The Purple Haze - Fremantle's premiership tilt

[haydo]

Port surge past Dockers to reach Prelim

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PORT Adelaide is into its first preliminary final since 2007 after a stunning 22–point win over Fremantle in Saturday night's semi-final at Patersons Stadium.

The Dockers led by 31 points late in the second term, and by 24 at half-time, only for the Power to run over them like a steam train to win 15.15 (105) to 11.17 (83) in front of 42,338 fans.

The catalyst for the comeback was Robbie Gray. He kicked four goals in the third term from five possessions, twice reclaiming the lead from Fremantle.

Ollie Wines kicked three goals in the second half to go with his 26 disposals and five tackles for the match, and Chad Wingard finished with four goals including a stunning sealer, having started a chain of possession from defensive 50 to nail a sublime snap from the pocket to silence the purple haze.

"It was a very brave performance," Port coach Ken Hinkley said.

"We could have quite easily, possibly, probably rolled over away from home against a side with the amazing pressure they were putting on us."

The Dockers will rue their missed opportunities in first half as Port kicked 12 goals to five in the second half. For 12 minutes in the second quarter the ball was exclusively in their forward half yet they managed 2.4 from their supreme dominance.

"It was about dropped marks, missed targets and conversion. And they are the basics," Fremantle coach Ross Lyon said.

"Some of our players, they know, some of their old habits of the basics that under pressure that don't get executed too often reared up at times tonight, particularly in the last quarter.

"We need to get better at not fumbling, not dropping marks, and hitting targets and making good decisions. That's the game."

Michael Walters kicked three goals for the night but he kicked three behinds in the second term. Lachie Neale was outstanding with 32 touches while Nat Fyfe fought extremely hard gathering 28 disposals and kicking two first-quarter goals. Aaron Sandilands was brilliant in the ruck all night.

Port kicked the opening goal of the match through Angus Monfries but thereafter Fremantle dominated proceedings in the first half but could not convert that dominance on the scoreboard.


Chris Mayne was outstanding up forward and had a hand in both of Fyfe's goals in the first term. Neale was everywhere with 15 touches for the term.

But Wingard's first goal in the shadows of quarter-time meant the Dockers only led by nine points at the first change.

Matt White shows his speed along the boundary line. Picture: AFL Media

The home side's dominance was even greater in the second term but their inaccuracy was even more significant.

But when Port finally mounted a challenge the Power forwards' also missed golden chances. Jay Schulz butchered a set-shot from close range and Jake Neade and Jared Polec missed chances on the run.

Hayden Crozier made the visitors pay with a goal to extend the lead to a game-high 31 points.

Another late goal from Wingard trimmed the margin to 24 at half-time with Port's half-time score of 3.5 (22) its third lowest of the season.

Gray took control after the main break with his incredible four goals as Fremantle panicked in defence. A shaky kick across goal from Danyle Pearce gifted a goal to Wingard and Duffield held Gray 50m off the ball to hand the star forward his third.

The Dockers found another gear through Sandilands at the start of the last and goals to Walters and Crozier established a 10-point lead. But Port answered again with Wines kicking two goals in three minutes.

Wingard sealed the match with an incredible snap before Polec and Jay Schulz put the icing on the cake with late goals.

Port will play the Hawks next Saturday afternoon at the MCG, while the Dockers join the Cats in bowing out of the finals in straight sets.

Fremantle's night was made worse by Zac Dawson's report for striking Gray with an attempted spoil gone wrong. Garrick Ibbotson dislocated his shoulder in the last quarter but bravely came back on after having it put back in.

 

[saintkildaman]

Also doing a Freo career. Will be interesting to compare our progress.

 

[haydo]

End of the road for Lyon: Dockers depart with mastermind coach

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FREMANTLE has ended it's 3 year tenure with coach Ross Lyon after the failure from the Senior coach to be able to take this group of players to a premiership. Lyon who was poached from the Saints back in 2011, came over to the Dockers believed to be the right man to take this group to it's first premiership. With a bunch of their players in the twilight of their careers now, the Dockers have come to terms to part with their experience coach after 3 seasons and after the Dockers made the Grand Final in 2013 against the Hawks.

Ross Lyon had a knack for developing players and keeping the same playing list together after he took the Saints to a Grand Final and many final appearances in the late 2000's but was heavily criticized for damaging the playing list once the players reached reteirment age and without playing any youngsters for the next generation.

The Fremantle board decided on the decision ahead of the 2015 AFL premiership season, and a new coach has been named. Fremantle have gone outside of the club to look for there new coach with Hayden Sumner being named the new man in charge.
With nearly 30% of the clubs playing list in their 30's, Sumner and the list management have a lot of work to do to move through this period of loosing most of their stars (Pavlich, Sandilands, Johnson and McPharlin) to name a few, while building the list and maybe heading for that first flag.

Ross Lyon sacked as coach of the Dockers ahead of the 2015 Premiership season: PICTURE AFL MEDIA​

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[haydo]

Round 1 vs Geelong - Domain Stadium
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Fremantle hosts the Geelong Cats in Round 1 of the 2015 AFL premiership season with the Dockers under new coach Hayden Sumner ready to take the helm for the first time. Geelong has been touted as potential droppers out of the finals in 2015, however they continue to prove the doubters wrong. Picking up Mitch Clark during the trade period from Melbourne after a leave of absence from the game will be a massive help for Tom Hawkins up forward.

Fremantle come into round 1 with a healthy list to choose from. There back 6 is set with experience and run with Suban, Duffield and Clancee Pearce along with veterans Luke McPharlin and Michael Johnson taking the key position posts. There forward setup is exciting with Ballantyne, Walters, Neale and Mayne with Pavlich are general while there on ball division is one of the best in the business with Barlow, Mundy, Fyfe and the dominant ruckman in Sandilands.

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FREMANTLE DOCKERS

B: Zac Dawson - Michael Johnson - Paul Duffield
HB: Nick Suban - Luke McPharlin - Clancee Pearce
C: Tendai Mzungu - Michael Barlow - Daniel Pearce
HF: Hayden Ballantyne - Matthew Pavlich - Michael Walters
FF: Lachie Neale - Chris Mayne - Cameron Sutcliffe
R: Aaron Sandilands - Nat Fyfe - David Mundy
INT: Lachie Weller - Garrick Ibbotson - Brady Grey
SUB: Matt De Boer



GEELONG CATS

B: Billie Smedts - Jared Rivers - Tom Lonergan
HB: Andrew Mackie - Harry Taylor - Lincoln McCarthy
C: Mitch Duncan - Joel Selwood - Steven Motlop
HF: Matthew Stokes - Mitch Clark - Steven Johnson
FF: Rhys Stanley - Tom Hawkins - Corey Enright
R: Hamish McIntosh - James Bartel - James Kelly
INT: Dean Gore - Same Blease - Cameron Guthrie
SUB: Daniel Menzel

 

[haydo]

Dockers strike early against Cats, Sumner happy with result

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FREMANTLE has led for most of the afternoon and taken the win against the Cats at Domain Stadium on Saturday afternoon in round 1. The Dockers who never really looked like getting knocked off led for most of the entire game with there veterans leading the way.

Geelong and Fremantle who have been two of the power sides of the competition in the previous 5 years kicked off there 2015 season over in the west with the Dockers coming out 14 point winners. In what was a finals like atmosphere, 41,282 fans rocked up to Domain Stadium to see some classy football for a round 1 contest.

Geelong really kicked out of the blocks early with a 3 goal opening 10 minute quarter before the Dockers were able to get on the board. Geelong held the Dockers forwards when given the opportunity, which enabled them to score quickly through Johnson and Stokes.
Fremantle was able to hit back later in the quarter though and really started to find their mojo and playing on there terms with goals Walters and Ibbotson late in the first term.

Fremantle's veteran Matthew Pavlich was in outstanding form throughout the game playing on Harry Taylor, was able to find the big sticks kicking 4 goals while Chris Mayne was able to bob up also and finish with 4.2 for the afternoon. Hayden Ballantyne tried his best with 2 goals from 6 touches while for the Cats, Matthew Stokes was their dangerous forward with 3 goals with Duncan and Kelly combining for 4 goals between them.

Mitch Clark was unable to make a difference on the scoreboard for his first match as a Cat. He finished with 11 possessions and 1.4 for the game, could have been a different story had he of kicked straighter.

Dockers coach Hayden Sumner said, "It's a pleasing win first up for the season. Yeah we had guys like Pav, Mundy and Mayne stand up today against one of the quality sides of the competition, however I was most impressed by some of the young blokes we gave opportunity too like Lachie Weller who finished with 30 possessions and 10 tackles and Cameron Sutcliffe who I think finished with something like 25 possessions.

We had an even spread at the contest and we were able to hit the scoreboard with Pav and Mayne up front".
Nat Fyfe was held well by Cam Guthrie this afternoon with the Dockers star managing just the 19 possessions and a goal while Guthrie was one of the Cats best with 22 touches and 7 tackles.


Tough day at the office for Fyfe, but Freo get the points PICTURE: AFL MEDIA

With Matthew Pavlich leading the way again in 2015, maybe this could be the year for the Dockers to finally break through and get there maiden premiership. With guys like Mundy, Mzungu, Mayne, Fyfe and Sandilands at his disposals, Fremantle have a fantastic core group of experienced players and after the performance of a few youngsters in the round against Geelong (Weller and Sutcliffe) maybe things will fall into place for new coach Hayden Sumner.

Geelong had a lot of senior players down on form this afternoon with Harry Taylor struggling on Pavlich, with Taylor only taking the 4 possessions for the match, Corey Enright was very quiet having 7 touches while Steve Johnson although kicked 2 goals for the match, was quiet on his behalf with just the 7 possessions as well.

Geelong coach Chris Scott praised his younger players, but demanded more from a few seniors.
"I was impressed coming over here and getting performances from guys like Guthrie who did a outstanding job on Fyfe, Billie Smedts was great for us running off half back, while Sam Blease I thought provided plenty of run through the midfield and wings after we lost Varcoe through the draft and picked up Blease from Melbourne".

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[haydo]

Round 2 vs St.Kilda - Etihad Stadium

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After what was a awesome win in the west last weekend against Geelong, Fremantle travel to Melbourne for the first time in 2015 to face St.Kilda who come off a 13 point loss to the Magpies last Saturday evening.

Fremantle have made 2 changes to the side who beat the Cats last weekend with Hayden Crozier who dominated the WAFL last weekend picking up 42 disposals comes into the side while Anthony Morabito who hasn't played at AFL level for quite some time was in great knick last weekend as well with 39 disposals, 8 marks and 4 goals come into the Fremantle side.

Tendai Mzungu comes out from the team with a quad strain and will most likely just miss a week, while youngster Brady Grey has been omitted.



FREMANTLE DOCKERS

B: Zac Dawson - Michael Johnson - Paul Duffield
HB: Nick Suban - Luke McPharlin - Clancee Pearce
C: Cameron Sutcliffe - Michael Barlow - Danyle Pearce
HF: Hayden Ballantyne - Matthew Pavlich - Michael Walters
FF: Lachie Neale - Chris Mayne - Hayden Crozier
R: Aaron Sandilands - Nat Fyfe - David Mundy
INT: Lachie Weller - Garrick Ibbotson - Anthony Morabito
SUB: Matt DeBoer

IN: Hayden Crozier - Anthony Morabito
OUT: Tendai Mzungu (Injured) - Brady Grey (Omitted)




ST.KILDA SAINTS

B: Sean Dempster - Luke Delaney - Josh Bruce
HB: Dylan Roberton - Sam Fisher - Sam Gilbert
C: Seb Ross - David Armitage - Farren Ray
HF: Jeremy Webster - Nick Riewoldt - Jack Lonie
FF: Tom Hickey - Patrick McCartin - Jack Billings
R: Billy Longer - Leigh Montagna - Jack Steven
INT: Arryn Siposs - Blake Acres - Jarryn Geary
SUB: Shane Savage

 

[haydo]

Saints go marching in over Fremantle

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ST KILDA has come up against a red hot Fremantle side at Etihad Stadium today and has upset one of the premiership favorites by 22 points on Sunday afternoon.

The Saints led for the entire match and really put the foot on the pedal in the second half kicking 12 goals to 9 after half time. 2nd game Saint Patrick McCartin found some form up forward finishing the match with 5.2 from his 7 possessions, each disposal resulting in a scoring opportunity. McCartin who was taken by the Saints with the number 1 selection in last years national draft played against one of the best defenders in the league and really stood up while his inspiring captain Nick Riewoldt has put any talk of him retiring to rest with a 22 disposal and 3 goal game. Saints fan leaving Etihad Stadium today got to see the future of the club and they should be excited. The partnership with Riewoldt is going to be important going forward as the two tall timber finished with 8 goals between them.

Even though the greatness of seeing a youngster stand up and dominate a match, he was out done by Fremantle forward Chris Mayne who finished the match with a career best 10.2
He is the first player since Josh Kennedy to kick 10 goals in a match, but he was the stand alone soldier for the Dockers for the game, with no one else being able to score multiple goals for the match.

It was a 22 point victory to the Saints, with veteran Adam Schneider not slowing down despite his rookie status, the premiership star finished with 33 possessions, 6 tackles, 9 inside 50's and 5 clearances. But it was the Saints younger performers who shone today with McCartin, Armitage (29 possessions, 7 clearances) and Jarryn Geary (22 disposals).
Saints coach Alan Richardson had this to say in his press conference. "Saints fan were able to see what the future can hold today. We were able to see our young guys start to play the brand of football we're wanting them to play, while being helped out by the senior guys like Schneider, Riewoldt and Farren Ray".

Saints coach Alan Richardson talking to his players - PICTURE: AFL MEDIA

The Dockers despite the loss had plenty of good throughout the game. Not to mention Chris Mayne who finished with a career best 10 goals for the game, but it was guys through the midfield that really stood up today against the young Saints outfit. David Mundy finished with 35 possessions while good news story Anthony Morabito played out the match and was unscathed. Morabito finished with 25 disposals, 5 tackles and 6 inside 50's in his first match in over nearly 2 years.

Lachie Weller was solid again with 22 possessions while coach Hayden Sumner has this to say about his champ Nat Fyfe after the match. "I think teams are starting to defend Fyfe really well. Not only are they putting a stopper on him, but they're working him around through a few players. He did better today then last week, I think he finished with something like 22 possessions and 6 tackles, but we just need to work as a side to be able to give him the space to create and get the ball to give him confidence heading forward. Maybe playing him in the forward half might break a tag, but I'd expect Fyfe to stand up next week".

 

[haydo]

Round 3 vs Adelaide - Domain Stadium

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After what was known as a shock loss against the Saints last weekend in Melbourne, the Dockers are back at home this weekend taking on the Adelaide Crows who are sitting fine on the AFL Ladder in 3rd position winning both opening games of the season. Both teams have been touted as finals teams at the beginning of this season so be able to see both these clubs take each other on this early in the season will be a spectacle to watch.

All over the ground we have great match ups. Two of the best midfields going around will go head to head with Jacobs, Dangerfield, Thompson, Sloane and Smith vs Sandilands, Fyfe, Mundy, Barlow and Pearce.
Both teams have come in un-changed from last weeks matches.


FREMANTLE DOCKERS

B: Zac Dawson - Michael Johnson - Paul Duffield
HB: Nick Suban - Luke McPharlin - Clancee Pearce
C: Cameron Sutcliffe - Michael Barlow - Danyle Pearce
HF: Hayden Ballantyne - Matthew Pavlich - Michael Walters
FF: Lachie Neale - Chris Mayne - Hayden Crozier
R: Aaron Sandilands - Nat Fyfe - David Mundy
INT: Lachie Weller - Garrick Ibbotson - Anthony Morabito
SUB: Matt DeBoer



ADELAIDE CROWS

B: Kyle Cheney - Daniel Talia - Kyle Hartigan
HB: Mitch McGovern - Andy Otten - Ricky Henderson
C: David Mackay - Richard Douglas - Brodie Smith
HF: Tom Lynch - Josh Jenkins - Eddie Betts
FF: Luke Lowden - Taylor Walker - Scott Thompson
R: Sam Jacobs - Patrick Dangerfield - Rory Sloane
INT: Charlie Cameron - Matthew Wright - Nathan VanBerlo
SUB: Matt Crouch

 

[haydo]

Unpredictable Crows go 3-0 after narrowing out Dockers

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The Adelaide Crows have stayed in outright third position on the AFL ladder, but keep in touch with the undefeated sides for season 2015 after narrowly beating the Dockers at Domain Stadium by 5 points in front of 39,150 fans on Saturday afternoon.
The unpredictable Crows had a different look out on Domain Stadium and showed the rest of the competition just how versatile they can be.

Usually when the Crows win it is guys like Walker, Jenkins and Betts who seem to kick all their goals, however this afternoon it was Matthew Wright (5 goals), David Mackay (3 goals) and Scott Thompson (2 goals) who set up the win for the Crows. It was such a close contest that the Crows had to try something different to get the upper hand and they were able to find that little bit extra when it counted most.

Adelaide coach Scott Camporeale said this after the game, 'It gives us plenty of confidence and belief that we can have some of our star players like Walker and Betts to have quiet games, however as shown today, we can still win games without our stars shining and that's something we're trying to implement with this group of players. Our small forward setup really troubled the Dockers defence, but I thought Walker and Jenkins really played a role this afternoon and allowed our smaller guys to get the job done on the scoreboard".

In what was a high scoring match, the Crows led from basically the first bounce, but the Dockers were never too far behind. Fremantle actually hit the front at three quarter time, but the Crows ended up with 7.1 to 4 goals in the last quarter to overrun the Dockers and win by 5 points.


Adelaide forward Matthew Wright finishes with a career best 5 goal haul - PICTURE: AFL MEDIA

It was the Dockers second loss of the season after winning their opening match against Geelong in round 1. Fremantle coach Hayden Sumner says he will look to make changes to the side after loosing two in a row. "Obviously things aren't working as they are, so we'll go back to training and look for some players who are willing to put in the effort for this football club. Last weeks loss to the Saints and now a 5 point loss to the Crows, I know we aren't (too far off) but yet it's a cut throat business and we need to win games to make finals".

The Dockers backline found it too hard to accommodate Adelaide's forward structures they threw up during the game. At times the Crows went tall with Walker, Jenkins, Lowden, Henderson and even Otten with Betts and Cameron at their feet, but at another time in the same quarter they'd have Thompson, Wright, Mackay, Betts and Sloane in the forward attacking positions. Fremantle's defence had trouble finding particular match ups against the different scenario's with guys like Michael Johnson, Zac Dawson and Luke McPharlin having to play on smaller more agile opponents at stages during the game.

After such a poor start to the season, Fremantle coach mentioned he would look at the side in the next week and make some changes to personnel and play players who are willing to put their body's on the line for this club going forward, "At the moment we have too many passengers, so we'll make some changes according to the results in the WAFL".