Pre-game confrontation

The ball hadn’t even been bounced when the first clash of Saturday night’s match against Adelaide took place. Freo’s Michael Walters and Danyle Pearce were involved in a scuffle with Crows’ captain Nathan van Berlo. Former Port Adelaide player Pearce and van Berlo would remember each other well from Showdown days in Adelaide. Five Fremantle players received fines for their part in the melee.

Classy Freo crowd

After Adelaide forward Josh Jenkins went down with a bad ankle injury in the fourth quarter and had to be stretchered off, Fremantle’s fans at Patersons Stadium showed their class by applauding the forward as he departed the field. It was a respectful gesture by the purple crowd and one that didn’t go unnoticed by fans of the opposition. Tweets from Adelaide fans included:




‘Johnno’ saves the day

Nat Fyfe will get most of the media plaudits for his four goal and 29 disposals, but if a passage of play could highlight the importance of a solid defence, it’s the one leading up to Fyfe’s third term goal when the Crows were just five points in arrears. Michael Johnson was the player to stand up, beating an Adelaide armada that had flooded forward in search of a goal to give them the lead. Watch the passage here.

Making the most of it

It’s been well documented that Fremantle tied an AFL record for winning with the fewest entries inside 50. The 33 forays inside the attacking 50m arcs were enough to bring home the four points however, and as Ross Lyon said post-match: “…it was there for whoever used the ball best, and able to find targets inside 50. We had more kicks than them, moremarks inside 50 and more shots on goal, so I think it’s a pretty simple equation.”

Fyfe fires up forward

Freo fans should get used to sight of Nat Fyfe drifting forward in games to become a marking target. The brilliant midfielder notched up four goals in a best on ground effort against the Crows. His contested ball ability, coupled with his excellent athleticism and strong hands make him a match-up nightmare for the opposition.


Ladder implications

Fremantle’s victory kept it in touch with the top four sides, of which only Essendon failed to register a win on the weekend. The Bombers went down to top team Hawthorn and are now just two points ahead of Freo. The Hawks are 10 points clear of Ross Lyon’s side, while Geelong is six ahead. The Swans’ victory over Richmond leaves the defending premiers a game and considerable percentage ahead of Freo, but the Tigers are now a game-and-a-half behind us. Richmond meets Hawthorn this weekend, while Sydney play the Western Bulldogs and Geelong face North Melbourne.