Fremantle plants flag with signature win over Pies
The Fremantle Dockers conjured a win for their history books on Sunday afternoon, staking their claim as genuine premiership contenders with a one-point victory over Collingwood in front of a hostile crowd at the MCG.
In what was arguably the game of the year, the Dockers rode a six-goal performance from once-Essendon reject Patrick Voss to secure the four points 11.12 (78) to 12.7 (79).
While Voss put together the body of work across four quarters, it was his running mate Josh Treacy, who was the hero in the dying seconds, pushing all the way back to the last line of defence to secure a game-saving mark just outside the Magpies’ goal square.
In what was truly a game of moments between two very talented sides, Voss was the meat and potatoes and Treacy the final dessert, as the Dockers served up a meal their fans won’t soon forget.
There is so much to go over in this game, it truly was a blinder, but I want to start with a comprehensive look at one of the most entertaining fourth quarters I have ever seen.
Fremantle came from 22 points down to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in this one, booting the last four goals of the match after Collingwood started the fourth term red hot.
In case you missed the five times the FOX broadcast mentioned it, the Magpies are the best performing fourth quarter team in the competition, and they looked like it early on.
In the blink of an eye, goals to Will Hoskin-Elliott and Ed Allan had stretched the lead to 21, and Jamie Elliott missed a fairly simple (and, by his standards, downright easy) shot on the ensuing centre bounce which made it an even 22.
It looked as though the experienced Pies, on the home deck they know so well, were ready to put the foot down and send a gallant yet not-at-their-level Fremantle back to WA.
But oh my, how things changed from that point on.
The footy gods granted Jaeger O’Meara the kindest of bounces a minute later, and the lead was back down to 16.
Jye Amiss trimmed it to ten on the halfway point of the final term, before Voss brought it to single digits with his sixth major on the day at the 14-minute mark.
Collingwood had their chances to edge back in front, but Brody Mihocek kicked back-to-back behinds and left the door ajar.
Then, it was time for the play of the day, and it was an unlikely hero who kicked it off.
Much like Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee (who, as we all know, is the true hero of Middle Earth), Bailey Banfield showed you don’t have to be an all-powerful wizard or some kind of invincible warrior to save the day.
Collecting the ball on half back, Banfield swivelled his head and pulled the trigger to find the fresh-legged Hayden Young in the middle of the ground.
One of Freo’s most prolific ball users, Young wheeled and hit superstar Luke Jackson inside 50m (and I don’t care what the commentators say, I reckon Young absolutely meant it).
As he has many times now, Jackson went back, collected his thoughts, and slotted a seriously big goal to give Fremantle their first lead since early in the second term.
The next few minutes of footy were agony for fans of both clubs. Questionable umpiring calls, missed opportunities, weird bounces, it had it all.
Elliott would tie the scores up at the 28-minute mark of the quarter, before Shai Bolton was granted a free for high contact shortly after. Bolton missed, and left the door ajar, and it felt as though the writing was on the wall for a classic Collingwood heart-stopper.
The Magpies had one last foray in them, scrapping the ball all the way to their half forward line.
Fremantle fans had hearts in mouths when Lachie Schultz, their old buddy, sent the ball toward the goal square with seconds ticking down.
But it was Treacy, who had worked his backside off to get back and defend, saving the day. His mark, and the following 50m penalty (which wouldn’t have mattered anyway), killed enough time to give Fremantle their biggest win of the 2025 season, and maybe their biggest home-and-away win in their history.
So that was the fourth quarter… now what about the other three? Well, I’ve already used up 750-odd words, and while there is plenty to talk about, I might just dive straight into the talking points here.
Freo defence stand tall against Pies onslaught
While those who stood up in big moments will earn the plaudits, Fremantle’s back six deserves serious credit for this victory.
Collingwood dominated the territory battle almost the entire night, winning a lop-sided inside 50m count 63-40, and once inside their pressure was tremendous (breaking the record for tackles inside your own 50m arch? Nothing to sneeze at).
Still, despite this complete onslaught, the Dockers’ back six was able to minimise the bleeding and keep their team in with a sniff. This was particularly evident in the third term, when Collingwood repeatedly attacked the front half only to come away with a single goal for their effort.
It was a total turnaround from the last time these sides met, when Collingwood had sweet little of the territory battle yet made their opportunities count to snatch the win. It’s a mature turn of events that shows Fremantle’s back six has learned from their mistakes.
Most of this praise simply has to go to Luke Ryan. He was superb, and his 25 disposals and six marks don’t truly demonstrate how impactful he was, saving plenty of goals.
But some of the praise also has to land with Brennan Cox, who has been maligned by Freo fans of late. The tall defender played exactly that, tall, racking up spoils like he was Alix Tauru, or something.
Great game for the Freo defenders.
Welcome to the big time, Pat
I may have been tongue-in-cheek with my earlier mention of Pat Voss as an Essendon reject, but seriously, shame on the Bombers for letting this man walk out the door after winning their VFL best and fairest.
I mean far out, the bloke has just booted six big ones against the best team in the comp on their home deck. This was a serious performance from a young key forward who is coming along extremely well in his development.
Voss was the firestarter for Freo in this one, kicking three of his six in the first quarter and giving Pies skipper Darcy Moore fits.
He would go on to kick a crucial goal in the fourth, and his impressive accuracy (finishing with 6.1) is a sign he is beginning to settle in after having the yips early on in his career.
It’s easy to forget he’s just 22, and alongside Josh Treacy (also 22) and Jye Amiss (21), this is the best young forward line in the competition.
Pies pressure goes up a level (or two) with McCreery back in team
You don’t need to tell Collingwood fans how important Beau McCreery is to their team.
They know his worth better than any of us, and it was on full display in this one.
Coming back from a month-or-so out with injury, it was fair to expect the explosive runner would take some time to get back into the flow… well, he didn’t.
Specifically, McCreery’s pressure was off the charts in this contest, and he was the main driver in a side that (as mentioned before) broke the record for tackles inside the 50m arch.
He finished the day with 15 touches, 15 tackles and five clearances, and while they lost the match, the Pies will be very happy to see him back to his game-wrecking best as September edges closer.
Caleb Serong is closing in on a third All-Australian blazer
Captain in the absence of Alex Pearce today, Fremantle’s own “little master” turned in a true captain’s effort.
A whopping 37 disposals, nine clearances (a game-high), and an epic final term in which he produced a few of his own match-winning moments? Yeah, I’d say that’s a fair day at the office.
There’s been a lot of talk about Noah Anderson and Jordan Dawson being in a two-man race for the All-Australian captaincy this year. They both absolutely deserve it, by the way.
However, while he’s not a captain himself, I want to throw Caleb Serong up as a third option here. I don’t expect him to overtake Anderson or Dawson for this by the end of the year, and he has been tagged out of a couple games lately, but he is a true leader of his team and they are getting results with him at the helm.
At the very least, he is well on his way to a third straight AA blazer. Mighty impressive for a 24-year-old.
Alright, time for some quick-hitters
- Darcy Cameron had the better of the battle for the first three quarters, but Sean Darcy was fantastic in the fourth.
- The umpiring in this game was some of the worst you will see all year. A double whistle on a suspect “advantage” call, a non-call for advantage that would have given the Pies a goal at three-quarter-time, and a 50m penalty for pointing at the scoreboard were among the lowlights. Bad day for the whistleblowers today.
- Nick Daicos off half-back kind of worked, and kind of didn’t. His numbers were fantastic, but his biggest impact came when he went into the centre bounce.
- Jordan Clark might be firming for an All-Australian blazer himself. Another fantastic showing today.
- Hayden Young returned as the sub and still found a way to contribute. He is a massive, and I mean MASSIVE, addition for the Dockers as we head towards finals.
- Didn’t like the Darcy Moore knees into the back of Treacy after the final mark, but that’s footy sometimes, and I like how Treacy won’t take that personally. Two big boys in a heated battle.
- Luke Jackson is something else. His handball to set up a goal in the fourth was not of this world.
- What a game.
