Docker David Mundy racks up another clearance against GWS Giants. Photo: Getty Images
Fremantle 4.2 6.8 10.11 12.12 (84) GWS 1.2 2.6 5.8 9.9 (63) GOALS Fremantle: Walters 4, Mayne 2, Pavlich 2, Pearce, Mundy, Pearce, Griffin. GWS: Cameron 2, Lamb, Wilson, Griffen, Lobb, Coniglio, Scully, Hoskin-Elliott. BEST Fremantle: Mundy, Neale, Walters, Hill, Spurr, Sandilands. GWS: Coniglio, Shaw, Greene, Treloar, Davis, Kelly. UMPIRES Nicholls, Farmer, Mitchell. CROWD 34,625 at Domain Stadium.
Despite being unimpressive for much of their 21-point win over the GWS Giants at Domain Stadium on Sunday, the victory has surely secured the Dockers a top-two finish.
After their nearest rivals – West Coast and Hawthorn - failed to win their respective round 18 games, the Dockers claimed their 15th victory for the season.
Ouch: Jonathon Griffin leaves the field. Photo: Getty Images
And with five rounds to play, three against sides currently outside of the top eight, they are six points ahead of the Eagles and 12 ahead of the Hawks.
However, the Giants' sixth loss in nine games leaves them precariously placed in 10th position, although just two points behind both Adelaide and Geelong.
In the absence of Nat Fyfe, it took 38 possessions from Lachie Neale, 11 clearances from David Mundy and four goals from Michael Walters for the Dockers to get over the Giants.
An incorrect umpiring decision late in the third term, when GWS had some momentum, allowed the Dockers to finally get a break on the Giants.
Walters' first goal, which came early in the first term, and Danyle Pearce's major late in the second (gifted to him by Walters) were each followed by celebratory dances that were clearly in support of Sydney Swans embattled star Adam Goodes, which followed a trend seen by the competition's Indigenous players across the weekend.
When Walters booted his fourth goal though, late in the third term, he took the margin to 18 points and he had the Dockers fans dancing.
It came after Fremantle players convinced the man in green running the white line that the ball had come from the boot of the Giants' Adam Tomlinson, when replays showed it clearly came off Alex Pearce's boot.
The Giants had worked so hard to get back into the game – having pulled back a 26-point half-time deficit to just 12.
Stephen Coniglio and Toby Greene were giving a Dockers' midfield, sans Nat Fyfe, a few problems and the Giants were able to pull back the number of easy possessions they were allowing Fremantle to have. In the first term alone, the Dockers had 131 possessions (96 of them uncontested), while the Giants managed only 72 touches in the same time.
After Walters' major though, Chris Mayne and Matthew Pavlich followed with their own in the next seven minutes to give the home side a 31-point advantage just before the final break.
Statistically, the Dockers smashed the Giants, but again they struggled to make the most of their advantage in attack. They had 26 more inside 50s and 121 more possessions. Fremantle enjoyed 308 uncontested touches, while the Giants had only 334 possessions for the game.
The Dockers had 17 inside-50s to the Giants' seven in the third term, but won the quarter by only seven points.
At least Fremantle are trying something different.
The return of Zac Dawson for his first game of the season (following groin and thumb injuries) allowed Ross Lyon to play young defender Alex Pearce in attack.
And he looked likely too, but let himself down with some poor kicking from set shots, particularly in the second term. But he wasn't alone.
After leading by 18 points at quarter-time, the Dockers had 14 inside-50 entries in the second quarter and kicked just 2.6 – plus Pearce had two shots on goal from about 50 metres out that failed to make the distance. The Giants pushed forward only seven times in the same period and kicked 1.4 to stay within 26 at the main break.
Pearce was subbed out of the game just after three-quarter-time with 12 possessions, five marks and 1.0 to his name.
Dawson should be nervous as the match review panel look at an incident he was involved in with Jeremy Cameron that forced the Giants' forward off the ground just before quarter-time with a broken nose – courtesy of an elbow from the Dockers defender.
Cameron played the rest of the game with tape wrapped around his face and had to leave the ground several times so the flow of blood could be stopped.
It was a solid return from Dawson though, as he kept Cameron to just 2.3.
Matt Buntine and Tom Downie both left play with concussion.
Votes
D Mundy (Freo) 8
L Neale (Freo) 8
M Walters (Freo) 7
S Coniglio (GWS) 6
H Shaw (GWS) 5
