Fremantle Dockers defender Michael Johnson said the Freo players were hurting after a tough loss to a talented Gold Coast Suns team on Saturday.
 
“The playing group are hurting real bad,” Johnson admitted.
 
Freo lost in a high scoring contest, and while disappointed with the result, Johnson said the playing group would recalibrate and get back to playing their brand of football.

Suns shine over Freo
 
“At the moment we’re not playing Docker football,” he said.
 
“We’ll lick our wounds and move on.
 
“Now it’s all about regrouping and coming back next week and playing the way we’ve played in the last few years.”
 
Johnson lamented a second quarter that saw Gold Coast kick seven goals to Freo’s two, and set up a 26-point victory.
 
“They jumped us in the second quarter and it was hard to get back,” he said.

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“Seven goals in the second quarter, that’s not like us.”
 
Gold Coast caught Freo on the counter-attack on a number of occasions, using their speed and skill to exploit the large Domain Stadium ground.
 
With no notable one-sided stat favouring the Suns, Johnson said Freo were lacking all over the ground and not just in any one area.
 
“It was all over the ground,” he said.
 
“We had more inside 50s than them, but the centre bounce hurt us, and we let easy goals in.
 
“As defenders we’ll take the blame but we all have to work really hard to get on track.”