A career six-goal haul for Jonathon Patton has helped Greater Western Sydney to a 92-point win over Fremantle at Spotless Stadium on Saturday.
Patton overcame a quiet start to finish with eight marks, six of them inside 50, and his half a dozen majors after kicking two in each of the last three quarters.
As they have done so often in the second half of the season, the Fremantle Dockers were competitive in the first two quarters, but fell away in the second half to go down 19.15 (129) to 5.7 (37).
Defenders Nick Haynes, Adam Tomlinson and Zac Williams were dominant for the home side, while midfielders Lachie Whitfield, Ryan Griffen and Josh Kelly were also damaging, and Jeremy Cameron and Steve Johnson kicked three goals apiece.
Talking points from Giants clash
Possession-machine Lachie Neale finished with a match-high 40 touches, 11 tackles and a goal.
Mature-age recruit Shane Yarran was the most dangerous forward on the ground in the opening term and kicked three goals.
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon said after another disappointing fade-out that the Giants were a "very good football team that is fighting for top four".
"I was really pleased with our start and the first half in general," he said.
"We were really positive at half-time, but they sort of really ramped it up and we weren't able to sort of go with them. We understand that.
"They are very good and we are struggling to go with the very best."
The home side shared its goals around in the first quarter with Cameron, Johnson and Toby Greene among the scorers, while defenders Williams – in his 50th senior game - and Haynes provided outstanding run from the back 50, setting up a seven-point lead at quarter-time for GWS.
Lyon post-match Q & A
Both the Giants and the Freo Dockers had plenty of issues keeping possession in the second term with turnovers making it difficult for both sides to apply any scoreboard pressure, but Cameron and Patton managed to get their hands on it late to help the home side to a 20-point advantage at the long break.
Fremantle's first-half intensity went missing in the third quarter and their scoring opportunities dried up, with the visitors going inside 50 just three times for the term, and even when they managed to get forward of centre, Haynes, Wilson and Adam Tomlinson repelled their attacks.
The Giants runners took control of the match as the home side booted four goals to none with Patton, Johnson and Cameron the beneficiaries up forward, and it was more of the same in the last, as GWS piled on another seven unanswered goals to give them the last 13 of the match.
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 5.4 8.7 12.18 19.15 (129)
FREMANTLE 4.3 5.5 5.6 5.7 (37)
GOALS
Greater Western Sydney: Patton 6, Cameron 3, Johnson 3, Greene 2, Hopper, Whitfield, Griffen, Lobb, Scully
Fremantle: Yarran 3, Neale, Apeness
BEST
Greater Western Sydney: Griffen, Patton, Haynes, Whitfield, Williams, Tomlinson
Fremantle: Neale, Weller, Hill
INJURIES
Greater Western Sydney: Nil
Fremantle: Taberner (leg)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: O'Gorman, Fleer, Jeffery
Official crowd: 9,556 at Spotless Stadium
