Fremantle senior coach Justin Longmuir has declared that despite the tough loss, the playing group will rebound quickly.
The high-stakes contest reached a new level in the second half, as both teams experienced momentum swings and multiple lead changes. Ultimately, it was Geelong who capitalised on their opportunities, securing the win with a three goal to one last quarter.
“Obviously we are really flat, a couple of close losses in a row, a couple of games where we gave ourselves a chance to win - and yeah, we are flat at the moment. But I said to the players after the game, ‘We’ve taken a couple of hits. This is a tough game, and it’s going to deal some blows at times, but we’re not done',” Longmuir said in his post-match media conference.
“I’m confident it won’t take much to get them up and ready for the challenge next week. I don’t think it’s been the (mental) pressure that got us the last few weeks; we just haven’t been good enough for long enough.”
Being up by four points at three-quarter time, the home side was unable to hold the lead, with Longmuir proclaiming that the last couple of weeks of tough fixtures would provide learnings to hold the club in ‘good stead’ heading into finals.
“Those games come down to small margins, like being able to execute under pressure, being able to win the contest, and adjusting to the right positions off the ball, and even execution in terms of just getting the basics right,” Longmuir said.
“That will come by putting in the work at training and making sure we drive a really high standard, but also through exposure to these situations.
“The last two weeks and the next two weeks with finals-like games are going to give us great experience to see where we’re at and to identify what we need to work on.
“The things we’ve learned over the last two weeks, and what we’ll learn over the next two, will hold us in really good stead.”
For the time being, Fremantle remains sixth on the AFL ladder, but other results at the end of the round could see the club slip further down.
Fremantle will now play GWS at Engie Stadium next Saturday, with a win crucial to keeping their top-eight hopes alive.
