Young shows his class as wayward Dockers crush Eagles
Young tallied 23 disposals, seven clearances, three goals and 555m gained to win the Glendinning-Allan Medal in the 18.18 (126) to 12.5 (77) triumph in front of 54,384 fans at Optus Stadium on Saturday.
The 24-year-old came on as the sub in his first game back from hamstring surgery in last week's one-point win over Collingwood, but he was unleashed from the very start of Saturday's game before being subbed out early in the last.
Young was the dominant figure of the opening term, and his ruthlessness in front of goal when his teammates continually missed was another sign of just how important he is to the club's flag push.
Michael Frederick kicked a career-high four goals, Andrew Brayshaw racked up 32 disposals and eight clearances, while rising star Murphy Reid (23 disposals, one goal) tallied a whopping 15 score involvements.
Four-time Glendinning-Allan Medallist Caleb Serong had to work hard for his 20 disposals and eight clearances under a tight tag from Brady Hough.
For West Coast, defender Reuben Ginbey kept Josh Treacy goalless from nine disposals, Tim Kelly found form with 26 disposals, eight clearances and two goals, and Harley Reid (15 disposals, three clearances, two goals) battled hard amidst the boos.
Reid limped off in the dying minutes and headed to the change rooms after being crunched in a tackle by Karl Worner.
The win keeps Fremantle (13-6) within percentage of the top four, while West Coast (1-18) have lost nine on the trot and are headed for their second wooden spoon in three seasons.
West Coast were forced into a late change when defender Harry Edwards injured his hamstring in the warm-up,
Harley Reid was target No.1 in the opening quarter.
First, he was involved in a wrestle with Fremantle veteran Jaeger O'Meara.
Then later in the term, he was caught unaware when he was flattened in an off-the-ball bump from Patrick Voss (three goals).
West Coast kept pace with Fremantle early, but two goals in a minute to Frederick, followed by two goals in a minute to Young, blew the scoreboard out to 40-12 by quarter-time.
Fremantle's 14-7 clearance count in the opening quarter was ominous, with Young tallying 10 disposals, five clearances and two goals in a brilliant individual display.
Frederick's third goal stretched the margin to 35 points early in the third quarter, but a dose of Harley Reid magic gave Eagles fans something to smile about.
Reid received a handpass on the wing and took a running bounce before nailing a goal from 47m.
Fremantle dominated the rest of the quarter, but their wasteful return of 1.6 meant the half-time margin was only 22 points.
The Dockers' wobbles continued early in the third quarter as West Coast cut the margin to 18 points.
But goals to Jye Amiss and Voss - each of which was followed by a mini melee - gave Fremantle breathing space, before Young added another later in the quarter.
Fremantle blew the margin wide open with the first four goals of the final term.
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West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Motormouth Mitch: The mature Eagle who West Coast need to demand more of to help younger teammates
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That is more than enough to have an expectation put on you to lead when called upon. Williams didn't take one mark against the Dockers, which is damning enough for the 201cm powerhouse. But what was more disappointing was his lack of physicality in the contest. He laid only two tackles and there weren't any signs of him trying to impose his body on the contest. Williams should've been crashing packs and making his size felt even if it cost them a few free kicks. Instead, he was barely sighted throughout the contest. Williams is finally in his preferred role with the forward-ruck split and should be thriving as a big man about to enter the prime of his career. Shanahan and Reid are going to be good players for the Eagles, hopefully for the next decade. If they are going to get there though, they need more from the likes of Williams around them as they develop. West Coast need to demand Williams shoulders this responsibility. It's his time. 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His presence on a field can be game changing and there are few in the purple chevrons who can grasp the moment better than the intimidating 193cm beast. If Treacy can get off the leash against Carlton or Port Adelaide in the next two weeks, it could kick-start him back into the form of earlier this year. And this could be the difference between them going deep into finals or being bundled out. It's not panic stations right now, but coach Justin Longmuir would love for Cyclone Tracey to get to a category five sooner rather than later to help blow their premiership window wide open. AFL's Equalisation Woes Forget in-season tournaments. Forget 20th teams. Forget Tasmanian stadiums. The AFL has an urgent problem they need to fix and it's equalisation. For weeks now only nine teams have been able to realistically make finals and while that isn't ideal, it's just sometimes an anomaly. 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News.com.au
8 hours ago
- News.com.au
Roos' identity crisis amid Clarko question as ‘sickening' loss lays bare failed draft trade gamble
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West Australian
8 hours ago
- West Australian
Fremantle Dockers forward Murphy Reid compared to Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury as Rising Star calls increase
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I think he did watch a lot of Scotty Pendlebury growing up, so he's a very classy little player. I think he's got a lovely mix that works for him. 'I don't want to use it loosely and it's probably disrespecting Scotty Pendlebury in a way because he's one of the greatest players in the game. 'But you watch him and he's in positions where you think someone shouldn't get out of that, but he does. He's not a fast bloke, he's not massively built, he's just clever and classy. I think he thinks and sees the game ahead before people see what is going to happen.' Pendlebury is on track to break Brent Harvey's all-time games record next year after playing 419 games. A dual premiership star, Norm Smith medallist, former captain, six-time All-Australian and five-time best and fairest, Pendlebury's skill, composure and ability to get himself out of trouble have made him one of the game's greats. Reid has looked perfectly at home in the AFL since kicking four goals in one quarter on debut against Geelong. He also kicked four goals against Port Adelaide. The Victorian is third favourite with bookmakers to be named the Rising Star behind Adelaide's Daniel Curtin and Brisbane's Levi Ashcroft, but Dockers coach Justin Longmuir said he'd done everything to warrant winning the award. 'If I was picking it, I'd pick him. If you looked at consistency across the course of the year, he would have been the most consistent first-year player,' Longmuir said. Curtin rocketed into favouritism after a huge month for the Crows. He was best on ground against Richmond with 26 possessions and two goals to kick start a wonderful run of form. The West Aussie also had 26 touches and one goal against the Western Bulldogs, then collected 20 possessions and kicked a goal against Gold Coast. He received AFL Coaches' Association votes in all three of those games. Curtin performed well against Port Adelaide on Saturday night too, finishing with 22 possessions and four clearances. Drafted at pick eight in 2023, Curtin had to be patient as the Crows looked for his best position. He was either subbed on or off in four of his seven games last season and played as tall defender or half-back before finding his niche on the wing this season. Ashcroft spent the majority of the season as the favourite after stepping straight into Brisbane's team during their premiership defence. He had 25 possessions on debut and was influential in the first QClash of the season with 29 disposals. Ashcroft is averaging 19.5 touches and 1.8 clearances per game while also kicking 10 goals for the season. But after making a splash on debut, it's been Reid's consistency that has been the hallmark of his game. The young Docker has had more disposals than Curtin, kicked more goals, had more score involvements and only slightly trails the Crow for tackles and clearances. Reid is on the verge of becoming the first Docker to kick 20 goals, have 20 goal assists and 100 score involvements since Matthew Pavlich in 2015. He currently has 19 goals, 17 goal assists and 106 score involvements with four home-and-away games remaining and the possibility of finals. Only Andrew Brayshaw, Shai Bolton and Caleb Serong have had more score involvements than Reid at Fremantle this season and the Dockers were thrilled when he signed a new contract until the end of 2029. The Dockers selected Reid at pick 17 in last year's national draft after watching him excelling for Sandringham Dragons. He spent time in the midfield during the pre-season but quickly showed his talent as a forward which has allowed him to become an important part of the team. While his class has shone out, Glendinning-Allan medallist Hayden Young said it was only a matter of time before Reid becomes a midfielder and plays alongside himself, Brayshaw and Serong in the centre-square rotation. 'He's got beautiful touch, he's super elusive and he's a very crafty player,' Young said. 'I thought he was outstanding for a bloke who's not that big. He's very hard to tackle. 'He's going to be a great player for us and I'm really happy with the brand of footy he's playing at the moment. Hopefully he can keep developing. I'd love to see him get through the midfield in the years to come.'
