Gold Coast's work to restrict Fremantle's midfield was the key to the home team stemming Fremantle’s fast and free-flowing form of last week, according to senior coach Ross Lyon.
The Suns recorded 21 more forward 50 entries and eight more shots at goal than Fremantle but only scraped home by three points in a 7.19 (61) to 8.10 (58) win at Metricon Stadium on Saturday.
Fremantle's run and carry from the midfield, so prominent in its 82-point dismantling of North Melbourne last week, was absent against the Suns.
Usual suspects Nat Fyfe (31 possessions, 10 marks) and Bradley Hill (32 possessions) worked hard in the middle but were outgunned by the tough Suns' engine room.
Fremantle hit the lead in the third quarter, kicking 3.2 to Gold Coast's 0.8, but the Suns made up for their poor kicking in the final quarter with three goals of their own to seal the win.
Lyon said Fremantle worked hard to stay in the match.
"We were finding a way to hang in with them, which I'm really pleased with… and we went to the end until, with 40 seconds (left) we were going in," Lyon said.
"There was probably 20 seconds (left) when they took that mark 30m out from our goal."
Lyon said that in the end, the reason for the Suns' win was simple.
"They were very good, they had weight of numbers, they were harder for longer and did the basics better for longer," he said.
Lyon said he was pleased with the contribution from Jesse Hogan in his Fremantle debut.
Hogan swung between midfield and forward, finishing with 21 possessions and three marks.
"He really worked into it, his ability to go midfield really helped us and gave us a lift in there," Lyon said.
The AFL's new 6-6-6 starting positon rules have made centre clearances vital for ground position, according to Lyon.
"That (winning centre clearances) enables you, if you don’t score, to pressure them in a really good part of the ground," Lyon said.
