Fremantle Dockers say they are ready for action as finals go on the line in game against Western Bulldogs

Fremantle have declared they couldn’t be more ready to win their way through to the AFL finals series when they play the Western Bulldogs on Sunday as the clock ticks down to the blockbuster at Marvel Stadium. Gold Coast’s shock loss to Port Adelaide on Friday night means the Dockers can now host a final if they beat the Bulldogs. Fremantle footy boss Joe Brierty said the coaches had done a great job to give the players a clear understanding of what went wrong against Brisbane last week and have them primed to beat the Bulldogs. “You don’t lose that talent or that ability in one game of footy. We’ve seen results across the entire competition where if you’re off by five per cent, you are going to get beaten,” Brierty told The Sunday Times. “It starts with team defence and our contest. They’re the things we have built our brand off. “We know the Western Bulldogs are a really good contest team. Obviously their ball movement is a strength. Those two things will be really important, and taking opportunities when they come. “It will take a strong four-quarter performance but the group is really excited about the opportunity and position we are in to get a finals berth.” Brierty praised star ruckman Luke Jackson for how he’d handled the challenge of spending the week in Victoria following the death of his partner’s mum. Fremantle understood it was important for Jackson to be with his partner, and sent two coaches to Melbourne to help him with his training. He said Jackson was just as prepared as he would have been if he’d stayed in Perth all week. “We’ve seen real growth in Luke this year. He’s had three different roles – playing forward, ruck and in the midfield. He’s becoming a real professional in all aspects of his preparation,” Brierty said. “There’s a lot of trust there from our perspective that he’ll know what his body needs and he’ll lean into getting all the information from an education and preparation point of view. “He came into the team meal room once we got in and had dinner with the boys. He’s always got a smile on his face and it’s the energy he brings. “Obviously it was a really difficult week for Luke, his partner and family. We wrapped our arms around him. “The best thing for us was to make sure we set him up to perform on Sunday. That was to stay in Melbourne and have coaches over here who were able to support him through that. “He’s got all the work in that he needs. He was able to jump online with Joel Corey and Justin throughout the week and attend meetings. He should be ready to go.” Star midfielder Hayden Young is also back in the team after recovering from a groin injury. He was the only change to the team that lost to Brisbane and replaced Nathan O’Driscoll. Sunday will be the first time that the Dockers will have had Young, Andrew Brayshaw, Caleb Serong and Nat Fyfe all available this season which provides them with a depth of starpower in the centre of the ground, plus versatility in other positions. Young has been influential when returning from injury this year. He kicked two goals in his first game of the season against Richmond and then had 25 possessions against Melbourne the next week. Then he came on as the sub against Collingwood and helped to inspire Fremantle to a victory at the MCG, before winning the Glendinning-Allan Medal in the western derby one week later. Brierty said the club had done everything possible to have him ready to play. “It was touch and go that he could have potentially got up for some footy last week and we ultimately decided to give him another weekend,” he said. “He got through a full footy load last weekend. We’re really confident in his ability to get through a game. We know what he brings from a football perspective but also his leadership onfield and around the group. “We’d love to get more footy into Youngy across the year and know how important he is to us. But he’s been able to show that he can come back in and influence games straight away like the way he did against Collingwood and West Coast. We’re confident in his ability to come in and perform. He gives us a different dynamic.” While Gold Coast’s loss to Port Adelaide means Fremantle can still make the finals if they lose, it is unlikely the Suns will be beaten by Essendon on Wednesday. The prize of a home final if Fremantle wins adds an extra layer to Sunday’s game but Brierty said that’s not even being considered. “Those things mean nothing unless we focus on what we need to do and get the four points,” he said.