A refreshed Fremantle will be aiming to break a double hoodoo when they take on AFL up-and-comers Richmond at the MCG on Saturday.

The Dockers have lost their past seven matches at the MCG and have defeated Richmond there just once in seven attempts.

To add to the challenge, Fremantle will enter the match coming off their bye - a situation clubs have struggled to deal with this season.

Only St Kilda and West Coast have managed to notch wins after their bye this year, but those victories were achieved against teams that also had the bye the week before.

The Dockers hope an extra emphasis on recovery will help them buck that trend this weekend.

"It seems to be a pretty constant theme that teams coming off the bye might be a bit fumbly or a bit off early," Fremantle midfielder David Mundy said.

"We just took the time to really recover and recuperate after the first five weeks. We've had extra recovery type sessions and a bit of downtime.

"For a travelling team recovery's a major part of our year ... it'll be a focus going through this week."

The Dockers have posted an impressive 4-1 start to the season and coach Mark Harvey said he was glad his team's bye hadn't come until now.

"The first couple of weeks naturally everyone was trying to get some momentum, then all of a sudden it gets taken away from you with the bye," Harvey told Perth radio station 6PR.

"I think the deeper the bye comes up for teams the better off they're going to be. Our players needed the break to be honest."

Mundy said it was important for Fremantle to improve their record at the MCG, a venue where the Dockers suffered a 69-point semi-final defeat to Geelong last year.

"We're looking to get over there and have the same energy and buzz before the game that we have here (in Perth)," Mundy said.

"The big finals are played at the MCG, so hopefully we can figure out how to play there well and play our style."

Dockers defender Greg Broughton, who was a late withdrawal from the win over the Bulldogs with a back injury, is almost certain to return against the Tigers.

Richmond are riding high following consecutive wins over North Melbourne and Brisbane, with midfielder Dustin Martin in particularly devastating form.

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