Diabolical Dockers disaster means dreams could be doomed
Three months of hard work, a season full of hope and a monumental opportunity went down the drain on Friday night as Fremantle lost one of the biggest games in the club's history by 57 points to Brisbane.
Fremantle's season will go on the line against the Western Bulldogs next week where instead of playing for a top four spot, they'll be facing the prospect of missing finals.
Playing in front of 54,302 fans - the largest non-derby crowd in Fremantle's history - the Lions won 15.11 (101) to 5.14 (44) and sent shudders through the Dockers' fanbase.
The word Dockery has become part of Fremantle vernacular. Here's some other D words. Devastation. Dread. Doubt, Dominated. Demoralised. Debacle. And quite possibly doomed. Déjà vu? Fremantle midfielder Jaeger O'Meara. Credit: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos / AFL Photos via Getty Images
Fremantle looked nervous, played nervous and the crowd sounded nervous. They failed to handle the occasion.
It was obvious really early. Like when Alex Pearce was searching for the precise kick off half-back and then turned it over. Or when Pearce fumbled moments later leading to Jordan Clark tackling Zac Bailey high. The Lions star made him pay with a goal.
Dockers fans wanted something to tell them it was going to be okay. But when Pat Voss was denied a 50-50 mark and Josh Treacy missed with his snap, they didn't get any type of re-assurance.
They felt when another free kick led to Brisbane's second major after Charlie Cameron took advantage and ran into an open goal. Justin Longmuir threw his hands to his head in shock and it summed up how the purple army was feeling. Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir. Credit: Janelle St Pierre/AFL Photos / Getty Images
This was ugly. Brisbane had 20 marks after eight minutes. Fremantle couldn't get the ball and when they did get it, they were either under the pump, turned it over or missed their shots.
A 50m penalty handed Ryan Lester Brisbane's third goal.
The Dockers kept getting chances. Michael Frederick was too slow to get a shot away, somehow got it to Treacy but he took too long to take a shot too.
Brisbane had 34 more disposals, eight more inside 50s and 31 more marks at quarter time. They could have led by a lot more than 15 points. Brisbane celebrate. Credit: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos / AFL Photos via Getty Images
Something had to change…quickly. Fremantle had early chances. They missed. But they were playing better. The pressure was up.
Then more disaster. Bailey snapped a goal from nowhere. He was on fire with 15 possessions and two goals.
But if that was a disaster, the next problem was just plain dumb. Brennan Cox gave away a free kick to Logan Morris inside Brisbane's forward 50 when the ball was more than 80 metres away. Morris kicked truly, Brisbane led by 25 points and this was looming as a night Fremantle would always regret.
Then, staring down the barrel, Fremantle stood up. They had twice as many inside 50s than Brisbane for the term. Caleb Serong picked up 10 touches and Treacy flexed his muscles.
The Big Cohuna kicked two long range goals in a row and the crowd lifted. Then the Dockers produced some genuinne brilliance.
Shai Bolton won a crucial contest on the wing, got it near Jye Amiss, he found enough space to kick it inside 50 and Jackson stayed composed and centred to Andrew Brayshaw. Callum Ah Chee gave away the free kick, Brayshaw goaled and Fremantle trailed by only eight-points at half-time. The crowd lifted and the Dockers were back. Andrew Brayshaw roars at the crowd. Credit: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos / AFL Photos via Getty Images
It looked like game on but looks can be deceiving.
Brisbane kicked five goals to one in the third term and ran away with the win as the gap between the teams stood out.
Cam Rayner shrugged a tackle and snapped a classy goal from nowhere. Then Sean Darcy hit the post with a set shot and Jaeger O'Meara missed as the third player in the same chain to have the chance to kick a goal. That hurt.
What hurt more was another 50m penalty which gave Morris a set shot from directly in front instead of having to kick from the boundary line. And when Cameron kicked his second, the Lions led by 32 points.
Nothing summed up the night more than Fremantle's next big chance to score. Treacy took a mark less than 15m from goal but played on, got run down and the opportunity went begging. It was heart breaking. Cam Rayner was pumped. Credit: Paul Kane / Getty Images
Fremantle trailed by 31 points with one quarter remaining. They've been comeback kings this season. The script was available if they were good enough. They had the inspiration of Nat Fyfe coming on as the sub too. But there was no room for error.
The reality was Fremantle made too many errors and Brisbane stood up when it mattered. The Lions had the first shot for the quarter and it was a tough one as Hugh McCluggage lined up from 50m out. He slammed it straight through the middle. Teams don't fight back from 37 points down in the final term against the reigning premier.
Brisbane took a crazy 159 marks for the night. The game was played on their terms. Fremantle managed just 289 disposals compared to the Lions' 395. To be the best, you've got to beat the best, and the gap between the teams showed.
Now it comes down to three more D words - Dockers v Dogs at Docklands to avoid finishing a second successive season of dropping from inside the top four to missing the eight.
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