A dominant display by Fremantle midfielders Michael Barlow and Matt de Boer wasn’t enough to stop Peel Thunder going down to South Fremantle by 41 points at Fremantle Oval on Saturday.
Barlow and de Boer put their names up for an AFL recall, finishing the day with 39 disposals apiece.
The pair worked hard to keep Peel in the match, but a final quarter burst from the Bulldogs proved too much for the Thunder.
Fremantle first-year rookie Matthew Uebergang said the margin didn’t reflect how close Peel came to defeating the table-topping Bulldogs.
“We definitely played well for three quarters,” Uebergang said.
“We were able to respond throughout the second and the third (quarters), but just in that last (quarter) we didn’t respond like we should have.”
Peel won the majority of early possession, but weren’t able to turn their dominance around the ground into scoreboard pressure.
It wasn’t until de Boer found space out the back of the Bulldogs defence midway through the first term that the opening goal was scored.
Gerald Ugle followed de Boer’s goal with one of his own to give Peel an 11-point lead, but late goals to the Bulldogs saw scores level at the opening break.
Peel started the second quarter slowly, allowing the Bulldogs to boot three quick goals to open up a 21-point lead.
But Peel fought its way back into the contest with goals to Andrew Haydon, Michael Apeness and Benjamin Hancock cutting the margin to just two points at the half.
A goal to Blair Bell and a second to Apeness kept the Thunder within striking distance in the third, but the Bulldogs kicked four of their own to go into the last change with a 15 point lead.
WAFL Watch: Player Stats v South Fremantle
Tanner Smith cut the margin to nine points with the opening goal of the fourth quarter, and the Thunder were within three points when Brad Walsh kicked truly a few minutes later.
But, seven consecutive goals saw the Bulldogs run out victors 16.11 (107) to 9.12 (66).
Uebergang, who signed a one-year contract extension during the week, said the team was disappointed to have faded late in the match.
“It just comes down to basics (like) … playing on your man, doing your job, defenders defending and I think we didn’t do that in the last quarter,” he said.
Uebergang said Barlow and de Boer were clearly the best players on the ground.
“Micky (Michael Barlow) was solid, he showed some good grunt … (and) Matty (Matt de Boer) always leads well from the middle,” Uebergang said.
Barlow impressed with his willingness to run, pulling in 12 important marks, while de Boer worked right to the final siren, laying eight tackles.
Michael Apeness made a promising comeback from a knee injury, kicking two goals for the Thunder and taking a series of strong pack marks, while Brady Grey fought hard to collect 21 disposals.
Rory O’Brien continued his strong early-season form, finishing with 26 disposals and six marks in his 100th match for Peel.
Peel will be looking to get back on the winners list against East Perth at Bendigo Bank Stadium on Saturday.
