Fremantle Dockers

Fremantle have been dealt a massive blow ahead of their Saturday night clash with St Kilda with Alex Pearce a late out.

Fremantle and St Kilda have made a frenetic start to their contest at Marvel Stadium, but the highlight belonged to ruckman Sean Darcy.

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The Dockers spread the scoring load with Michael Frederick (three), Bailey Banfield, Rory Lobb, Sean Darcy, Lachie Schultz and Brodie (two each) all booting ...

Fyfe moved into the centre square to start the third quarter and quick goals to Lobb and Schultz put the Dockers in front. St Kilda could have moved into the top eight with a win but were left to rue a missed opportunity despite the best efforts of Zak Jones (27 disposals, six clearances), Brad Crouch (30, seven), Jack Steele (28, four) and Brad Hill (28, four). But the Dockers hung in and trailed by just eight points at the main break before flipping the contest on its head with the first six goals of the second half.

Dockers star's ominous warning; Best AND worst of Saints on display: The 3-2-1.

He had 16 disposals in the second half and kicked a goal as he spent more time in the middle of the ground as he begins to work his way back to top form. In the week Brett Ratten was re-signed to the club, the Saints put in a performance that showed the best and worst of their time under his tutelage. The Saints were thumped in the final term as the Dockers virtually scored at will, putting a dent in the Saints’ percentage. Lobb continued on with his good form to end the second term by taking two marks in the opening couple of minutes of the third quarter, kicking a goal from one and a behind from the other. A goal to Lachie Schultz put the Dockers in front, with Sean Darcy extending the lead to 10 points with a set shot a few minutes later. A series of behinds were exchanged to open the second term but Jack Sinclair and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera broke that deadlock, with the latter kicking his first goal in the AFL.

Fremantle superstar Nat Fyfe made a statement as St Kilda blew a gilt-edged opportunity to move into the eight after being overrun in the second half by the ...

Brad Hill pounced on the spillage, but he too was brought pinned in a tackle, by Michael Frederick, only this time Matt Stevic correctly blew the whistle. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter. First, Jordan Clark was run down from behind by Butler, whose tackle forced an air swing from the Docker but was not rewarded with a free kick. His injection into the midfield after half-time sparked the Dockers, who had struggled up to this point. Twice, Ross was able to lace out passes inside 50. The result leaves the Saints in ninth, out of the eight on percentage, with games to come against the Western Bulldogs and West Coast in Perth, while the Dockers are a game and percentage clear inside the top four.

As finals approach and spots in Fremantle's best 22 become increasingly competitive, defender Heath Chapman has no shortage of motivation as he eyes a ...

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Nat Fyfe back to his best as Fremantle downs St Kilda at Marvel Stadium.

Max King averaged three goals through the first 11 games of the year, but since the Saints' bye he has been going at just over one and a half per outing. Having a dual Brownlow medallist playing as a forward seems like a godsend, but the most important aspect of a forward's game - kicking at goal - is the one footballing gift Nat Fyfe has had trouble with. Well, if the recruiting agents weren't watching him before they would have found it hard not to notice him on Saturday night. There's been a lot of attention thrown Rory Lobb's way as he enjoys a career-best season amid speculation he may again seek a trade. The Saints has control around the contest early and should have led by more at the main break, with huge advantages in centre clearances (10-2) and contested possession (69-52), but they were just eight points clear after a soft free kick to Lobb gifted Fremantle the final goal of the second term. St Kilda could have moved into the top eight with a win but were left to rue a missed opportunity despite the best efforts of Zak Jones (27 disposals, six clearances), Brad Crouch (30, seven), Jack Steele (28, four) and Brad Hill (28, four).

Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe has kicked three goals from 21 disposals to help lift his side to an important 41-point AFL win over St Kilda.

Fyfe moved into the centre square to start the third quarter and quick goals to Lobb and Schultz put the Dockers in front. St Kilda could have moved into the top eight with a win but were left to rue a missed opportunity despite the best efforts of Zak Jones (27 disposals, six clearances), Brad Crouch (30, seven), Jack Steele (28, four) and Brad Hill (28, four). But the Dockers hung in and trailed by just eight points at the main break before flipping the contest on its head with the first six goals of the second half.

From hanging in there to flicking the switch, Fremantle produced a stunning second half turn around to overrun St Kilda by 41 points at Marvel Stadium.

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Fremantle turned a 14-point deficit into a 41-point victory as their march towards the top four continues. Here's how every Docker fared.

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Fremantle superstar Nat Fyfe made a statement as St Kilda blew a gilt-edged opportunity to move into the eight after being overrun in the second half by the ...

“The second half that was in the midfield a little bit more. Dockers coach Justin Longmuir said he was “really tempted” to move Fyfe into the midfield in the first half. This brought their small forwards Michael Frederick and Lachie Schultz into the game, their pressure forcing the Saints into costly turnovers near goal. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter. “It didn’t go coast to coast, but it did give them field position to get reset. Saints fans were livid at three-quarter-time after two contentious umpiring calls went against them just before the siren. Ratten said the Saints had bigger issues to worry about than umpiring decisions. His injection into the midfield after half-time sparked the Dockers, who had struggled up to this point. We didn’t get the pressure on the ball we wanted to.” Soft goals from unforced errors in the first quarter denied the Saints the lead their statistical dominance warranted. Twice, Ross was able to lace out passes inside 50. “It’s on him sometimes to identify where he can have most impact,” Longmuir said.

Nat Fyfe's important second-half contribution has helped lift Fremantle to a 41-point win over St Kilda that keeps them in touch with the AFL ladders.

St Kilda could have moved into the top eight with a win but blew their chance despite the best efforts of Brad Crouch (30 disposals, seven clearances), Jack Steele (28, four), Brad Hill (28, four) and Dan Butler (two goals). But the Dockers hung around and flipped the contest on its head with the first six goals of the second half. St Kilda had control around the contest early and should have led by more at the main break, with huge advantages in centre clearances (10-2) and contested possession (69-52).

Nat Fyfe's important second-half contribution has helped lift Fremantle to a 41-point win over St Kilda that keeps...

"But we didn't do our work in the first half and we definitely didn't do it in the second half where we let ourselves down. St Kilda could have moved into the top eight with a win but blew their chance despite the best efforts of Brad Crouch (30 disposals, seven clearances), Jack Steele (28, four), Brad Hill (28, four) and Dan Butler (two goals). "I don't think we smashed them at centre bounce in the second half but we were able to break even, which was probably all we needed." "(Centre bounce) was the big difference in the game, they out-hunted us in there and being down that much at centre bounce you're starting your ball movement from the back half. But the Dockers hung around and flipped the contest on its head with the first six goals of the second half. St Kilda had control around the contest early and should have led by more at the main break, with huge advantages in centre clearances (10-2) and contested possession (69-52).

You find out about teams when they play another contender on the road, and the Fremantle Dockers have made a habit of saving their best for these types of ...

Between now and the end of the season, he will give people a big reminder. As it stands now, with injuries factored in, he is a far cry from the player the Saints recruited him to be. He brings a bit of mongrel, likes the physical stuff, but there are times when there is a chance for him to make an impact with, you know… Clark’s ball use and willingness to take the game on have seen him win the trust of the Freo faithful. He was fierce with the footy in the air and had a real sense of purpose about the way he attacked the ball. Yeah, he had 21 touches in this one, but the highlight of his game for me was the spoil on Max King as the big fella found space away from Brennan Cox in the first quarter. He is the accountable defender that would have taken responsibility for either Rory Lobb or Matt Taberner and stuck to the task. Let’s face facts – Brodie was no star when he joined Freo, and had Nat Fyfe not been injured to start the season, we may not have seen what he was capable of. The defensive wing role is one of the more underrated positions in the game. That’s the value of depth in defence, and after some hardships, the Dockers now have that in abundance. Lachie Schultz was integral in this aspect of the game. King had a fast start, kicking a goal in the first quarter and looking dangerous, but apart from the Saints’ only goal in the last quarter, the big bloke was well held by Cox for the majority of the game.

Brownlow Medal fancy Andrew Brayshaw topped Fremantle's player ratings once again, leading his team to a big win over St Kilda at Marvel Stadium on Saturday ...

Sean Darcy 7: Was beaten by Paddy Ryder in the first half but turned it around. Andrew Brayshaw 9: Likely another three votes for the Brownlow Medal fancy after a well-rounded performance. Griffin Logue 6: Was swung into defence at the last minute and did a reasonable job at negating the influence of Tim Membrey and Rowan Marshall. Rory Lobb 6.5: Kicked a couple of goals and was a strong presence in attack on his way to equalling a career-high season tally of 29 majors. Caleb Serong 7: Was a handy contributor in the midfield in his 50th AFL appearance. Also got a run in the midfield after half-time and looked good.