Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Forget leading from the front – both captains in Saturday’s AFL grand final will be marshalling their teams from the back.
And that’s just how Fremantle and Brisbane like it.
Dockers captain Alex Pearce reckons key defenders make good captains because they’re grounded.
Lions counterpart Harris Andrews, a co-captain alongside midfielders Josh Dunkley and Hugh McCluggage, suggests their teammates make sure they stay that way.
Asked what made full-backs such good skippers, first-time grand finalist and lockdown defender Pearce quipped: “Who said we were great captains?
“Who knows? Maybe we don’t get as much fanfare as the rest of the team,” he added.
“So tall forwards can get a bit ahead of themselves, and we’re maybe a little bit more grounded.”
Lions intercept king Andrews likes the way he as a captain down back can watch the game play out, while directing traffic from the back 50.
“I think seeing the game from where we stand on the ground, obviously,” Andrews said.
“I always get told by the rest it’s a lot easier from behind the ball
“So it’s a very enjoyable place to watch my teammates go to work and bring some energy along the way.”
Andrews’s magnificent intercept game is as pivotal as his spoiling, defensive marshalling and ability to chop out teammates.
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir made it clear one of Josh Treacy, Jye Amiss or Patrick Voss will need to curb the superstar defender, along with doing their bit in attack, if the Dockers are to claim a maiden flag.
“Clearly we can’t allow him to just do his own thing and intercept,” Longmuir said.
“So whether it’s ‘JT’, Jye or ‘Vossy’, we’ll make sure we try and halve as many balls as we can.”
Andrews is ready for if that attention comes, especially if it’s the antagonistic Voss.
“As a backline, we’ve got different contingencies in place,” Andrews said.
“… The importance of us big three defenders playing against their big three forwards, I think that’s going to be the collective battle across the day.
“They were obviously able to get the points earlier in the season, and I think we’ve grown as a group in that space throughout the back half of the season.
“So it’s going to be less about what my match-up looks like and more collectively what it looks like. So us as a whole backline, we’re going to have our work cut out for us and we’re really excited by the challenge.”
