Win puts Freo in line for finals
FREMANTLE skipper Matthew Pavlich suffered a series of injury scares and ruckman Aaron Sandilands made a surprise return as the Dockers surged past Richmond by 22 points in Perth on Saturday.
Pavlich finished on the bench as his team-mates secured the 13.16 (94) to 11.6 (72) triumph, with Sandilands (33 hit-outs) and goalsneak Hayden Ballantyne (three goals) playing key roles.
Pavlich never looked completely comfortable after grabbing at his right hamstring following a heavy collision with team-mate Kepler Bradley just 12 minutes into the match.
The 276-game veteran went off several times to get treatment and by the third quarter was also receiving attention on his right groin after chasing down an opponent.
Dockers midfielder Tendai Mzungu injured his shoulder late in the match, while Richmond defender Ben Griffiths was taken to hospital after being knocked unconscious in a head-first tumble to the turf in the second quarter.
Read the full match report at ABC news online.
