FORMER Fremantle captain Shaun McManus has urged the Dockers to make a physical statement against West Coast in a bid to end their six-game derby losing streak.

The Eagles enter tomorrow’s Optus Stadium battle as clear favourites thanks to a dominant recent derby record and a powerful 2018 season.

Conversely, the Dockers have won only one of their past five games and haven’t tasted a western derby victory since round three, 2015.

Regardless of the rivals’ contrasting fortunes this season, Fremantle could not afford to succumb, McManus said.

“For the club, being beaten six times in a row by the West Coast Eagles, it’s important to show a bit of gumption and some steel,” he said. “Everyone will be watching as Fremantle supporters and they’ll want to see something. They’ll want to see a team stand up and be counted.

“From the get-go, show intent.

“They’ve got to be physical against the West Coast Eagles, there’s no question about that.

“The skill then can maybe come off the back of that.

“On the weekend’s game against Hawthorn, you saw it was a lack of skill. I didn’t think the intensity was that bad.

“But if you’re going to be in the game in this derby, from the minute the ball bounces, it’s got to be physical and you’ve got to show intent.”

Derby history has followed the trend of one team dominating for extended periods.

West Coast won the first nine encounters, then a strong rivalry built where the sides were evenly poised. But since 2007, there has been a sequence of domination. Fremantle won seven straight derbies, West Coast claimed the next three and then Fremantle won six in a row.

McManus, who is part of Channel 7’s post-match panel on The Game, said the young Dockers had to stop West Coast from building up a psychological advantage that would extend into next season.

“You don’t want them to have that mental edge,” he said.

“There was a period where we beat them seven times in a row and I felt, mentally, when we took the field against them that we had them covered.

“I think West Coast would be in that mindset at the moment.

“It’s hard for a team to change that. They need to be physical from the get-go and you need to score as well.

“That will change everybody’s feeling about how they’re playing.”

Fremantle made five changes, recalling Matt Taberner, Hayden Ballantyne, Mitch Crowden, Brady Grey and Cam McCarthy.

Taylin Duman, Tommy Sheridan, Stefan Giro and Scott Jones were omitted and Cam Sutcliffe (hamstring) was unavailable.

The Eagles recalled Luke Shuey, Liam Ryan and Lewis Jetta at the expense of Dom Sheed, Jake Waterman and Jack Petruccelle, who were dropped.