Perth Stadium Showdown: Master Your DraftStars Contests in Freo vs Melbourne

Footy is back out West this Saturday night as Fremantle looks to defend Perth Stadium against a visiting Melbourne outfit eager to make a statement early in the 2026 season. Expect a fierce, contested battle through the middle and plenty of intercept marks across half-back in what shapes up to be an absolute fantasy goldmine.

Our FootyBets.ai algorithm has run the sims, and a few key names are absolute locks for your core. Caleb Serong (projected 102.1 pts) features in 100% of our top builds, and for good reason—expect him to find the pill 30+ times, racking up massive clearance and tackle numbers in the guts. Down back, Melbourne's Christian Salem (97.3 pts) will act as the defensive general, accumulating easy points through precision kick-ins and uncontested marks.

In the centre square, Sean Darcy (70.5 pts) is our undisputed ruck king, ready to bully his way to a mountain of hit-outs to advantage and crucial follow-up ground balls. Finally, you can't ignore the forward pressure of Latrelle Pickett (56.7 pts); his manic tackles inside 50 and ability to hit the scoreboard make him an essential, high-floor piece in all of our optimal builds.

Position-by-Position Quick Tips:

• RUC: Sean Darcy is the anchor. Lock him in for guaranteed hit-out volume and throw away the key.
• DEF: Load up on the distributors. Salem is a must-have, but Freo’s Jordan Clark is heavily featured and primed to score big from running bounces and rebound 50s.
• MID: Target the Fremantle engine room. Pair Serong with Andrew Brayshaw for an elite disposal ceiling, or look to Neil Erasmus for a solid point-of-difference.
• FWD: Look for dynamic scoring upside. Shai Bolton brings the flair and goals, while Josh Treacy offers strong contested marking points if the Dockers get on top.

Ready to cash in? Scroll down to check out our Top 10 optimal DraftStars builds for this clash and let’s get in the green!