Fremantle Dockers speedster Michael Frederick, fresh from a two-goal performance in a win against fellow finals contenders Hawthorn, has spoken on his club's thrilling win.
The 25-year-old expressed contentment with his side's competitive start against the Hawks, conceding it's been a focus for the Dockers recently.
"We like to pride ourselves on pressure and intent in games," Frederick said.
"Sometimes, we've jumped into games pretty slow and given teams a head start, and had to play catch up footy. We can definitely build off the weekend."
After a week of public criticism following a loss against Sydney, the Dockers responded with a gritty win on their home deck on Saturday night. Frederick, and fellow pressure forward Sam Switkowski, led the way for the men in purple, combining for five goals, but it was his side's defence, and tackling dominance, that drew his eye.
"Coming out of the Sydney game we weren't too happy with how we defended; we didn't have each other's backs," Frederick offered.
Having registered more than 100 tackles in the victory, Frederick admitted it's a benchmark for the side moving forward, when asked.
"Yeah it will be (the benchmark). If our intent is there, along with our method, the game looks like what it did on Saturday night," he said.
"Our pressure and intent is what helped us play well, and over four quarters that was pretty consistent, which helped us play our game in the front half, and the scoreboard showed that."
The imminent return of talismanic midfielder Hayden Young, potentially as early as this week, excites the South Australian immensely.
"We always want the ball in his hands, 'cause he can create so much for us," Frederick said.
The prospect of adding Young to a midfield mix already boasting Andrew Brayshaw, Caleb Serong, Shai Bolton and Luke Jackson understandably generates buzz, with Frederick offering that the side's key forward contingent stand to benefit most from the classy left-footer's return.
Ahead of an interstate trip to play ladder-leaders Collingwood, Frederick insists the side isn't focusing on their recent poor form in Victoria.
"We don't read too much into that (the Victorian record), but it would be nice to build some confidence (with a win)," he said.
"We'll respect them as an opposition. They're playing a lot of good footy, even though they're coming off a loss, and have been the best in the comp all year. For us it's just another great challenge.
"We're just trying to win each day, so that come the weekend, it's just about ticking boxes."
The Dockers will look to avenge a 14-point loss at the hands of a depleted Magpies side in Round 9, when they meet again at the MCG on Sunday afternoon.
