Australian Football

Match Report

North Melbourne has become the latest victim of a Fremantle "strangulation", kicking just 4.5 (29) in succumbing to the the Dockers by 38 points at a wet Subiaco Oval on Sunday afternoon. The Dockers' highly effective defensive techniques and some heavy first-half rain combined to restrict the Kangaroos to the 17th-lowest score of their 88-year VFL/AFL history.

Despite not managing to kick a goal themselves, the Kangaroos managed to restrict Fremantle to just one in the wet first quarter, and trailed by just seven points at the first change. But the Dockers broke free in the second term, and after North's Aaron Mullett kicked the first goal of the second term, kicked the next four to set up a 27-point half-time lead.

The Kangaroos matched it with Fremantle in the third quarter, and when Aaron Black kicked the first goal of the last term to reduce the margin to 19 points at the four-minute mark, and unlikely Kangaroo victory appeared to be a brief possibility. But brief it was, and Fremantle closed out the game with the last three goals to win by 38 points.

The win leaves Fremantle in third place, half a game clear of Essendon and a game clear of Sydney, who had an unexpected loss to Port Adelaide on Saturday. The Dockers will face Geelong at Kardinia Park next Saturday night. North Melbourne, languishing in 13th spot with just four wins, will take on GWS at Docklands on Sunday.

GOALS
Fremantle: Suban 2; Barlow, Crozier, de Boer, Fyfe, Johnson, Mayne, Hannath, Walters
North Melbourne: Black, Macmillan, Mullett, Harvey

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Fremantle: Fyfe, Barlow, Crowley, Clarke, Ibbotson, de Boer
North Melbourne: Swallow, Bastinac, Atley, Gibson, Mullett

BEST - THE AGE
Fremantle: Fyfe, Barlow, de Boer, Johnson, Ibbotson, Clarke
North Melbourne: Swallow, Bastinac, Goldstein, Gibson, MacMillan, Grima

COACHES' COMMENTS
Ross Lyon (Frem): I was really nervous coming here today. We see them as an emerging team that's had some bad luck. And then we saw the weather forecast. It's such a big ground, it makes everything really difficult [in wet conditions]. We started quite well; our intensity was up. When they [North] got to within 19 points [at the four-minute mark of the last quarter], the players lifted again and the response was emphatic.

Brad Scott (NM): In the second quarter we probably let some easy goals through - 50 metre penalties, free kicks, coast-to-coast goals. The rest of the game was an arm-wrestle. In tight games when it's wet and slippery early, those cheap goals just kill you.

INJURIES
Fremantle: Mundy (calf) replaced in selected side by Hayden Crozier; Barlow (face)
North Melbourne: Thomas (left hamstring)

SUBSTITUTES
Fremantle: Hayden Crozier replaced Jack Hannath at three-quarter time
North Melbourne: Brad McKenzie replaced Lindsay Thomas during the third quarter

UMPIRES: Rosebury, Stevic, Mollison