shown that he's important to us. "He adds a different dimension to our midfield. 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Fremantle have just three more matches - against Port, Brisbane and the Bulldogs - before the finals begin, so the race is on for Young to overcome his injury and build up fitness. Dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe could receive an SOS call as early as this week after Fremantle confirmed Hayden Young had suffered an adductor strain. Young tweaked his groin tackling an opponent in Fremantle's 27-point win over Carlton at Optus Stadium on Sunday. The 24-year-old was playing just his third game back from hamstring surgery, and his groin setback leaves a massive hole in the midfield. The Dockers confirmed on Monday Young would definitely miss Saturday night's match against Port Adelaide, with a more concrete timeline to be provided in coming days. "We've escaped serious injury. It's just a matter of whether we can get him back before our last game," Dockers coach Justin Longmuir said on AFL 360. "We're cutting it pretty fine with timelines. We'll get a little bit more information back and see where the timelines fit. "Clearly the last couple of weeks has shown that he's important to us. "He adds a different dimension to our midfield. "Having said that, we've got to this point without him for the majority of the year, so I'm sure we'll be fine. "I feel for him more than I feel for us. He's been in and out all year and had setbacks. He'll be flat." Fremantle initially struggled against Carlton without Young's big body and class, with the Dockers trailing by 24 points at halftime before Jaeger O'Meara's move to the midfield to quell George Hewett helped turn the tables. Fyfe has missed most of the season after damaging his hamstring soon after returning from knee surgery. The 33-year-old made his belated return in round 12, before injuring his calf just three matches later while warming up at half-time as the sub. Fyfe's latest bid to return to the AFL side began on Saturday when he racked up 27 disposals, six tackles and five clearances while playing for Peel Thunder in the WAFL. That huge display came despite him being rested for the entire final quarter, with Fyfe now a chance to return to the AFL side for Saturday night's clash with the Power in Adelaide. "I thought he was the best player on the ground for his 60 minutes," Longmuir said of Fyfe. "He only played 60 minutes though, so we'll have a chat during the week. "He'll be involved in that and work out his next progression and whether there's a spot in the side." Asked whether Fyfe needed some continuity first, Longmuir replied: "A little bit, but we're running out of time in the season and we need to put our best team out there to win next week. "A lot of things will come into consideration with him and Alex Pearce coming back, but we need to get going as well. "So we'll see what it spits out at selection." If Fyfe plays, there's a strong chance he will be the sub. Pearce has played just one of Fremantle's past nine matches due to a hot spot in his shin, but is in line to return against Port. Fremantle have just three more matches - against Port, Brisbane and the Bulldogs - before the finals begin, so the race is on for Young to overcome his injury and build up fitness. Dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe could receive an SOS call as early as this week after Fremantle confirmed Hayden Young had suffered an adductor strain. Young tweaked his groin tackling an opponent in Fremantle's 27-point win over Carlton at Optus Stadium on Sunday. The 24-year-old was playing just his third game back from hamstring surgery, and his groin setback leaves a massive hole in the midfield. The Dockers confirmed on Monday Young would definitely miss Saturday night's match against Port Adelaide, with a more concrete timeline to be provided in coming days. "We've escaped serious injury. It's just a matter of whether we can get him back before our last game," Dockers coach Justin Longmuir said on AFL 360. "We're cutting it pretty fine with timelines. We'll get a little bit more information back and see where the timelines fit. "Clearly the last couple of weeks has shown that he's important to us. "He adds a different dimension to our midfield. "Having said that, we've got to this point without him for the majority of the year, so I'm sure we'll be fine. "I feel for him more than I feel for us. He's been in and out all year and had setbacks. He'll be flat." Fremantle initially struggled against Carlton without Young's big body and class, with the Dockers trailing by 24 points at halftime before Jaeger O'Meara's move to the midfield to quell George Hewett helped turn the tables. Fyfe has missed most of the season after damaging his hamstring soon after returning from knee surgery. The 33-year-old made his belated return in round 12, before injuring his calf just three matches later while warming up at half-time as the sub. Fyfe's latest bid to return to the AFL side began on Saturday when he racked up 27 disposals, six tackles and five clearances while playing for Peel Thunder in the WAFL. That huge display came despite him being rested for the entire final quarter, with Fyfe now a chance to return to the AFL side for Saturday night's clash with the Power in Adelaide. "I thought he was the best player on the ground for his 60 minutes," Longmuir said of Fyfe. "He only played 60 minutes though, so we'll have a chat during the week. "He'll be involved in that and work out his next progression and whether there's a spot in the side." Asked whether Fyfe needed some continuity first, Longmuir replied: "A little bit, but we're running out of time in the season and we need to put our best team out there to win next week. "A lot of things will come into consideration with him and Alex Pearce coming back, but we need to get going as well. "So we'll see what it spits out at selection." If Fyfe plays, there's a strong chance he will be the sub. Pearce has played just one of Fremantle's past nine matches due to a hot spot in his shin, but is in line to return against Port. Fremantle have just three more matches - against Port, Brisbane and the Bulldogs - before the finals begin, so the race is on for Young to overcome his injury and build up fitness.
