The GWS Giants dealt the Fremantle Dockers’ finals aspirations a major blow with a 15.11 (101) to 14.8 (92) result at Engie Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
In a performance powered by superstars like Brent Daniels, Tom Green and Jesse Hogan, the Giants proved too much for a Dockers side that will feel like they squandered a golden opportunity to punch their ticket to the finals.
Daniels was particularly sublime, powering his side all day with a staggering 29 disposals, 13 tackles, seven marks and, most importantly, three goals.
Meanwhile, Green chalked up 40 disposals (27 coming when the game was on the line in the second half) and Hogan booted six goals from his 10 scoring opportunities.
These impressive numbers from the Giants’ stars proved the difference, but they were forced to work for the win until the very end as the Dockers continued to assault the lead in an entertaining fourth term.
The early showings gave off a different vibe, though, as GWS cashed in the first three goals of the day on what looked like ominous signs for the visiting side.
Hogan showed why he leads the Coleman medal race, snagging the first two goals of the day on the back of a couple huge one-on-one wins against a Freo defence keenly feeling the absence of skipper Alex Pearce.
Youngster Aaron Cadman would go on to bag the third after an ugly brain fade from Brennan Cox allowed him to mark uncontested deep inside the forward 50m.
But the Dockers sharpened up from the midway point of the first term, with a late flurry of goals to Sam Sturt, Nat Fyfe and Michael Frederick keeping them in the contest at the first change.
The second term was all purple, however, as Fremantle booted five goals to the home side’s two thanks in large to a quarter of midfield dominance orchestrated by vice captains Andrew Brayshaw and Caleb Serong.
The latter was able to temporarily shake a heavy tag from Giant Toby Bedford and make a huge impact on the term as Fremantle took control of the territory battle.
A run of three consecutive goals buoyed the Dockers to a 15-point lead on the cusp of half time, but as he so often does, GWS skipper Toby Greene was able to capitalise against the flow and bring the margin back to single figures at the long break.
The Dockers’ midfield ascendency went out the window in the second half, though, because Tom Green said so.
The young Giants superstar was prolific after half time, extracting clearance after clearance with no hesitation to throw his weight around in the middle of the ground.
It was an inspired performance, and his teammates came along for the ride as the Giants’ intense pressure returned to make life hard on Freo’s handball happy gameplan.
Daniels continued to bring the heat, as did young protege Darcy Jones, helping GWS dominate the possession counts for the quarter as they carried out their own five-goal term.
Fremantle had their own chances to counter the run, but lacked the composure needed to finish off plays.
Bailey Banfield fumbled what would have been a strong chance at a goal when he dropped a pass inside 50 from Luke Jackson, while Jye Amiss and Matt Johnson missed gettable shots.
The worst of them came after the three-quarter time siren, however, when Amiss hit the post from just 15m out that would have brought the Dockers within a goal entering the fourth.
The final term was an entertaining one, both sides giving everything with serious finals implications on the line.
The top-eight teams exchanged blows going goal-for-goal for the large portion of the term, as Greene, Daniels and Hogan hit the scoreboard for GWS while Sam Sturt, Voss and Serong did the damage for Freo.
A Frederick goal brought the Dockers within a straight kick late in the game, and they had the chance to steal the lead when Nathan O’Driscoll steamed into the forward 50m arch.
The Freo sub was unable to find the goal, however, and an ensuing goal to Hogan (his sixth of the day coming off a borderline idiotic 50m penalty from Banfield) was enough to put the game out of reach.
The loss is Fremantle’s third on the trot and leaves their season hanging in the balance. They will now need to lean on other results going their way while also beating Port Adelaide in the final round of the season to secure a finals spot that looked all but sewn up just a month ago.
GWS, meanwhile, now sit within the top two and have given themselves every chance to host a qualifying final should they conquer the Bulldogs in what looms as a massive contest next week.
Make no mistake, this game was a cracker with plenty to play for. So, as always, it’s time to crack into some takeaways.
Brent Daniels, take a bow
Jesse Hogan kicked six goals and Tom Green had 40 disposals, but if I don’t hear “B Daniels, 3 votes” on Brownlow night for this one, I’ll be stunned.
I’ve already mentioned his stat line, but it’s so bloody good, I’m going to do it again. A whopping 29 disposals, 13 tackles and seven marks to go with three goals… That’s just downright dominant.
The zippy forward was a freak in this one, frequently punishing Fremantle players for having the audacity to take longer than a split second to release the football, and in turn hurting them in transition after winning several holding the ball free kicks.
He’s a weapon that’s not so underrated anymore, and he’s absolutely humming at the right time of year.
Freo’s passengers hold back their stars
I’m not sure how many chances Bailey Banfield has left, but it can’t be many of that stinker of a performance.
His inability to finish off the good work of others has been a liability for the majority of the back half of the season, as the crucial goal scoring he brought in the early stages has abandoned him.
But while Banfield’s efforts will earn him the ire of many Freo fans this week, he wasn’t alone in holding back the team from a win in this one.
Jaeger O’Meara, Jeremy Sharp and the once mighty Nat Fyfe also didn’t do much to inspire those around them.
The breadth of talent between Fremantle’s stars (think Serong, Brayshaw, Young) and their lesser lights has become an increasingly large issue as the season has gone on, and is raising serious selection questions ahead of a do-or-die final round.
The Dockers will be desperate to get ruckman Sean Darcy and key forward Josh Treacy back up and running for that one.
GWS brings finals-like heat
The Giants were relentless in the pressure game for most of this clash, looking like a genuine finals outfit while doing so.
Daniels and Jones were fantastic in upsetting Fremantle’s ball movement, but just as impressive was the pressure applied by their defenders.
Sam Taylor was his usual wrecking ball self, Lachie Ash was glued to opponents for most of the day and Harry Himmelberg enjoyed plenty of contest wins.
It was an intensity that, in the end, proved to be the difference in the game.
Dockers defensive tactics need a shake up
They might be missing their captain and star full back, but that’s not an excuse for some of the rubbish defensive tactics Fremantle dished up in this game.
You might think that sounds harsh for a young side that went over to Sydney and competed with a genuine flag contender, but hear me out…
Fremantle’s “zone” approach to guarding the hottest key forward in the competition was as irresponsible as it was plain stupid.
Brennan Cox and Josh Draper took turns switching on to and rolling off Jesse Hogan, and each paid the price for being a step too late in the process several times.
Outside of that match up, the amount of times the Dockers allowed Giants players to roam free, unchecked, inside the forward 50m arch was a far cry from the dour defensive setup we saw earlier this year.
Three weeks ago, the Bombers decided to play man-on-man against the Dockers for an entire four quarters. It rattled them, and Essendon took the win.
Perhaps it’s time the Dockers start looking at applying the same tactics and stop “trusting the system” that has seen them lose three straight games.
Where would a finals absence leave Justin Longmuir?
He signed a one-year extension on the eve of the season, meaning he is contracted until 2025, but boy, the Dockers coach would be in a tough spot if his side misses finals (which appears more likely than unlikely now).
Prior to the season, it was almost an unspoken word that should Fremantle miss out on finals this year, Longmuir would be under some serious heat, but I don’t think anyone expected them to get there in such a roundabout way.
We’ve seen footy from the Dockers this year that makes us think they’re a genuine flag chance, and then we’ve seen footy from them that leaves us all scratching our heads.
It’s an inconsistency that comes with being young, and perhaps the board would take that into account and look favourably on their coach, but to miss finals completely in what looms as such a “winnable” year for so many teams will be a bitter pill to swallow.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see Longmuir’s future up in the air, should that happen.
