Fremantle forward Matt Taberner has praised the way his teammates stepped up and switched roles after Freo went two men down in their comeback six-point win against St Kilda at Metricon Stadium on Saturday.

Freo’s 36-point quarter time deficit already seemed insurmountable before both Hayden Young (ankle) and Sean Darcy (concussion) came off with injuries in the first and second quarters respectively.

Taberner said a number of players had to switch roles on limited rest with only two fit players on the bench.

This included Rory Lobb, who moved from ruck to forward and played 100 per cent game time.

Taberner and Taylin Duman, who came in as a late replacement for Brennan Cox, also played without a rest, while James Aish (97 per cent) and Bailey Banfield (96 per cent) had limited time on the bench.

“We had to change on the run,” Taberner said

“We were lacking a little bit of height up forward so Bailey Banfield really stepped up and played as a tall forward.

“He didn’t get much of a rest. He was really impressive and Rory Lobb, like he has throughout the last couple of years, he was able to go in the ruck and really make an impact, drift forward and kick a goal.

“We had to improvise but we made it work.”

St Kilda’s midfield was on top in the opening term, which exposed Freo’s undermanned backline to inside 50s that were difficult to defend against St Kilda’s taller forwards.

At quarter time, Fremantle were -33 in the disposal count. For the next three quarters, Freo were +56 in the stat.

As Freo’s mids got on top, Taberner said their forward pressure allowed more breathing room across the ground.

In the first quarter, the ball spent 42 per cent of the time in Freo’s forward half compared to 62 per cent for the rest of the game.

“We were losing it in the contest and we didn’t get our hands on the footy and we weren’t putting the pressure on,” Taberner said.

“Once we got our hands on the footy, we were able to put it in our forward 50 and lock it in there and get some results.

“There was great pressure and I think we really showed what we can do when we string some quarters together.”