Sandilands spurred to test Simmonds
Courtney Walsh
The Australian
June 03, 2006
TIGERS ruckman Troy Simmonds will have a torrid time at Subiaco Oval tonight if Fremantle assistant coach Mark Harvey gets his wish.
Harvey yesterday challenged returning ruckman Aaron Sandilands to show Simmonds, a former Docker, that he had made a mistake in choosing Richmond over Fremantle two years ago.
Dockers coach Chris Connolly said this week he understood Simmonds' reasons for leaving the club - he was offered more money and a longer contract at Punt Rd - and had nothing against the Tiger.
But Harvey hinted yesterday at a lack of loyalty and said Simmonds' return to Subiaco as one of the AFL's form ruckmen gave the match added grunt and should be a spur for Sandilands.
"Well, he left this club," Harvey said. "That's how I look at football and I'm assuming that's how Aaron looks at football.
"Aaron has come back because we need him to come back and whether he takes anything out of what I say, well that is up to him."
Harvey said the absence of Sandilands, who fractured his jaw a month ago and is returning to football ahead of schedule, proved telling.
The Dockers have been smashed in the middle, and twice interstate on the scoreboard, without him.
"Even though he might not have been playing that well, I think we have missed him a lot around stoppages," he said.
"He's ready to go and it's been a really good transition that has been done in a short period of time, what he has done, and it is a credit to him."
If the Simmonds slur does not motivate Richmond, Harvey's critique of the Tigers game plan might.
He indicated Richmond had little chance if it planned to use a similar defensive style to the tactics that proved successful against Adelaide at Telstra Dome a fortnight ago.
"Richmond is playing in space this week. Big ground. Demanding ground," Harvey said.
"If they want to play the way they do, good luck to them, but we'll be playing a demanding, physical, pressuring game."
Despite the Dockers' dismal effort in Brisbane last Sunday when they were belted by 68 points, Harvey said Fremantle was in reasonable shape heading to the mid-season break.
"We've had a tough campaign with where we have played so far and our win-loss tally so far is okay," he said.
"We've had two significant losses, but I don't think that is a true reflection of where we are at.
"For whatever reason it has happened, and there are a lot of different reasons, but it is a matter of how you regroup and you play with confidence."
Ominously for Richmond, chasing three successive wins, Harvey believes the Dockers are set to hit top form.
He said Fremantle would field its strongest side for the year tonight and believes the Dockers are well placed to start a move up the ladder, one he believes will be aided by injuries to stars at opposition clubs.
It is a point true of Richmond, in Perth without Matthew Richardson, Brett Deledio and Andrew Krakouer, a trio which has been in fine form for the Tigers.
"The month of June and July will really tell the story, and we know that," Harvey said.
"There are a lot of star players that are going out of other sides at the moment, for long periods of time, and there is a loop-hole there."
Fremantle forwards Luke McPharlin and Jeff Farmer return from injury tonight and could also be joined by Des Headland, who is listed as an emergency.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19343985-36035,00.html
