Matthew Pavlich Biography

Matthew Pavlich will have achilles tendon surgery and is set to miss four to six weeks.

"It got to the point where he wasn't comfortable with it and neither were we," Fremantle coach Ross Lyon said.

"I just said 'look you've done so much for this club over a long period. We really don't want to put you in a position where you're vulnerable and the team is vulnerable'. So post then we went and sat down and spoke about the procedure and what's required and he'll get it done."

Matthew Pavlich returns to the Fremantle side for their NAB Cup match against the Western Bulldogs following the birth of his daughter Harper Rose.

After back, hip and Achilles tendon surgery during the off-season, Matthew Pavlich will delay his return to football in the NAB Cup to welcome the arrival of his first child.

"We're really respectful of people's families and wives and the support that needs to be given there," Fremantle coach Ross Lyon said.

"I think the game's evolved a lot. Fathers didn't used to go to the birth, did they? So how tragic did that used to be. We've all moved a little bit forward from those days fortunately."

Despite three operations, Matthew Pavlich has set his sights on playing in the NAB Cup.

"They've probably got the tight hold of me at this stage, just being extra cautious with the three operations," Pavlich said.

"I'm pleased to be out on the track running with the rehab guys and I'll probably be in that group for another three to four weeks before I really get into some solid football drills and some more match simulation stuff.

"My plan is to definitely play at least one NAB Cup game. That's certainly been the plan all along and the physios and docs believe I'm a little bit ahead of schedule."

Matthew Pavlich faces a delayed start to pre-season training after undergoing a minor hospital procedure on his back.

"At this stage we envisage that it will have little impact on Matthew's pre-season training and expect him to be right to play during the NAB Cup," Fremantle football manager Chris Bond said.

Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich and Hawthorn star Sam Mitchell were notables to miss selection for the 2012 All-Australian side.

"Individual awards aren't what I play footy for, it's about the team success," Pavlich said.

"I'm sure externally there might be some comments about it, but I'm just looking forward to having a break and getting ready for next year."

Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich says he hasn't been invited to the All Australian ceremony, fueling speculation he has missed out.

Jack Riewoldt secures his second Coleman Medal after kicking six goals against Port Adelaide in Richmond's final game for 2012 to take his season tally to 65, ahead of Fremantle's Matthew Pavlich and Geelong's Tom Hawkins, both on 62.

On fire up forward, Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich says he may spend more time in the midfield during the rest of the season.

"Just because I've played forward for most of this year, it doesn't mean that I won't spend a bit more time in the midfield at times," Pavlich said.

"Depending on where the state of the game is at and what needs to be done at that particular time, I think it's important to be able to chop and change a bit … that balance is really important."

Former Adelaide star Brett Burton replaces Matthew Pavlich on the AFL's Laws of the Game Committee.

Matthew Pavlich becomes the 51st player in VFL/AFL history to boot 500 career goals, reaching the milestone in round 7 of 2012 against Port Adelaide.

"I think the crowd probably knew more about it than anyone else," Pavlich said of reaching his 500-goal achievement.

"It's a good result to get there, but let's move on."

Matthew Pavlich says the club must now move forward with coach new Ross Lyon despite the controversial sacking of former coach Mark Harvey.

"When there's that type of situation occurring, I think internally there needs to be a group of people really showing that 'OK, this is what's happened, let's not talk about the past, let's get into action and let's worry about the future'," Pavlich said.

"It was a shame what happened, and certainly a shock for everyone, but the club saw it as - if you can in this sport - a non-emotive business decision that they wanted to have transacted and they moved upon that."

Matthew Pavlich has been retained as skipper of Fremantle with a five-man leadership group to assist him that will include Aaron Sandilands, Luke McPharlin, David Mundy, Matt de Boer and Hayden Ballantyne.

"It's humbling to know my peers and the coaching group hold me in that esteem," Pavlich said.

"I understand the responsibility that goes with the role and, hopefully, I can continue to develop and grow."

Ballantyne says his appointment to the leadership group is an honour.

"We have certain criteria that we hold ourselves to and I've worked as hard as I can to maintain those standards and it's been noticed by the team," Ballantyne said.

Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich has shaved a massive 20 seconds off his personal best 3km time trial and is in peak condition.

"By some of the time trials and some of the other physiological elements that we measure, I've been able to improve on them individually," he said.

"I think it's important to note that there's been 45 other players that have made really large steps in their game … I'm one of 45 that have really either matched their PBs or improved them."

Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich becomes only the 10th player in VFL/AFL history to win a sixth club champion award after narrowly beating young midfielder Nathan Fyfe to take out the Doig Medal for 2011.

"To be elite, to be great in the AFL, we all need to step up, including myself. We all need to become hardened, very good AFL players and staff," Pavlich said.

"I'm getting older, I know that. If the success comes while I'm here, great. If it doesn't, I just hope it comes at some point."

Matthew Pavlich says his midfield work will have to be reviewed during the off-season as he prepares for season-ending surgery on his hip.

"I have spoken to Harves (coach Mark Harvey) and our sports science guys quite a number of times about what the split should be," Pavlich said.

"This year was almost unmanageable given the fact we had so many injuries throughout our midfield, I needed to go in there for the team's sake and was happy to do so. But I guess going forward we're going to have to review that."

Matthew Pavlich is set to break the club's games record when Fremantle meet Adelaide at AAMI Stadium and Fremantle coach Mark Harvey says it's a record that is unlikely to be broken as the demands on players today grow ever more taxing.

"The relevance of it and the importance of it is the fact that this might be the last time a player breaks a record like this, the way the game's going," Harvey said.

"I'm not sure whether we're going to see too many more 300-game players (across the AFL), let's say, if he gets to that particular stage. I'm looking a little bit down the track.

"I just think that the game's demanding more than ever now. It's taxing."

Captain Matthew Pavlich will remain with Fremantle at least until the end of 2014 and, most likely, the end of his career after signing a new four-year deal with the club.

Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich says he is not currently focussing on a new deal with the Dockers sitting second on the ladder after 10 rounds.

"We haven't really changed at all from our perspective. We're happy with how its progressing, and so is the club, we'll get to a point some time later in the year," he said regarding the status of his contract negotiations with the club.

"Things are going along nicely at the moment, and we only have to focus on what's important and narrow that focus on each week."

Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich reaffirms his commitment to the Dockers despite being likely to be offered several lucrative deals when he comes out of contract next year.

"I'm contracted for another 15 months and I'm very confident that I will continue my career at Fremantle after that," Pavlich said.

"I get so focused in the process of week to week and seeing our younger players developing further and, for me, it's very much about that core focus of that particular time.

"So it's hard for me to think big picture and commit to long-term outcome-based thinking. That's just how I operate."

Collingwood premiership captain Tony Shaw says Fremantle star Matthew Pavlich does not get the recognition he deserves.

"It's probably the tyranny of distance, but he just doesn't get the same recognition in Melbourne as some of the big stars - and he should do," Shaw said.

"I think he's an absolute superstar and one of the best players in the game. But I never seem to see him acknowledged that way."

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey says captain Matthew Pavlich and ruckman Aaron Sandilands will be selected if they're cleared by the medical and fitness staff from calf and hamstring injuries respectively.

"No question they want to be playing this week. We will have to overrule to the expertise of our fitness and medical staff," Harvey said.

"It's whether they get through the training session really.

"We'd like them to be playing. We need them to play, particularly with the younger group, so if we can get them out there we will."

Matthew Pavlich is expected to miss the next 2-3 weeks of action after scans confirmed he had strained a calf muscle.

Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich is out of the clash with Collingwood after sustaining a calf injury early in the second term.

Fremantle has moved to block opposition clubs swooping on superstar pair Matthew Pavlich and Aaron Sandilands next year particularly with Gold Coast set to make a play for uncontracted players.

"We will have strategies in place where people aren't vulnerable and we're not going to be caught out where we'll be attacked by those clubs for our players," general manager Chris Bond said.

"Key players who fit into that model won't be allowed to do that, but we won't be held to ransom on the other side of things as well."

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey says Matthew Pavlich will continue to play an important role in the midfield as a mentor to his younger teammates.

"It's really important with these younger players that we're putting through the midfield, for Mathew to be there and guide them and make them understand about where the momentum of the game starts," Harvey said.

"When you play as a key forward and you're a dominant forward, what happens is the game is in front of you, you don't get it your way a lot of the time, because sides are so good at pushing back as soon as they lose control of the ball."

Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich states his desire to stay with the Dockers.

"I'd find it very surprising that our supporters haven't seen me be absolutely committed for nine-and-a-half years and be absolutely committed for the next 18 months," Pavlich said.

"I find it baffling that anyone would ever question that. For it to even be asked or questioned is really surprising."

"I want to be playing here and playing in sustained success, that's what I want to be doing."

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey says it is bewildering why people would suggest trading Matthew Pavlich.

The Dockers have so far struggled with a winless start to 2009.

"It's really too easy for guys in really high profile positions in the media to dissect a club and pull the club apart," Harvey said.

"From afar it can always be easy to have a look at Fremantle and quickly pull the trigger on everything about the club."

Freamntle captain Matthew Pavlich refuses to rule out leaving the club at the end of his current contract with his Dockers still having failed to register a win in 2009 after 4 rounds.

"I have not ruled out anything, I am in contract for a couple of years and I am getting on in age as well - we will wait and see what happens," Pavlich said.

"It is an unbelievably hard question to answer right at this moment. I am in contract for another 18 months."

Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich has dismissed a suggestion that the Dockers are a "laughing stock" saying that the Dockers are going through a period of rebuilding.

"When you lose about 1500 games of experience like we did last year and we draft in 14 new players," Pavlich said.

"Right now, we're going through a phase, it's going to take a bit of time."

Scott Stevens, Ben Rutten, Andy Otten and James Sellar will all come into calculations for the job of minding Matthew Pavlich this weekend after centre half-back Nathan Bock was suspended by the club.