If this wasn’t the greatest finals weekend of all time, I defy anyone to show me another. Four genuine classics. A weekend that truly had it all.
Before Fremantle v Western Bulldogs, there was a feeling that this would be the “dud” game of the weekend. There had to be one, and the other three had exceeded expectations. There must be one that wouldn’t.
And for a time, that’s exactly how it looked. The Dockers simply didn’t show up. The Dogs were waltzing around as if they owned the joint, despite being outnumbered in the stadium a hundred to one.
While the previous three games had been see-sawing affairs with countless lead changes, one thing we hadn’t seen yet was a from-the-clouds comeback. And that’s exactly what we got.
Despite conceding a 41 point start, not only did Freo win, they won going away, and looked like they could have played another half.
The Bont
It’s easy to forget, given the exploits of Christian Petracca and the Melbourne Football Club, that in last year’s grand final, Marcus Bontempelli had taken control of the game in the second quarter. He drove his Dogs to a half-time lead and looked every bit the Norm Smith medalist.
Of course, that grand final was at the same ground as tonight’s game, and he transferred that imperious form to the opening stanza. At his effortless best through that term and indeed the first half, he sidestepped, dodged, broke free and delivered with class over and over again, either kicking goals or setting them up.
The Dogs were +17 in contested possessions at quarter time, led inside 50s 18-10, and had 10 shots at goal to one. They had the lion’s share of the of the finals experience on the ground, and that’s exactly what it looked like.
The sniff
The first half of the second term wasn’t much better than the first. The Dogs were still in control and had the only two scores of the quarter after 10 minutes to build a 41-point lead, but at least Freo had stemmed the tide. They weren’t leaking goals.
As is generally true in AFL football, shoring up the defence is the first priority, and once done you can focus on scoring. The Dockers had ticked the first box, had neutralized the midfield, and could now set their minds on the latter.
Michael Walters has had his ups and down under Justin Longmuir, but had been looking somewhat dangerous the few times Fremantle had gone forward. He already had two behinds to his name before he kicked Freo’s first goal, and continued to have an impact for the rest of the game.
Andrew Brayshaw never plays poorly, but was part of the midfield that was outmuscled early. He was getting the ball enough, but barely had a hard touch to his name, and hadn’t laid a tackle at half-time. You’d like him to get his hands a bit dirtier in future finals. But he kicked a leader’s goal from long range when it was needed, which gave his team a glimmer.
Caleb Serong snapped a clever one to keep the momentum going, and it was three goals in eight minutes. Then as the siren sounded, second-gamer Jye Amiss, who had missed from point-blank range earlier in the quarter, kicked truly to give Freo all the belief it needed at half-time.
Four goals in 10 minutes to end the half, the Dogs had only kicked one goal for the quarter and despite a 15-point deficit, it felt like anyone’s game.
The speed
Brandon Walker, Michael Frederick, Sam Switkowski and Jordan Clark aren’t the most well known players in the league. They probably aren’t even in the top 10 most important or recognisable at their own club. And their stats tonight, with a combined 54 touches between them, don’t scream influence.
But what these four are is quick. Seriously quick.
The Dockers struggled to move the ball for most of the first half, lacking energy and spark. But the four players mentioned above were vitally important in the third quarter, in keeping momentum going Fremantle’s way.
Whether they got the ball on the receive, ran hard without reward, crashed through a pack, or were putting on chasing pressure or laying tackles, seeing them flash across the ground gave the impression that there were more Dockers on the park than Dogs, and there was no-one in the opposition that could match them.
Another three goals to one in the third term, giving Fremantle seven goals to two after quarter time, and they were within a kick with one stanza to go.
Blake Acres and Luke Ryan of the Dockers celebrate. (Photo by Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
The pressure
Finals are always about pressure. Always, always, always. Always. Who can apply it. Who can absorb it. Who can play their game and produce high skill under it.
Fremantle couldn’t handle it early. Disastrously so. Most times when that happens in an elimination final, it’s season over, and you try and learn from it in the off-season and have to wait seven months to apply the lessons.
Yet the Dockers, through their own strength and resilience, learned from it, corrected it, modified behaviour and not just got the win, but get gain more experience next week.
Their pressure ramped up and up through the course of the game, and in the final quarter it finally matched what we had seen from Geelong, Collingwood, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Richmond in the first three matches. It took all game, but finally, Fremantle looked like they belonged in this finals series.
And in terms of high skill under pressure, how about Nathan O’Driscoll’s goal in the last quarter to ice the game? For a 20yo with only 11 games under his belt, he’s kicked some special goals already, and looks a future gun. It was the last of a series of unbelievable boundary goals this weekend.
What’s next?
For Fremantle, a trip to Melbourne to play Collingwood in a semi-final. They beat Melbourne in their only game at the MCG this year, so they’ll have no fear of the venue. They do need to find another level or two, and won’t be favoured to do so.
For the Western Bulldogs, another disappointing year. They’re the toughest team to get a read on in the competition. They’ve never finished top four under Luke Beveridge but have a premiership and grand final to their name, but haven’t been able to back it up either time.
The Dogs’ forwards went missing after quarter time, albeit Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Sam Darcy are so young, their midfield is great when it’s on their terms but too often has no answers when it’s not, and their defence isn’t strong enough to stand up under pressure when the other areas are getting beaten.
Next week, we also have Melbourne taking on Brisbane, and few will be giving the Lions a chance.
But for now, let’s bask in the aftermath of a sensational weekend of football. We might never see another one like it.
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