No win, no worries for the Dockers
Fremantle ruckman Aaron Sandilands isn't worried one bit about the club's pre-season losing run, saying the Dockers remain on track for a strong start to the AFL campaign.
The Dockers have failed to fire a shot this pre-season, losing to Hawthorn and West Coast in the NAB Cup before tasting defeat in practice games against Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs.
Saturday's second clash with arch-rivals West Coast will be Fremantle's last chance to taste victory before the season proper starts, but Sandilands said winning wasn't the priority for last year's semi-finalists.
"We haven't had one (a win) so far but we're trying a lot of different things," Sandilands said on Wednesday.
"(We've) got a lot of game time into some of our younger players, which we're going to need over the course of the season.
"You go out in every game to try to win but it's not the be all and end all.
"We know how important it is to get game time into all of our younger players."
Gun midfielders Stephen Hill (shins) and David Mundy (groin) are in line to front up against the Eagles for their first match of the pre-season.
"It would be good to have those guys back out there. Both (are) quality players and we're going to need big years from them," Sandilands said.
"Dave Mundy won the best and fairest for us last year ... he's one of our main leaders on the field.
"Stephen Hill provides so much run and carry with the ball for us, so they're two very important players for us."
Sandilands scoffed at rumours he was carrying an injury and declared he was over the foot problems that plagued him last season.
"I'm 100 per cent fit at the moment and really happy with the way the pre-season's gone and just looking forward to round one," he said.
"I'm completely over my foot issues. It's something throughout the season you've got to monitor but at this point in time I've got no soreness in my feet."
Sandilands booted 13 goals last season but hoped to improve on that output in 2011.
West Coast will be forced to rest ruckman Nic Naitanui (shoulder) and Mitch Brown (shoulder), but Daniel Kerr is a chance to mark his playing return this weekend with either the Eagles or WAFL side East Fremantle.
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