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Racing and Sports will provide analysis of many games in the 2022 AFL Season.

We'll endeavour to run through the form, incorporate appropriate stats and also supply a betting prediction which won't always just be who will win.

FREMANTLE V BRISBANE

Sunday 5 June @ Optus Stadium

Second plays third to end the round in what may not excite the Victorian masses nor media organisations there but it has the potential to be a forerunner to a rather large clash sometime in September.

Two teams who have, at present anyway, separated themselves from the pack as the main challengers to the champs.

While that separation may not be a massive amount points wise, in general play and style, they are the two that look the most dangerous beasts.

Brisbane has had its way with Fremantle over the last five years but that hasn't always been the case. In fact, prior to that, Fremantle won nine on the trot.

Of course some of these stats co-incide when teams are having peaks and troughs but you get the idea that there are no preconceived notions of domination.

How can you be anything other than impressed with what the Dockers did last Saturday at twilight time? Perhaps that best explains it – we might all have been a bit cuckoo as the Premiers kicked one goal after halftime.

But that only goes to erode the excellence of how Fremantle played and devoured the Demons. They cut the ball off at the source, held top players to unexpectedly low stats and kept repelling any attack.

Naturally you need a sprinkling of luck and when May went down and out, you can take advantage of that. But there was more to the manner of what they did than just going straight through the main defender's position.

Good tagging roles too are under-appreciated and a dominant ruckman like Sean Darcy helps too. Consider he was going up against Gawn and Jackson and did a great job.

He now, and they now, face a Lions team who themselves have been in some decent form without inspiring despite winning.

The Sydney win was excellent but since they were fair against the Eagles, OK to Adelaide, lost to Hawthorn which looks ordinary and then eventually got the better of GWS but it wasn't pretty.

They were slower out of the gates than Chautauqua (well at least they did jump) and gave a five goal start. From there they did turn things around before Quarter time and were level at the half.

Just when it looked like they'd seen off the Giants, a late surge had some quivering. It helps when Lachie Neale is doing his best to win another Brownlow. Another 39 and 2 goals will see it tough to avoid "L Neale 3 points" being called for that game.

It is that goal kicking which makes any elite midfielder even more elite if that makes sense. Sometimes 35+ disposals are less dangerous than 22 if they hit the scoreboard. Dustin Martin's efforts have often scared sides more when he nails three and sets up three rather than approaching 40.

So you can expect Fremantle may just say 'our old friend Lachie – welcome home and here's a four quarter tag of the best you'll find'.

That will mean it is up to the likes of Rayner, Berry, Lyons and even Zorko off a half back flank to pick up the slack. It can be done but never easy.

Important to note the weather. Fremantle lost those two games recently in the wet. They clearly had no "M" beside their name in the formguide. It's predicted to be a nice day in Perth from the Bureau so things suit there.

Off that high it is hard to see Fremantle play poorly unless they let it get to them. Justin Longmuir plays a good psychological game as well.

Giving it to the Dockers here in a very tight game but the outs are especially scary for the home team.

Match Selection: Fremantle by 4 points

Suggested Bets: Fremantle 1-39 @ $2.30