Australian Football

Match Report

The Fremantle Dockers have opened up a two-game gap at the top of the ladder just six rounds into the season after they made short work of Essendon on Saturday night. The Dockers dominated the first three quarters of the match to open up a commanding 54-point lead at the final change, before easing down in the last quarter - as they have done several times this season - to coast to a 28-point win.

Typically for a match involving Fremantle coach Ross Lyon, the match started slowly with both defences on top and neither side troubling the scorers in the first five minutes. Jackson Merrett broke the drought with a goal for the Bombers but the Dockers worked themselves into the match and took control over the next 20 minutes. Goals to Hayden Ballantyne, Stephen Hill, Matthew Pavlich and Zac Clarke face Fremantle a 20-point lead before a late major to Essendon's other Merrett - Zach - cut the difference to 14 at the first break.

The second quarter saw the Dockers strangle virtually all of Essendon's forward moves and take complete control of the match. The Dons failed to score until the 20th minute of the term, while Lachie Neale, Pavlich (two), Chris Mayne and Ballantyne all added majors to give Fremantle a 44-point lead going into time on. Joe Daniher gave the Bombers brief respite with a goal at the 22-minute mark but the Dockers took a 37-point buffer into the long break.

Essendon found the going no easier in the third quarter, the Dockers' renowned defence restricting it to just three behinds. At the other end of the ground, Fremantle scored three majors, a goal each going to Pavlich, Clancee Pearce and Michael Walters, to extend the Dockers lead to an unassailable 54 points when the sides changed ends for the last time.

As has happened on a number of occasions already this year, Fremantle appeared to win down in the final term, with the game safely in its keeping. The Dockers registered just two behinds, one to Nat Fyfe at the two-minute mark, and another to Pavlich 14 minutes later, while Essendon scored 4.3, with majors to Ben Howlett, Travis Colyer, Jobe Watson and Martin Gleeson cutting the final difference to 28 points, a margin that flattered the Bombers in the opinion of most.

Neale (33 disposals and seven marks) was outstanding for the Dockers, along with Nat Fyfe (27 possessions) and Pavlich (16 touches and four goals), while for Essendon, Brendon Goddard (35 possessions and six tackles), Mark Baguley (22 disposals) and Watson (28 touches and eight marks) all had fine games. 

The Dockers will travel to Melbourne in search of their seventh win. They will meet the Bulldogs at Docklands on Sunday while Essendon (11th on the ladder with three wins) will meet North Melbourne at the same venue this Friday night.

GOALS
Fremantle: Pavlich 4; Ballantyne 2; Mayne, Hill, Clarke, Neale, C. Pearce, Walters
Essendon: Z. Merrett, J. Merrett, Daniher, Colyer, Howlett, Watson, Gleeson

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Fremantle: Neale, Fyfe, Pavlich, Mundy, Sandilands, C. Pearce, Johnson
Essendon: Baguley, Watson, Goddard, Stanton, Z. Merrett

BEST - WATODAY.COM.AU
Fremantle:  Neale, Fyfe, Pavlich, Mundy, Pearce, A Sandilands
Essendon Goddard, Stanton, Watson, Heppell, Merrett, Howlett

INJURIES
Fremantle: Nil
Essendon: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Fremantle: Matt de Boer replaced Matt Taberner in the fourth quarter
Essendon: Michael Gleeson replaced Will Hams in the third quarter

REPORTS: Mark Baguley reported for rough conduct on Michael Barlow in the third quarter

UMPIRES: Rosebury, Hosking, Ryan

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Anthony Hudson, Jason Dunstall, Mark Thompson, David King