Mundy leads by example
David Mundy was a big inclusion for the clash with Essendon but his impact wasn’t just due to his leadership. The skipper had 33 disposals and showed his class all night, finishing with a disposal efficiency of 88.7 per cent. Mundy was involved in plenty of scoring plays with four score assists and dictated movement off the ball by kicking to the advantage of Freo’s forwards on numerous occasions.

Stats that mattered - Disposal efficiency
Freo used the ball well from the opening bounce against the Bombers and this was reflected by the high quality of the disposals. Freo had 13 players finish above the 80 per cent disposal efficiency mark, with Nick Suban and Cam Sutcliffe among the top performers using the ball at a rate above 92 per cent.

Freo’s halfback firepower
Fremantle were able to lock the ball in the forward 50 but much of this was due to the effectiveness of the Freo halfbacks. Tommy Sheridan, Cam Sutcliffe and Lee Spurr provided a constant presence across halfback and David Mundy displayed great poise in congestion in defence.

Crozier the defender
Hayden Crozier may have found his niche against Essendon on Saturday night. The smooth moving left footer started his career as a crumbing goal sneak but performed very well across halfback against the Bombers. Crozier finished with 23 disposals and his raking left foot provided a catalyst for attacking plays from deep in defence. In addition to his disposal count, Crozier also quelled a number of Essendon attacks and finished with 14 marks.

Freo forwards fire
Notable names in the Freo forward line stood up against the Bombers with Matthew Pavlich, Hayden Ballantyne, Michael Walters and Chris Mayne kicking 11 goals between them. In addition to the experienced forwards, Matt Taberner also had a strong showing with five marks and a goal and was a constant presence in the air.

Forward line

Crowley is Forever Freo
The Freo faithful showed their appreciation in Ryan Crowley’s return to Domain Stadium, despite the unfamiliar sight of seeing him in an Essendon jumper. The 2012 Doig Medallist was cheered by the Purple Army whenever he touched the ball and received a standing ovation as he left the ground with a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter.