CONFIRMED: Fremantle Dockers locked in for Monday night round eight clash against Geelong – The West Australian

Fremantle will face Geelong in a blockbuster Monday night clash at Optus Stadium which will close out the round eight fixtures, the AFL has today confirmed.
The Monday July 27 clash will kick-off at 6:10pm, with West Coast taking on Collingwood from 1:35pm on Sunday afternoon.
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The fixture release comes as Carlton and Hawthorn are confirmed as the next teams to tag-team Collingwood and Geelong in the rolling WA hub.
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The Blues and Hawks will travel west following their respective round eight matches against North Melbourne and Sydney.
Meanwhile Gold Coast have been rewarded for their strong start to the season with a Thursday night prime time fixture against the Western Bulldogs at Metricon Stadium.
Reigning premiers Richmond will do battle against GWS on Friday night from Giants Stadium.
Round eight will run from Thursday July 23 through to Monday July 28, while rounds nine to 12 will be played across three weeks to condense the season.
Fremantles last outing against Geelong brought arguably their best win of 2019, defeating the red-hot Cats in a huge 34-point upset win.
The match was played in front of a record low crowd, following a disappointing run of form under ex-coach Ross Lyon.
For West Coast, their last meeting with Collingwood brought an agonising one-point loss in a Friday night classic.
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Mason Cox of the Magpies tries to spoil a kick from Nic Naitanui of the Eagles during the 2019 AFL round 17 match. Credit: Will Russell/AFL Photos
Adam Treloar clocked a whopping 39 disposals as the Pies narrowly snuck home in front of a disappointed Optus Stadium crowd.
The 2018 premiers taking on Collingwood in round eight means they sneak the clash in just before vice-captain Steele Sidebottoms four-match ban ends.
Sidebottom will miss the Eagles clash, but can return the following week after serving his ban for breaching the AFLs coronavirus protocols.
In round nine, a direct swap is expected to take place as the Dockers line-up against Collingwood and the Eagles take on Geelong. However, this is still to be confirmed by the AFL.
Last time the Dockers battled Collingwood, they pulled off a thrilling four-point victory at the MCG in an incredible see-sawing match.
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The Dockers celebrate victory following the round 11 AFL match between the Collingwood Magpies and the Fremantle Dockers. Credit: Graham Denholm/AFL Photos/Getty Images/AFL Photos
Memories of West Coasts most recent outing against their round nine opponent arent quite as fond, with the Cats ending their premiership hopes in last years semi-final with a 20-point win.
Thursday, July 23
Gold Coast v Western Bulldogs, Metricon Stadium, 5.40pm
Friday, July 24
GWS v Richmond, Giants Stadium, 5.50pm
Saturday, July 25
North Melbourne v Carlton, the Gabba, 11.05am
Sydney v Hawthorn, SCG, 1.35pm
Port Adelaide v St Kilda, Adelaide Oval, 5.40pm
Sunday, July 26
Adelaide v Essendon, Adelaide Oval, 11.05am
West Coast v Collingwood, Optus Stadium, 1.35pm
Melbourne v Brisbane, Metricon Stadium, 4.10pm
Monday, July 27
Fremantle v Geelong, Optus Stadium, 6.10pm

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