1. The Bulldogs' bogey side?
Fremantle now has the honour of being the last team to beat the Western Bulldogs before its flag and the first team to beat the Dogs since that glorious day. In round 23 last season, Fremantle was too good in its last game of a horrible season, but Saturday night’s upset was a stunner. After big changes they came out with a positive attitude and snatched a four-goal lead within the first nine minutes. The Dockers looked gone late in the third term, trailed by 14 points at three-quarter time but flew home with five goals to nil on the back of top-shelf quarters from Michael Walters and Nat Fyfe.
2. Forward woes cost the Dogs
The Western Bulldogs were well ahead on inside 50s for the first three quarters but struggled to find regular avenues to goal. And in the end it proved costly. Travis Cloke and Tom Boyd didn’t kick any and Jake Stringer had just the one. It was left to skipper Bob Murphy (two goals) and Lachie Hunter (three) to provide the goals that the others couldn’t. Cloke started moving around more after a sluggish opening but the Dogs missed Stewart Crameri, who was out with hip soreness, and the prolific and accurate Tory Dickson, who is still three weeks away with a groin injury.
3. Class act Fyfey
Tough Bulldog Liam Picken was in more trouble than the early settlers when he copped an accidental hip to the head from Tommy Sheridan. His arms waved briefly then it was lights out. But as a fierce passage of play went on around him, Freo skipper Nat Fyfe won the ball then stopped in his tracks, holding the ball to his chest and imploring the umpire to stop play to ensure Picken wasn’t trampled on. Fyfe’s action prevented a potentially dangerous situation and should be commended, particularly when his team lost possession when there was a ball-up upon the game’s resumption.
4. Young guns see their name in lights
Fremantle’s putrid 0-2 start to the season saw it swing the axe making six changes, including bringing in two debutants in 20-year-old midfielder Harley Balic and 18-year-old defender Griffin Logue. The latter is a local lad, a former rower who is the nephew of basketballer Andrew Vlahov. He was thrown straight into the action at half-back, grabbed a nice mark within the first 10 minutes, has a raking left-foot and showed enough to suggest he’s a keeper. Balic’s start was a bit rougher, he bungled one of his early possessions on the wing then copped a welcome-to-the-big-League ‘don’t argue’ from Jake Stringer.
5. Freo recruits get better again
Joel Hamling was a premiership player at the Bulldogs just six months ago but found himself playing against his old side at Domain Stadium. Hamling floated across for three important marks in the first term and had the better of his duel with Travis Cloke. At the other end of the ground, Cam McCarthy showed glimpses of his undoubted potential with two goals, including a 55m set-shot bomb to get the home side up and running. Bradley Hill let Lachie Hunter get away from him early but he has an attacking mindset desperately needed at Fremantle. Ex-Geelong forward Shane Kersten also worked his way into the game nicely with a couple of second-half goals.
