Fremantle have confirmed their final team of 23 set to take on Collingwood at the MCG
By fremantlefc.com.au
8 hrs
ago
Fremantle have confirmed their final team of 23 set to take on Collingwood at the MCG on Sunday, with star midfielder Hayden Young returning to the line-up as the sole inclusion.
The 24-year-old has been named on the bench alongside Bailey Banfield, Nathan O’Driscoll, Murphy Reid, and Corey Wagner.
Small forward Isaiah Dudley has been omitted for the clash.
Young returns to the team after being sidelined due to a hamstring injury that required surgery in early May, last playing in Fremantle’s Round 8 loss to St Kilda.
Before getting injured, Young was averaging 21 disposals, four tackles, 3.6 marks, and a goal per game from his three full matches.
Coming off a career-high three-goal performance against Hawthorn last week, forward Sam Switkowski will celebrate his 100th AFL game this Sunday.
Switkowski was the highest-rated player afield in Round 18, earning a 21.0 Player Rating from Champion Data – slightly ahead of midfield star Caleb Serong, who rated at 16.3 in second.
Switkowski has been named at half-forward for the Pies clash alongside Pat Voss and Jye Amiss, with Michael Frederick, Josh Treacy, and Sean Darcy rounding out the forward line.
Collingwood are averaging just 67.8 points against in 2025 – a score Fremantle surpassed in Round 9 when the teams previously met at Optus Stadium, scoring 83 points.
Fremantle are one of only three teams to score over 80 points against Collingwood so far in 2025.
Both sides have won four of their last five matches, with Sunday’s result pivotal in helping shape the top eight by the end of the round.
Speaking at his Wednesday morning media conference, Senior Coach Justin Longmuir said taking on the Pies at the MCG was a challenge his team was ready to tackle head-on.
“We understand that you have to take them on as a team and they are the best team in the competition, but then you have to take on the occasion and the crowd,” Longmuir said.
“We’ve spoken about that, and we are going to embrace that challenge.
“It’s a good opportunity to see where our footy sits.”
Serong has been named captain in the absence of Alex Pearce.
Dudley, Neil Erasmus, and Brandon Walker have been named as the emergencies for the clash.
The tactical substitute will be confirmed one hour before bounce down on Sunday.
Bounce down on Sunday is at 3:20 pm EST / 1:20 pm WST and will be broadcast live on Channel 7 and Fox Sports 503, as well as streamed live on Kayo, 7plus, and Binge.