Dazed and confused: Fremantle’s dynamic duo wreak havoc

Shai Bolton reckons Fremantle teammate Murphy Reid is already a superstar, saying he loves the way their tag-team approach leaves rivals confused.

The Dockers (17-2) will be almost uncatchable in the race for the minor premiership if they can secure victory over the Western Bulldogs (12-7) in Friday night’s blockbuster at Optus Stadium.

The Dogs’ hopes of an upset were dealt a blow when star forward Aaron Naughton was rested from the trip west, while Fremantle will be boosted by the return of Hayden Young from illness.

Reid has played a huge role in the Dockers’ stunning rise to flag favouritism, with the 20-year-old on track to snare an All-Australian berth in just his second season.

Last year’s Rising Star winner is averaging 23.8 disposals, 2.1 clearances and 7.6 score involvements per game this season, with Reid relishing more time in the midfield.

His only weak spot this year has been his goalkicking accuracy, with a return of 12.19 meaning there have been plenty of missed chances to finish off his good work.

But Reid’s creativity – both with hand and foot – have become a major weapon at Fremantle.

And the way he combines with fellow mid-forward weapon Bolton has left teams scratching their heads in their scramble to keep up.

“He’s a superstar,” Bolton said of Reid, who re-signed with the Dockers earlier this week until the end of 2032, just days after winning the western derby’s Glendinning-Allan medal as best afield.

“The things he does for a second-year player is pretty crazy.

“Me and ‘Brucey’, we play in the midfield and play forward, and we swap a lot. And I feel like we’re kind of similar players.

“Whenever he can flip mid and I can flip forward, I feel like we can confuse teams and they don’t know where we are – forward or mid.

“If he’s up in the stoppage, I’ll just go forward and you know we can keep doing that every time.”

Bolton is also relishing extra midfield time this season, with the 27-year-old on track for a second All-Australian jersey in a campaign where he is averaging career highs for possessions (23.44), clearances (4.33) and tackles (3.44).

The former Tiger was rested from the win against Port Adelaide a fortnight ago due to a minor hand injury, but he pulled up well from last week’s win over West Coast.

“It was just a little bit sore, but it’s all good now,” Bolton said.

“I was carrying it for a little bit, but (against West Coast) it was the first time it actually felt pretty good.”

Fremantle are a perfect 10-0 at Optus Stadium this season and are just one victory away from setting a new club record for the amount of victories in a season.

A win against the Bulldogs would also secure the Dockers a top-two berth, meaning they would be guaranteed two home finals.

Coach Justin Longmuir has opted to stick with Mason Cox as Luke Jackson’s ruck back-up, while Brennan Cox will miss consecutive games as he manages a minor knee niggle.

AAP