Second half sizzle as Fremantle overrun admirable North
A flurry of third-quarter goals spurred on by dominant performances from Fremantle’s superstars led the Dockers over North Melbourne with a 11.10 (76) to 15.12 (102) victory at Marvel Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Inspiring second halves from Luke Jackson, Caleb Serong, Andrew Brayshaw and Jordan Clark helped the visitors overcome a 32-point deficit after a gallant North Melbourne charged out to an early lead.
The Kangaroos’ midfield was utterly dominant for the majority of the opening two terms, with Luke Davies-Uniacke and Tom Powell doing the damage around the clearance.
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir would have been feeling the frustration with his side looking hapless midway through the second term, but a switch flicked with roughly five minutes left in the half as Freo ignited a run of eight straight majors to assume control.
The Roos gave a last-minute push at the start of the fourth but were unable to capitalise on their repeat entries and eventually the Dockers steadied to claim the 26-point win.
The victory gives Fremantle a 2-0 record through the opening fortnight of the season, as they head home chock-full of confidence ahead of a Good Friday clash with the Crows.
North fans wouldn’t be disheartened, however, with plenty of positives to take out of the game, particularly from their young midfield and half-back studs.
It was a game that showed pundits the best (and worst) of both sides, and gave us plenty of takeaways, so let’s explore them below.
The Dockers are capable of big scoring runs in 2024
It’s not something they’ve been synonymous with across their 29-year existence, but the Dockers look like they’ve got genuine firepower capable of putting together heavy scoring runs this season.
After falling to a five-goal deficit and looking just about dead in the water ten minutes into the second term, the Dockers found their rhythm to pile on the next eight straight over a 30-minute period. This was champagne football from Fremantle. Power and finesse rolled into one package.
It follows a similar run the men in purple put together against Brisbane the week prior, where they charged ahead of the contest after coughing up the first four goals.
However, while their forwards were the beneficiary on the stat sheet, it was the dare and guts of the Freo midfield that led them back into this contest.
Serong finished with 35 touches to follow up his super Round One effort, and together with Brayshaw, Jackson and Clark, led the way as Fremantle looked to attack the middle of the ground and move the ball with electrifying pace – something they lacked severely the year previous.
If Fremanlte’s midfield has indeed taken another step forward towards being in the league’s upper echelon, it could lead the Dockers to some large numbers on the scoreboard.
North Melbourne’s best is AFL level
This is also something we’ve not been able to say in the past. North Melbourne’s first half was as impressive as you could ask for from an extremely young outfit.
Davies-Uniacke and Powell were the catalysts in the middle, but the Roos were on top all over the ground for a large chunk of the game.
George Wardlaw won the hard ball, Harry Sheezel was surgical off half-back and the likes of Colby McKercher, Zac Fisher and Zane Duursma showed plenty as well.
It was an extended period of play that should give North fans starry eyes moving forward, with repeat entries resulting in a string of marks inside 50 and, most importantly, goals.
They played with flair, biting off kicks into the corridor with confidence and precision and piling pressure on their opposition.
The next challenge will be to piece it together for four quarters. I’m not sure when that’ll come, but when it does, pity the team that’s destined for an upset loss.
Jackson takes honours in eye-catching battle with Xerri
Luke Jackson seems to grow in stature every time he steps on the field.
On Saturday he compiled a stat line of 24 disposals, 21 hitouts, five tackles, three marks and two goals – absurd numbers across the board that somehow still don’t tell the entire story of how good the big ruckman was.
Soaring grabs, second efforts, and follow up work at ground level elevated his performance above that of his opponent. He is currently doing what very few big men in the game can – like Brodie Grundy was back in 2019 with the addition of hitting the scoreboard, as well.
His unique abilities likely secured him three Brownlow votes and just two weeks into the year he announced his claim as a contender for an All-Australian spot.
But don’t let that fool you into thinking he dominated his direct opponent.
Tristan Xerri followed up his encouraging round one outing with 19 disposals, 30 hitouts, three marks and six tackles of his own giving North fans even more reason to think they’ve found their Goldstein successor.
The big fella throws his weight around with great effect, punishing opposition midfielders if they make a slow first step and he’s more than serviceable around the ground.
This was a genuinely entertaining ruck duel that Jackson eventually stamped his authority on, but both fan bases can be confident their ruck departments are in good hands.
Just how good is Caleb Serong going to be in 2024?
The sky’s the limit for the 23-year-old superstar Serong, who has opened his 2024 campaign with a sizable bang.
He racked up a Freo record 46 disposals in their opener against the Lions, and followed up with a game-high 35 in this one, 22 of which came in the second half.
I’m not sure about Alastair Clarkson’s decision not to tag the man who hung up 46 the week before, but I’m also not sure you can at the moment.
Serong seems to be moving at a different pace to most others on the field, constantly buzzing around the ball and using it effectively when it’s in his hands.
A second consecutive All-Australian berth is absolutely on the cards, and he’s likely got himself five Brownlow votes in the opening two weeks.
He had plenty of help on this one, as mentioned above. Andrew Brayshaw was instrumental in the Freo charge, with the defensive efforts in his game just as important as winning the footy. Here’s a hint for opposition mids – stop trying to fight through Brayshaw’s tackles – he is elite in that aspect of the game.
That said, this was another game where Seromg was the standout. If he can continue at this pace (and he’s given us no reason to assume he won’t), Serong might just carve his name into a few more record books this season, and the Dockers will be all the better for it.
Half-backs show their importance
These days it seems every team has a collection of half-backs ready to slice and dice you with quick, confident ball movement, and this game made it easy to see why list managers crave it so badly.
In the first half it was a combination of Sheezel, Fisher and McKercher doing the damage for North Melbourne as they continued to run and carry the ball forward. Their ball use was outstanding and time and again it slashed through Fremantle’s defence to set up scores.
When the switch flicked for Freo, it was Jordan Clark and Luke Ryan who found another gear and continuously sprung their side into action.
Clark has had a prolific start to the season finishing today with 28 disposals (17 in the second half) and you feel when he’s active Fremantle become a much harder team to slow down. He may start seeing some defensive attention should he continue to propel the Dockers’ forward entries the way he has so far.
