Heading into Sunday, round 14 had already delivered an incredible three games decided by three points or less.

But it’s safe to say no-one expected Fremantle’s clash with Geelong at Simonds Stadium to deliver the fourth compelling thriller of the weekend.

In the wake of a heartbreaking two-point loss, Ross Lyon summed up his mood in the post-match media conference – “we have a parallel view; we are really proud and really disappointed.”

Here are some key points from both sides of the ledger.

The disappointment
No loss can be exempt from scrutiny and that is especially so for Freo after Sunday’s game.
Lyon’s side lost despite leading by as much as 34 points in the second quarter, despite Geelong captain Joel Selwood spending the majority of the game on the sidelines with concussion and despite the Cats being down to just one rotation in the final term.
There’s no doubt that Lyon and his coaching staff will pull apart the vision and investigate how the game slipped through Freo’s fingers. 
But there’s also going to be a focus on how Freo got in a position to win a game that they, according to many, had no business in winning.

Pre-game predictions
In Thursday’s ‘Pre-Game’ section of The West Australian, 31 of 32 tipsters predicted a Geelong victory while the betting agencies gave Freo a 5.5 to one chance.
The lone person holding out for a Freo win was Perth Wildcats star Damian Martin.
Then on Friday came selection news that may have left Matrin regretting his bold decision. 
Out of the side was captain Nat Fyfe with a bruised sternum. Aaron Sandilands, who many expected to return after the bye, was another crucial absentee.
Freo’s side listed two debutants with five players having less than five AFL games experience. Half of the 22 had played 50 AFL games or less. 
By the end of the day, Freo’s odds blew out to more than 10 to one. The line margin gave Geelong a 59.5 point head start – the second highest margin given for any game this season.
As Michael Walters’ desperate attempt on goal in the dying seconds started and stayed left, Freo were condemned to the defeat everyone expected.
Yet many urged Freo fans to take heart for a number of reasons...

The ground
Freo’s youthful side stood up and performance at a ground that has long been a fortress for the Cats, especially under senior coach Chris Scott. In six and a half seasons under Scott, Geelong has lost just six games at the venue.

The engine room
While Freo were unable to overcome an undermanned Geelong, who missed captain Selwood for the majority of the game, they were able to put themselves in a winnable position without their own captain in Fyfe and lead ruckman Aaron Sandilands.
Even without the two key cogs in their engine room, and despite the dominance of Patrick Dangerfield, Freo’s mids matched Geelong on the day with 38 clearances each.

Average age
Geelong capitalised on a nervous Fremantle outfit in the final term and much of that can come down to experience. Geelong fielded the second oldest (26.34 years) and third most experienced (113.5 average career games) in round 14 while Fremantle’s side was the third youngest (24.27 average age) and third most inexperienced (78.1 average career games).

Youth steps up
The names that almost helped deliver a miracle are the same ones Freo fans can hope to see for many years to come.
Lachie Neale, 24, again led Freo in the middle with 17 contested possessions at an efficiency of 86.2 per cent.
Defender Joel Hamling, 24, has 12 spoils, six tackles and three intercept marks.
Bradley Hill, 23, had 27 touches, five rebound 50s, five inside 50s and a goal.
Lachie Weller, 21, was everywhere with 729.9 meters gained including his impressive last-minute dash that almost set up the win.
Midfielder Connor Blakely, 21, showed his versatility by featuring strongly with seven marks at half back – and his output didn’t diminish with 27 disposals at 85.2 per cent efficiency.
Darcy Tucker, 20, played arguably his best game for Freo kicking a career-high three goals.

First year players building
Of the first year players, Sean Darcy was the most impressive with 40 hitouts and five clearances, but every member of the group exhibited positive signs.
A versatile forward/defender, Brennan Cox showed he could also ruck with eight hitouts, while taking six marks and laying three tackles. Additionally, Cox's brilliant centering kick late in the game created a great scoring opportunitiy for Hayden Ballantyne.
Josh Deluca, despite spending most of the second half on the bench, had six contested possessions in his 13 disposals as well as an impressive smother that set up Bradley Hill’s running goal in the opening term.
Defender Griffin Logue proved his athleticism making five spoils and taking six marks.
Luke Ryan had four rebound 50s and laid three tackles off half-back.

Of the “anywhere, anytime” Freo Dockers, whose most famous victory came against Geelong on the ground in the 2013 Qualifying Final, just one of the above-mentioned players featured in both games in Lachie Neale.

The rest fell just one straight kick away from forging their own identity with their own upset win at the ground, but with time on their side, the numbers suggest they’ll soon bounce back stronger from Sunday's dissappointment.