Eagles have no answer to Dockers’ early blitz
A slick Fremantle continued their western derby dominance at Domain Stadium this afternoon, defeating cross-town rivals West Coast by 30 points.
The Dockers went on the attack from the outset, kicking the first 11 goals of the game and gaining a stranglehold over the midfield battle on their way to a sixth consecutive derby win.
It took the Eagles until the eighth minute of the second quarter to kick their first goal as the lead soared beyond 60 points in their opponents’ favour.
Their misery was compounded by losing key defender Jeremy McGovern to a knee injury in the third term – something which is set to stretch their injury crisis even further.
However with the result beyond doubt after half-time, the Dockers took their foot off the pedal and allowed the ‘home’ side to peg back the margin.
The final scoreline of 17.9 (81) to 12.9 (81) demonstrated the Dockers’ control of the contest, but will leave coach Ross Lyon with some question marks over his side’s second-half effort.
Fremantle midfielder Lachie Neale was awarded his second Ross Glendinning Medal after kicking three goals from 42 disposals in the midfield.
Nat Fyfe (31 disposals) and Stephen Hill (30, three goals) were also prominent.
Eagles forward Mark LeCras (five goals) was particularly dangerous for his side late in the game.
Fremantle hit the opening bounce like a bull at a gate, dominating the Eagles at the contest and getting the ball going their way with ease.
The two sides sized each other up for a couple of minutes, but when Zac Clarke kicked the first goal of the game it sparked a Dockers deluge the likes of which had never been seen from WA’s ‘little brothers’ in a western derby.
Neale, Hill and Fyfe took control of the midfield battle, helping their side kick a further eight goals unanswered goals to close out the term.
Their haul of 9.2 equalled their best ever quarter-time score.
Trailing by 52 points at the break, West Coast lifted their intensity in the second quarter and finally ended the Dockers’ 11-goal streak when Nic Naitanui ran down Michael Johnson in the goal square to win a holding the ball decision.
Sharrod Wellingham added to his side’s bleak highlights reel soon after with a spectacular goal from the boundary – capturing some much-needed momentum for the home team.
But when McGovern was forced to the sidelines with a knee complaint it all began to unravel, with the Dockers kicking the final three goals of the half to extend their already dominant lead.
The game went into cruise control in the third quarter, with the two sides trading blows. However the Eagles were able to break away late, kicking two late goals to win the quarter.
LeCras kicked four goals in the final term, but the result was already sealed.
SCOREBOARD
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| | FREMANTLE || align="center" | 9.2 || align="center" | 14.5|| align="center" | 16.7 || align="center" |17.9 || align="center" | 111''''''
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| | WEST COAST || align="center" | 0.4 || align="center" | 3.5 || align="center" | 6.7 || align="center" | 12.9||align="center" | 81''''''
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| colspan="6" width="400" | GOALS – FREMANTLE: Hill, Neale, Walters, Taberner 3; Clarke, Mayne 2; D Pearce
'WEST COAST: LeCras 5; Naitanui, Hill 2; Wellingham, Kennedy, McGinnity.'
'BEST – FREMANTLE: Neale, Hill, Fyfe, D Pearce, Barlow, McPharlin.'
'WEST COAST: LeCras, Naitanui, Priddis, Masten.'
'INJURIES – WEST COAST: McGovern (knee)'
'UMPIRES: J Dalgleish, R Chamberlain, J Armstrong'
'CROWD: 39,138 at Domain Stadium'
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