Some big changes headline round 15’s opening clash at Optus Stadium tonight as Fremantle prepare to take on Geelong in a first versus third blockbuster.

The ladder leaders will see the return of co-vice captain Caleb Serong after he suffered a calf injury in their round 10 clash with Essendon.

Matthew Johnson and Brennan Cox will also be coming back into the side off a hamstring and knee injury respectively, expected to fortify the Dockers’ backline.

That leaves the likes of Oscar McDonald, Jaeger O’Meara and Corey Wagner out of this week’s side – all players who have had tremendous impact on this year’s Dockers team and are a testament to the depth the squad holds.

Bailey Smith won’t be on the field tonight for Gelong as he was a late out suffering an illness – one of three key players the Cats will be playing without.

Key defender Tom Stewart remains on the sidelines after he copped a concussion in round 13 and midfielder Gryan Miers continues to come in and out of the team as Chris Scott manages the star’s knee injury.

1990 Collingwood Premiership player Mick McGuane joined Sports Breakfast this morning.

“You look at Fremantle’s injury list right now and you talk about how healthy it looks on face value with Sam Sturt the only one injured… [they’ve] got a good group of players to pick from,” he said.

“Wagner’s been left out, he’s only missed one game to this point of the year, and they’re a team that’s winning and winning well.

“When you’ve got the names of Serong and Cox and Johnson available to come into the team, guys like McDonald, O’Meara and Wagner have to make way because it just makes the team stronger.”

The Cats won’t be swayed by their changes with talent abundant in their list.

“They’ve got the squad mentality… The big out for them is Bailey Smiths through that illness he’s got, but Bowes will come in – don’t underestimate him, he can play the game.”

“Stewart’s still out, still no Myers, they’ve got some really talented players on the sidelines.

“But you talk about weapons that they’ve got – you don’t want to snooze against Jeremy Cameron because he can kick five goals before you know it. Shannon Neale, I thought, responded enormously last week after I thought Sam Collins did a pretty good job on him… so their front half profile is still capable of kicking a winning score despite how strong the Dockers do defend the ground.”

Murphy Reid’s impact on the game is one McGuane says Chris Scott will likely be looking to minimise.

The 19-year-old already averages 23.8 disposals in his second year of AFL footy, playing in every game since he has been drafted.

His debut against the Cats last year will continue to linger in the back of Geelong’s minds – the youngster kicking a memorable four goals in six minutes and earning himself the Rising Star at the end of the year.

“I’m really intrigued what Chris Scott will do with his two designated run-with tag-type players. Does Oisín Mullin go to Serong through the middle of the ground to take away his impact, or does he try to go to Shai Bolton who’s having a terrific year?”

“The other one for me to take away that sort of connection piece for Fremantle is Murphy Reid – does Mark O’Connor go to him? That to me seems like a no-brainer.

“We’ll find out whether a young kid can really respond and play strong footy against a guy that’s gonna live in his shadow and make it very difficult for him to use the footy and have space with the ball.”

Tonight’s blockbuster clash kicks off at 6:10pm.

IMAGE: Getty Images