Nick Suban walked off the ground proud of his teammates’ efforts in his 150th game despite suffering a 30-point loss to West Coast in the 46th Carlton Draught Derby on Sunday at Domain Stadium.
Fremantle dominated for periods but fell to a more clinical West Coast.
Freo kicked five goals from 19 scoring shots generated from 57 inside 50s on the day.
Conversely, West Coast kicked six more goals from eleven less forward entries – led by key forwards Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling with five goals between them.
After losing the midfield battle to West Coast in round six, Freo’s midfield performed strongly and won the clearances 40-28.
Lachie Neale led the way with 11 clearances to go with his 34 possessions while Nat Fyfe had eight clearances and 30 possessions.
“Obviously the boys tried really hard and gave great effort but it’s a disappointing loss,” Suban said.
“We missed a bit of connection going forward which really hurt us but you can’t question the boys' effort - we really tried hard today.”
Suban credited 19-year-old Sean Darcy, who again performed well as Freo’s lone ruckman, collecting 32 hitouts, the same as direct opponent Nathan Vardy.
“I think Nat, Lachie (Neale) and David (Mundy) are really starting to get some chemistry in there with Sean,” Suban said.
“The boys just really tried hard and got the ball forward. I think it’s a good step forward for that group.”
Suban spent the day forward and on the wing, kicking a goal and setting up Hayden Ballantyne for another.
His goal was brought about by a Hayden Crozier intercept, setting Michael Walters free into the 50. It was one of Crozier’s nine score involvements for the day and gave Fremantle the momentum late in the opening half.
“I was just happy to play a role today, I thought the boys in the midfield did really well and got the ball going forward which was really good,” Suban said.
“I was lucky Sonny gave me the handball over the top to kick a goal. It was just disappointing that we couldn’t get the job done in the end.
“It would have been better to come away with win but to kick a goal in my 150th, that’s obviously a good memory.”
Suban’s 150th game comes just weeks after the birth of his son, Jack who was at the game to celebrate the milestone with mum Bianca.
“It means a lot, I got drafted and came over here when I was 18 and now I’m 27 and I’ve been here a long time,” Suban said.
“It means the world. I’m really excited to be a Fremantle person now and I’m really excited about our future.
"Jack was up in one of the boxes so I might go up to the ground and get a photo with him, it’ll be good to see him.”
