This Good Friday footy has turned out to be pretty good, huh?
After jumping out to an early lead, Freo suddenly found themselves looking down the barrel of a demoralising defeat.
In front of a big Adelaide Oval crowd, the Crows powered back into the contest to snatch the lead for the first time since early in the game, and Freo was at risk of squandering a second good lead in as many weeks
Even once they regained the lead on a wonderful Josh Treacy dribble kick, they still appeared vulnerable, and when James Peatling received the footy running inside 50, it appeared as though the home team may have been about to pinch the win.
But the captain said no.
In a desperate move – a move befitting the role he occupies – Alex Pearce launched himself across the boot of Peatling to smother the footy and save the day for his team.
Often, when we think of game winning moments, it is the big mark, or the big goal after the siren, but that smother was every bit as spectacular. It was every bit as important. It was every bit the mark of a captain.
Fremantle move to 3-1 and sit nicely heading into Gather Round, whilst the Crows sit at the other end of the spectrum, with a 1-3 record after starting the season as one of the favourites to contend.
There is a heap to get through in this one, as we dissect what happened, why it happened, and what could have happened. Let’s jump into The Mongrel’s Good, Bad, and Ugly from this thrilling Docker win.
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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.
