It was a tough day at the office for Fremantle against an Adelaide side striving for a top two finish and are considered premiership contenders.
Here are the talking points from Freo’s clash with the Crows.
Mayne in defence
Chris Mayne spent half the game in defence against West Coast and was down there again on Sunday afternoon. He had 20 disposals and five tackles and his calmness in the backline was evident as he finished with a disposal efficiency of 90 per cent. The 27 year old also had four rebound 50s, demonstrating his ability as a swingman.
The Sonny show
Michael Walters stood out as Freo’s best afield, kicking five goals. The small forward worked hard around the ground, collecting 17 possessions, laid two tackles and finished with two inside 50s. It’s also the first time Walters has kicked five goals in a game. Particularly impressive was his reading of the ball off the pack, with two of his goals scored after roving the pack at the top of the goal square.
Sonny's superb snap
The central battle
Fremantle dominated the ruck contests, as Aaron Sandilands and Zac Clarke combined for 43 hitouts, but Adelaide’s midfield was alert to the danger and clearances finished even at 34 apiece, with Lachie Neale collecting nine and David Mundy finishing with five. Adelaide’s midfielders shared the load with Matt Crouch finishing with nine, while Rory Sloane, Brad Crouch and Jarryd Lyons all ended the game with four clearances.
Sloane v Sheridan
Tommy Sheridan has backed up his tagging role against West Coast with another solid showing. He spent a lot of the first half on Rory Sloane and kept the influential midfielder to 13 touches to three quarter time. Sheridan contributed going forward as well, rebounding from inside the defensive 50 on three occasions and driving Freo inside the attacking arc five times. He kicked a goal and had two score assists.
Lyon post-match Q & A
Hitting targets
Adelaide may have dominated the inside 50 count, but it was their ability to find a target which proved decisive. The Crows ended with 20 marks from 69 entries to their attacking 50, while Fremantle had just four marks, despite driving forward on 45 occasions. It has been an ongoing issue for Fremantle, as they managed eight marks from 44 entries against West Coast and four marks from 43 inside 50s against Sydney a fortnight ago.
Talking points from Adelaide clash
Points of interest from Freo's loss to Adelaide on Sunday