In the first of the suburban South Australian adventures, a capacity crowd descended upon the iconic Norwood Oval to watch Fremantle take on the Gold Coast. While on paper this may not have been considered a great watch, both teams have the ability to score and put on an enthralling contest. With both teams needing to respond after poor losses last week, and to steady their season, would Justin Longmuir’s team win a game they would have expected coming into 2023 or would Stuart Dew be able to orchestrate an important win for his side? Here’s how it all transpired.
Norwood Oval Crowd
The AFL doesn’t really venture to the regions and to local footy ovals, today suggests that they ought to consider it. The facilities at Norwood looked great and the crowd were fantastic. They were abuzz from the opening bounce, and they were vocal throughout the game. One element of Aussie Rules that often is neglected in discussions, is the importance of crowd atmosphere. Today showed why that is so important and what it adds to the game.
The Rise of Jack & Jye
Both Jack Lukosius and Jye Amiss have come into the AFL with high expectations from their junior footy exploits. Both have had their moments in their fledgling careers, but have lacked some continued fluency.
In recent weeks, Lukosius has begun to put consecutive influential games together. And his first half today, in particular, was elite. He was given acres of space – Fremantle clearly didn’t realise that the social distancing mandates are so 2021. As a result, Lukosius made them pay. Getting most of his disposals in the 50-70m from goal area, he hit the scoreboard (1.3 so somewhat inaccurately) and had 10 score involvements in the first half – including two first-quarter goal assists. His kicking is elite and he perfectly weighted some long-range passes deep inside 50.
As the game went on, the Dockers’ defenders started to show due respect and not allow him the space to find the footy. While he was the best player on the ground to half-time, his influence waned in the second half. He is showing that he is feeling more confident in his ability now, his next challenge is to find ways to win and receive the footy when he doesn’t have the space.
In terms of young Amiss at the Dockers, he was the main man up forward today, in terms of marking options. And he had moments throughout the game, particularly early, where he out marked Sam Collins a few times; no easy feat. That has been something lacking in his game at times, so it was good to see him lead hard at the ball carrier and be willing to engage in some physicality, bringing others into the game if he can’t mark it.
Over the years, we have seen some interesting set shot routines. With Jye, we have another. He has a very methodical approach to goal, but is effective; as seen with his clutch late goal from deep in the pocket. For the Dockers sake, and his own development, hopefully we see some more consistency in games, and from week to week in his output.
The future is bright with a lot of the young talent in the competition at the moment. Here’s to celebrating their development and big games going forward, and having it become more consistent.
Ruck Battle
Much was mentioned about the ruck battle in this game. With Jarrod Witts again unavailable for the Suns, it meant second gamer Ned Moyle and Mabior Chol would have the unenviable job of taking on Sean Darcy and Luke Jackson. The longer the game went on, the more influence Sean Darcy had directly at stoppages – whether it was outbodying his opponents, feeding his teammates, or getting the clearance himself, his endurance and strength gradually wore down his opponents.
Moyle has a crack and will be better for these learning experiences and the opportunity to test his ruck craft against some of the A grade rucks in the competition. While he does present a striking resemblance to a certain Hall of Fame luchador’s son (Dominik Mysterio – thanks Jimmy Ayres for helping me never unsee this) he seems to be more open to respect and learning from those around him.
Jackson and Chol both spent considerable time forward, and both hit the scoreboard. Chol competed as he does, but lacked impact. Jackson was a great target at times for the Dockers, and finished well in front of goal.
Darcy, from the Geelong region, changed the game in the second half. While he was the most influential ruckman in the first half, he took over the game in the second half. His positioning around the ground to intercept and be an option ahead of the ball, along with his bullocking around the contest, he provided the Dockers mids with first use of the ball and this then opened up their ball use in the second half.
Forward-Half Efficiency
Dockers 6.0 for set shots; Suns 7.5 (to half-time). Dockers 31.12 for the year for set shots. This shows the impact that having some good finishers has, but also being able to find marks in good positions.
In the first half, the Suns were scoring at will. The lowering of the eyes led to marks in positions conducive to goal kicking, while the Dockers were going long ineffectively. It was when the ball hit the ground that Freo looked a threat.
Ball movement played a role in this for both teams. The way they moved the ball influenced their effectiveness inside 50. The Dockers were off and gave up too many forward half transitions from their forward 50, and the Suns couldn’t get the ball in the hands of their prime movers enough as the game went on.
Both teams showed the value of moving the ball with speed, and using the right options. Unfortunately for the Suns, they wasted their dominance in the first half, missing some shots that they would normally bank on kicking.
Between the Arcs
The way in which the two teams moved the ball today had a considerable say in the momentum of the game and who had control of the game. It was also a tale of two halves.
The Suns reflected on their loss last week and lamented their lack of consideration of options in their ball movement. They went too fast last week, and while they still kept the ball in motion and looked to the corridor, they were more measured and considered with their options. Part of their success came from the aforementioned ball use of Jack Lukosius and his being able to clear the Dockers’ defensive lines. They had intensity and purpose in what they did, choosing good options, while the Dockers were the same stagnant side of last week, often just dump-kicking forward and not giving their forwards the best use of the ball.
In the second half, however, everything changed. The Suns didn’t hit the same targets and had to fight a little more. Their decision-making seemed to revert to just long kicks and not lowering their eyes going forward, allowing the Dockers to slingshot forward. It was as if they decided, with two quarters to go, they were playing to save the game rather than continuing to try and take the game away from their opponents.
To Freo’s credit, they came out with a chip on their shoulder, upped their pressure and tackling considerably (which was partly responsible for the change to the way the Suns moved the ball), and, significantly, they were more willing to change angles and move the ball with speed. These changes made their forward line come alive and look far more threatening, while they were also able to spread the defence easier, giving themselves good looks at the goals.
Defensive Breakdown
There were a few moments in the first half that the Dockers would likely not want to see again. David Swallow’s second goal came from a complete defensive breakdown from the Dockers. Freo defenders had their backs to the ball on numerous occasions – starting with Lukosius to Holman who then hit it to Humphrey in pocket – then finally to Swallow. Freo weren’t aware and were lazy in defence.
This was clearly addressed in the half-time break, as the defenders were far more assertive in the second half. For the Suns, their defence had moments. Many of them are assertive in their offence, and so, at times, were caught out of position. As the game went on and the Dockers opened up the ground, the Suns’ system couldn’t cope with the change of angles and shifting the ball. When teams go long to contests, the Suns look set. However, when you throw some speed and chaos and engage your small forwards and run at their defence, there are holes in their system. These need to be addressed.
From the Viewing Gallery
Brandon Walker’s smother in the 2nd quarter saved a goal – Rosas running in, leading the foot race, and Walker dived across, smothering the kick, and forced a stoppage.
Bailey Humphrey had a big impact in a burst. He kicked his first goal in league footy, which was shortly followed by a behind and a goal assist. There’s lots to like about the kid.
David Swallow showed his experience and nous inside 50 as he often read the kicks better than his opponents – especially when Jack Lukosius had the ball. Swallow finished with his equal career high in three goals.
David Swallow and Alex Sexton played at their 20th venue today – they are tied behind Jack Hombsch who played at 21.
Four players ran out today having represented both of these sides – Will Brodie (who had a significant impact in the second half when he came on as the sub and should start for the rest of the year as he offers the Dockers a different midfield look), Lachie Weller, Sam Collins, and Jaeger O’Maera all were wearing different colours in comparison to the first time they played in these fixtures.
Lachie Schultz has this innate ability to find space inside the forward 50. He and Michael Walters provided the Dockers with great impetus in the front half, and were vital to the Dockers’ scoring – either kicking the goals or setting them up. Without the combined efforts of these two, the Dockers don’t win.
Will Powell and Darcy MacPherson were fantastic at times with their defensive acts. While Walters finished with four goals, his battle with MacPherson was fun to watch.
Caleb Serong was again enormous for the Dockers. He finished with a career-high 37 disposals, with a match-high 16 contested possessions. In the final quarter with the game on the line, he had a match-high 14 disposals, six more than any other player on the ground. He also had eight clearances, five inside 50’s, and seven score involvements. He was everywhere, all day.
Shout out to Matthew Johnson for his first career goal – and wasn’t it clutch! He kicked straight and put the Dockers in front deep into the final quarter; something they hadn’t been since the first quarter.
I didn’t know what to expect coming into this game, and while there were periods where the ball lived between the arcs, it was an enthralling contest – particularly in the second half. Both teams showed flashes of brilliance and, in the end, it was the superior finishing skills of the Dockers that got them over the line. The Dockers move to 2-3 and look ahead to hosting the Dogs at Optus Stadium on Friday night, while the Suns, now 1-4, have until next Sunday to lick their wounds as they host the Roos in the twilight slot.
Stay tuned for more from Gather Round from the Mongrel Punt and let us know your highlights from this game.
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