There is a reason Fremantle are top of the ladder, and North Melbourne found out the hard way that the difference between where the best are at, and where their club is at, is a vast one.
Recording the biggest win in their club history, Fremantle were ruthless. They absorbed the best North could throw at them in the first quarter, and from there, proceeded to bully them like they were the weakest kid on the playground. Every contest, you saw a Docker player outmuscle, outwork, and overpower their North Melbourne opponents, who were reduced to the role of witches’ hats as Freo racked up 19-straight goals.
North sold this game to Western Australia, and whilst you look at the final score and realise there was no way the Dockers were going to lose this contest, even if it were played on the moon, they sold away their chance to be truly competitive. Sure, it’d be difficult to breathe on the moon, but imagine the hang time on some of the screamers!
I’d like to say North tried hard, but they didn’t. It is going to be difficult to find anything genuinely good to write about their afternoon, but we’ve got to look at it realistically. Thai was the best team in the game right now, flexing against a side that will experience plenty of “downs” as they start celebrating the “ups”.
Plenty to learn from this game – lots of positives for the Dockers, and some harsh lessons for the Roos.
What did HB learn? Plenty!
Let’s jump into The Mongrel’s Eight Things We Learnt from the Bunbury Massacre.
This is just the introduction – the remainder of this article is for our members. They support me, and I provide for them. It’s a good deal.
Oh… a Mongrel paywall… the worst of all paywalls. We’re all in on the 2026 AFL season. Player articles, stats, awards, game coverage. Dump the mainstream lip service and dive into articles like this – you will never look back. If you don’t want to, that’s fine. I consider it your loss as we get into the grind of the season, and you’re stuck with the stuff that’s frustrated you for years.
