Tasmanian football fans look set to be treated to one of the matches of the round on Saturday as Hawthorn and Fremantle prepare to face off at Aurora Stadium.

The game will no doubt be played at finals-like intensity with both sides relying heavily on their ability to tackle and out pressure their opposition in order to force turnovers in their forward half and turn those into scores.

It is one of the best defensive sides in Fremantle taking on one of the most damaging team’s forward of centre in Hawthorn.

Both sides are coming off matches that were tough, contested battles requiring the commitment of each and every player that represented the jumper.

The Hawks defeated Collingwood in a game of two halves – the first a tight contest that showed the importance of forward pressure and the other, a half where the Hawks overran the Pies thanks to their pressure and ability to convert its plethora of opportunities in front of goal.

The Dockers on the other hand looked to be heading to a big victory over the Bombers at Patersons Stadium on Friday night before an emotionally charged Essendon kicked nine goals to two to win a thriller in Perth.

Defence first for the Dockers

Since arriving at Fremantle, Coach Ross Lyon has trained his players to become the best defensive side in the league by training them to become the best tackling pressure side in the competition.

The defence first mindset of Lyon was made famous as he took St Kilda to Grand Final appearances in 2009 and 2010 on the back of its ability to restrict the opposition’s scoring power.

He has been able to implement a similar style in his first season as Fremantle as it was ranked the best defensive side by the conclusion of Round 23 last season.  

Over the summer, the Dockers have undoubtedly worked to further improve their defensive game with the idea of becoming that hardest team to play against because of their impenetrable backline and full ground defence that starts with Hayden Ballantyne and the forward line inside offensive 50.

In the opening three rounds, the Dockers have kept a powerful West Coast side featuring Josh Kennedy and Mark LeCras to 80 points, the Bulldogs to 78 points and despite losing to Essendon, Fremantle restricted the Bombers to just 72 points for the game.

They are the second best defensive side in the competition, conceding just 230 points in the opening three rounds (behind only Essendon who recorded a thumping win over Melbourne in Round 2) and the number one tackling side in the league, averaging 75 per game.

When Fremantle’s defence works

Fremantle’s defensive game style when executed to perfection is almost impossible to score against.

In the first half of Friday night’s match against Essendon, Fremantle strangled the Bombers who were unable to find any time and space to generate run and carry.

Consequently, it was near impossible for its forwards to create one-on-one contests inside forward 50. The result of that was a goalless opening term and, just 11 points on the board at half time.

In the opening round against the Eagles, the Dockers strangled West Coast in the third quarter and locked the footy inside its forward half thanks to its forward pressure and ability to win the ball out of the centre.

Fremantle had three times as many centre clearances by three-quarter time against the Eagles (12-4) and with its forward line pressure; it booted 6.6 to 1.3 for the term to turn the game on its head.

That means, the midfield battle is key

The battle in the midfield and the team able to win the majority of the centre clearances could be on its way to recording a victory at Aurora Stadium.

With both sides placing a premium on locking the ball inside their forward half, winning the ball out of the middle is imperative to achieving that and restricting the opposition’s ability to do the same.

Hawthorn is the number one team in the competition for centre clearances, and it’s no surprise given the balance of hard ball winners and players with explosive pace that role through the middle of the ground.

The Hawks average 18 per game and it’s no surprise that Sam Mitchell is the most dangerous player when the ball in bounced in the middle of the ground.

Mitchell was the best centre clearance player in the competition last season with 77 – an average of 3.2 per game. He is so far on par with that in his first three games this season, already averaging 3.3 in the opening three rounds.

In fact, the Hawks had two players last season ranked in the top 10 in the competition for centre clearances, with Brad Sewell ranked number nine in the league. Sewell missed last week’s win over Collingwood with a hamstring injury but is a chance to return against the Dockers this weekend.

The Dockers have a number of strengths as a team, but so far in season 2013, winning the ball out of the middle hasn’t been one of them.

Despite that hot streak in the third quarter of its Round 1 win over the Eagles where it had three times as many clearances as West Coast, Fremantle would view their work in the centre as an area that needs improvement.

The Dockers are ranked 15^th in the competition for centre clearances, ahead only of Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane with an average of 12 per game.

That could be, however, partly due to the fact that historically, not many goals are kicked in matches featuring Fremantle.

So far this season, there have been just 73 goals kicked in games featuring the Dockers, and average of 24 per game.

In contrast, matches that feature Hawthorn have had 98 goals kicked, an average of 32.6 goals per game.

Hawthorn’s scoring power

Hawthorn undoubtedly possess one of the most dangerous forward lines in the competition and its ability to kick goals is a reflection of that.

In 2012, the Hawks were the best offensive side in the competition, scoring more points per game than any other side and they look to be backing that form up in season 2013.

Despite sitting second for points kicked (behind Port Adelaide) after three rounds, it has been the teams it has kicked big scores against that tells the biggest tale.

The Hawks have kicked over 100 points in two of its opening three matches against sides likely to feature deep into September in West Coast and Collingwood.

In the last two weeks, the Hawks have kicked 148 points and 145 points in its big wins over the Eagles and Magpies.

Those big scores have come off the back of its ability to win the ball out of the middle and lock it inside forward 50 through its perfect execution of forward pressure.

Helping too, is the fact its forward structure has worked well so far, with each of its forwards hitting the scoreboard in the opening three rounds.

Spearhead Lance Franklin has already kicked 11 goals this season while Luke Breust has nine, Jarryd Roughead six, Cyril Rioli five and David Hale four.

Will Fremantle’s defensive game plan be Hawthorn’s kryptonite?

Key players –

Hawthorn -

Sam Mitchell: He is Hawthorn’s best centre clearance player and if the Hawks are to win, he’ll need to fire on Saturday. Given Fremantle’s desire to force stoppages, his importance to the Hawks is amplified and if he can get the Hawks going forward quickly, it will give his side’s forwards the best chance to score.

Cyril Rioli: Rioli is that x-factor player who has the ability to turn the game on its head through one chase down tackle or one freak goal and that’s why he’s a key player for Hawthorn on Saturday. If the Dockers are strangling the Hawks and they’re unable to find space, he’s a player who can find space when there is none and kick a crucial goal to kick start his team.

Josh Gibson: The Hawthorn defender could find his way onto gun Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich and stopping him will be key to Hawthorn securing a victory. While Pavlich has had a slow start to the season, he is likely to turn that form around and Saturday could be the day.

Fremantle –

Danyle Pearce: The Dockers secure Pearce as a Restricted Free Agent at the end of last season and so far, he has proved a valuable pick up with his pace and silky skills a highlight of his game so far this season. He breaks the lines and provides x-factor in a side that prides itself on its defensive ability.

Luke McPharlin: The All-Australian full back has all the characteristics needed in a defender capable of stopping Lance Franklin and Ross Lyon will be hoping he is given the all clear by the Fremantle medicos after copping a heavy hit against the Bombers.

Hayden Ballantyne: He is the player everyone loves to hate but the fact is, Ballantyne can walk the walk and talk the talk. He loves applying pressure and tackling, which is why he’s one of Ross Lyon’s favourite players. If he’s buzzing around and making himself a nuisance for the Hawthorn defenders, the ball might well be locked inside Fremantle’s forward half for the majority of the game.