Fremantle Dockers

2022 - 3 - 20

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The West Australian"

Fremantle Dockers left surprised by defender Heath Chapman's ... (The West Australian)

Fremantle players were left 'surprised' by second-year defender Heath Chapman's match-winning save in their tense one-point victory over Adelaide on Sunday.

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Freo pull off 'big steal' with last-second spoil; new Crows cult hero ... (Fox Sports)

Freo pull off 'big steal' with last-second spoil; new Crows cult hero stuns on debut: 3-2-1.

15m or less they went at less than 70 per cent.” Healy said. “The same skeleton in the closet, it’s come out to haunt them.” Rachele kicked three goals in the space of 30 minutes, with his fourth goal giving Adelaide the lead for the first time in the match. He had a goal with his first kick and a second to keep the Crows within striking distance. Rachele had two of his five goals in the third term, and was the man to give the Crows the lead with his fourth. Late goals to Sam Switkowski and Rory Lobb gave the Dockers hope in the final term, before Lachie Schultz silenced the Adelaide Oval crowd and gave Fremantle the lead. After a Matthew Nicks rev up at half-time, Adelaide came out a “different team” against Fremantle, kicking six goals to none in the third to take the lead for the first time in the match. “You don’t want to mention it but the goal kicking’s been a problem for a while,” Fox Footy’s Dwayne Russell said. “They may look back and rue this inability (to kick straight). They should be seven goals on the board right now.” Fremantle had led by as much as 26 points in the second term, before the Crows stormed back to kick six straight goals, with the visitors going 45 minutes without a major. The Chapman moment ensured the Dockers hung on in a seesawing 11.17 (83) to 12.10 (82) win. A Heath Chapman miracle moment on the goal line has seen Fremantle pull off the “big steal” and beat Adelaide in a one-point thriller.

AFL Round 1 Fremantle Dockers pip Adelaide Crows by a point in ... (ESPN)

Fremantle have booted the last three majors to pip Adelaide by one point as the Crows' much-hyped draftee Josh Rachele kicked five goals on AFL debut.

It's definitely something we can build off and take forward." "I hate losing and I feel for the group and I have probably given them a little bit too much of a spray," Nicks said. "It was a great effort from a young player to be head in the game and be able to execute." "I said to the players after the game, round one is about setting a foundation of your footy to build off for the rest of the year," Longmuir said. "It just showed a lot of heart and a lot of fight in us. But Fremantle surged with the last three goals of the game for a stirring 11.17 (83) to 12.10 (82) triumph.

Dockers steal stunning one-point win over Crows (AFL)

FREMANTLE has booted the last three majors to pip Adelaide by one point as the Crows' much-hyped draftee Josh Rachele kicked five goals on AFL debut.

The Dockers dominated inside 50s in the first half to lead by 25 points at the long break, but the difference should have been twice that amount. It's hard for anyone to break into the Geelong lineup, but Clark's class and composure, combined with a long future ahead, makes it hard to see how this Cat got out of the bag. Rachele snapped a goal in the opening term with his first kick in the big league, followed it with a massive curler from the boundary line in the second quarter, two more in the third and one in the fourth that felt like the winner, if just for a few minutes. It's as if the Dockers tried to shoot themselves in the foot, but even then they missed! They like their cult forwards in Adelaide and it looks like they may have found a new one. A forward line that lost Eddie Betts two seasons back and has Taylor Walker banished to the sidelines was crying out for a new hero - cue Josh Rachele. The number six draft selection impressed through the pre-season, creating expectation in a success-starved supporter base that could have proven too much to meet.

Debutant Rachele kicks five, but Dockers pip Crows by a point (The Age)

Heath Chapman's right hand proved the difference between victory and defeat, ensuring Fremantle survived some familiar goalkicking yips and an electrifying ...

Rachele added another couple in the third stanza, his fourth in the shadows of three-quarter-time giving the hard-charging Crows their first lead of the afternoon. He converted a trademark bomb on the run in the third stanza, which finished when he snared a strong mark on the last line in the dying seconds to quash the Dockers a late one. Then late in the second term, Rachele marked in front of Luke Ryan and bent an absolute beauty around the corner from the left-forward pocket at the River End - the opposite end to where Betts attained his greatness. It looked like being more of the same when Josh Treacy shanked a set-shot sitter early in the fourth but the Dockers, seemingly wilting through the heat and their own waywardness, came good when it mattered. “It shows a young player that had his head in the game. Ben Keays, with his side down by a point, launched a last-ditch bid for victory with a shot out of a forward stoppage before Chapman kept his feet against opponent Nick Murray on the last line and knocked the ball back into play.