Derby wash up: Dockers stroll to win over West Coast
Fremantle collected their ninth win out of the last ten Western Derbies with a 5.11 (41) to 14.13 (97) win over West Coast at Optus Stadium on Sunday evening.
The Eagles put in a gallant first half, but it never really felt like the Dockers left second gear as they meandered their way to a nine-goal drubbing.
Jordan Clark took out his first Glendinning-Allan Medal as best afield as the All-Australian defender racked up 27 disposals and a goal to go with 11 marks, but young key forward Jye Amiss was right behind him having collected five goals from nine scoring shots while breaking Matthew Pavlich’s club record for marks inside the 50m arc, with nine.
It wasn’t exactly a cakewalk for Fremantle, though. West Coast showed some fight, and plenty of young players made their mark in their first derbies with Willem Duursma and Milan Murdock especially impressive.
However, in the end, the finals-aspirant Freo were too strong. Their aerial dominance and their ability to put speed on the ball in transition was on show, and if not for playing with their food a little, they could have won by much more.
It was an interesting derby to watch, and we haven’t been able to say that for some time.
So, without belabouring the point, let’s dive into a few of the talking points from Western Derby 63.
Where West Coast went wrong
I thought there was a definitive point in this game where the Eagles took a wrong turn, and it was with about six or seven minutes remaining in the second term.
Fremantle had the ascendancy getting some repeat entries inside their 50m arc, and West Coast made the decision to send promising young forward Jobe Shanahan behind the ball.
Even though they’ve done this several times, on this occasion, for mine, it was a mistake.
While the Dockers might have had the better of them at that point in time, by no means were Fremantle dominating. West Coast were trailing by just two goals at this point, and the Docker defence looked under pressure any time their young opponents could put speed on the ball, but throwing Shanahan back destroyed their momentum.
The young tall has been serviceable playing as a spare defender in crunch minutes early in his career, but with him behind the play, Fremantle was able to set up a wall and own the aerial game any time West Coast kicked it out of defence.
That allowed repeat entries, and even with Shanahan playing loose in defence, Fremantle was able to open up at 22-point lead at half time.
It felt like West Coast went defensive when perhaps they should have been trying to kick another goal themselves and really put some doubt into their opponents’ minds.
From half time, it was easy for Fremantle to kick away and have the game on ice fairly early.
Jye Amiss is as important as any Freo forward
We hear about the others regularly. Josh Treacy is a dominant force climbing the ranks of the AFL’s best key forwards, and Pat Voss is the cult hero that Fremantle rallies behind for some energy and aggression.
But what about Jye Amiss? Well, most of the time you’re hearing about Jye Amiss, it’s been negative.
He’s either out of form (which he has been, at times), or he’s not giving enough to justify his spot in the side (which has also been true, at times).
But rarely ever does anyone point out the fact that he has 127 goals from his first 77 games of AFL football. For comparison, Riley Thillthorpe has 127 goals from his first 83 games.
Not to take a potshot at Thillthorpe, but the way these players are perceived in the media could not be more different.
But that negative narrative is starting to turn, and Amiss is showing he’s so much more than just a third-fiddle in Freo’s front half.
The 22-year-old booted five goals from nine scoring shots today, and as mentioned earlier, went past Matthew Pavlich for the most marks inside the 50m arc by a Docker.
It’s a great stat line, one that I think should have earned him the Glendinning-Allan Medal, but more importantly, Amiss’ form is crucial to Freo’s hopes moving forward.
Treacy will always get the best defender (as he did with Reuben Ginbey today), and Voss will likely draw the biggest remaining back, leaving Amiss with a vulnerable match up that he needs to take advantage of.
If he does, it draws attention that frees up Voss to do some damage, as it did today with his three goals all coming close to the goal line.
Amiss now has 13 goals in his past four games. Freo will be keen to see his form continue to ascend.
West Coast has a pulse
Outside of a weird and whacky upset in 2024, the Eagles have struggled to provide much of a challenge to Fremantle since their descent down the ladder commenced in 2022.
But today’s game felt a little different. Today, for a half at least, it felt like they were in it up to their eyeballs – and they can thank their young blokes for that.
Specifically, the efforts of Milan Murdock, Willem Duursma, and Josh Lindsay caught my eye.
Murdock’s background story has been well documented (because it’s a bloody good one), but purely on the field, he’s a tackling machine. He racked up eight today, and it was surprising to see a bloke with such a small frame, in just his third game of footy, putting the clamps on stars like Andrew Brayshaw and Shai Bolton.
Duursma finished his day with 20 disposals and four tackles, while Lindsay showed his class with 19 and a nice goal.
Actually, you can add Bo Allan to this as well. I love his approach of taking the game on at all costs, and while it doesn’t always work right now, it’ll be a weapon for him when he’s bigger and stronger.
While the likes of Elliott Yeo and Tim Kelly led the team in clearances, it was the renewed energy brought by the younger players that saw West Coast challenging Fremantle early on.
I’m looking forward to some closer Western Derby battles in the years to come.
Fremantle’s second tier is spurring on a flag push
We know all about Fremantle’s star power. The likes of Luke Jackson, Caleb Serong, Shai Bolton, and Jordan Clark are the straw that stirs the drink for the Dockers.
But what’s different for the Dockers this year is the impact their “second tier” of players are having.
I’m talking about guys like Heath Chapman, Matthew Johnson, Karl Worner, and Neil Erasmus, who have all taken significant steps forward this year.
They’re providing stronger support for those aforementioned superstars, and it’s taking Fremantle from a side on the fringes of the top eight to a genuine top four contender.
Johnson was the hero against Collingwood last week, and his defensive running has gone through the roof. Chapman is as solid as they come in the backline and is worthy of more recognition, and Erasmus has cemented his spot in the team (which he maybe should have had ahead of Nat Fyfe last year, but anyways…).
These are the guys who make the difference in premiership teams. Go ask Luke Hodge how reliable Ben Stratton was, or talk to Dustin Martin about Kane Lambert’s contributions.
Murphy Reid’s star is no longer rising, it has risen
There’s a lot of debate in Western Australia about which team has the better Reid these days. Is it Harley? Or has Murphy gone past him? Somehow poor Archer never gets a look in…
Well, on Sunday, it was Murphy without a doubt.
Last year’s Rising Star winner tallied 26 disposals (despite going without a touch in the second term), and could have had a couple goals had his kicking boots been on.
A further five marks, five tackles, and three goal assists (which led the game), rounded out a very impressive day.
Reid’s ability to find space, then use the ball to perfection, is separating him from his peers. The fact Fremantle has now given him a role that allows him to find more of the footy speaks to how quickly he is winning over what is traditionally quite a stubborn head coach in Justin Longmuir when it comes to making young players earn their stripes.
But Harley on the other hand…
The West Coast Reid (the famous one) was not up to the task today.
Sure, he had his moments, as someone with his immense talent always will, but Harley’s inability to focus for four quarters is leaving him, and his team, shortchanged.
I know I’m not the first person to harp on about it, but his need to have words with his opponents at every contest, or to rub someone’s head into the dirt, has become a serious detriment to his team now.
He finished today with 20 disposals, three tackles, and three clearances. The numbers look fine, not great, but if the West Coast prodigy put half the time into playing winning footy as he does whinging for a free kick or giving away a stupid one, he’d be phenomenal.
His antics seem to be made even clearer when contrasted next to fellow number one pick Duursma, who goes about his business professionally without making an ignoramus of himself.
I’m putting more of this on the West Coast coaching, however. When will one of them stop being held ransom by the young star and actually challenge his behaviour? Maybe this has happened behind closed doors, and likely I am off kilter a bit here, but we are yet to see any changes.
I’m not holding my breath, and I know which Reid I’d be choosing if I had to pick one…
Alright, some quick ones to finish up
- Hayden Young made a more than successful return, with 23 disposals from just 66% time on ground. He clearly makes the Dockers better, and it’s exciting to have him back in the frame.
- Mason Cox was fine, but didn’t really separate himself from Sean Darcy on debut for Fremantle. I’ve been a Darcy supporter for a while now, and I’d be bringing the big fella back in once he’s right from his concussion.
- Tom McCarthy moving back to half back is a win for West Coast. He’s much better there, even if Josh Treacy did run through him like a bus.
- Not the best day for the Fremantle defenders. I’d be looking at Alex Pearce and Brennan Cox to improve against Carlton next week. Something about Jake Waterman just gives them fits.
That’s enough from me, hooroo!
