Australian Football

Match Report

After 10 consecutive losses to start the season, Fremantle has suddenly turned things around and after defeating lowly Essendon and Brisbane in rounds 11 and 12, have this week claimed a bigger scalp, defeating Port Adelaide - a team which was pushing for a place in the top eight - at Subiaco on Sunday, to make it three wins on the trot. The Dockers were behind at quarter time but won all of the next three quarters to eke out a 17-point win.

Fremantle started the match strongly, dominating the early minutes, bit could only get a solitary goal on the board, to Tanner Smith at the eight-minute mark after a mark. Midway through the term, the Power got their game going, and they were able to translate this into immediate scoreboard results, with majors to Chad Wingard, Jarman Impey and Charlie Dixon to give them an 11-point lead early in the time-on period. The Dockers hit back late in the quarter through Lachie Weller, but it was still Port by a goal at the first break. 

The Dockers made their first decisive break early in the second quarter, with majors to Chris Mayne, Stephen Hill and skipper Matthew Pavlich seeing them out to a 13-point lead inside the first 10 minutes. Port managed to shore up defensively after that, restricting Fremantle to just four further behinds. Port could only respond with 1.3 of its own, though, the goal going to Wingard, and it was still the Dockers by eight points at half time. 

Port came out strongly after the long break, and goals to Justin Westhoff and Brad Ebert had them ahead by a goal after 10 minutes. Fremantle responded, however, and two goals to Pavlich, playing possibly his best game of the season, along with another to Matt Taberner had the Dockers back in front by 11 points after 18 minutes. Port came again, though, and Westhoff, Impey and Wingard all added too their goal tally as the Power regained the lead. But the tide turned once more in time on, and a brace of goals to Michael Barlow another to Hayden Ballantyne gave the Dockers a nine-point lead at the last end-change.

A dour affair ensued in the final term, with the Dockers going into defensive mode to try and protect their lead. Port did have a couple of a early chances, with Dixon and Sam Gray both missing but Gray's shot at the nine-minute mark was the last that the Power would have. Pavlich's fourth goal at the 11-minute mark put the Dockers 13 points ahead, and then they attacked heavily after that, without being able to nail a 'killer blow'. But behinds to Stephen Hill, Taberner and Connor Blakely were enough to see Fremantle home.

Barlow had a magnificent game, collecting 43 touches and laying eight tackles for the Dockers. For Port, Brad Ebert's 28 possessions and seven tackles made him one of his team's best.

The win lifts the Dockers up to 15th on the ladder, and they will look to make it four wins in a row against Collingwood at the MCG next Friday night. For Port, the loss leaves it two games out of the top eight, and the Power will have to show vast improvement to get back into contention. The Power will have a bye in round 14 before facing Richmond at Adelaide Oval on Friday week. 

GOALS
Fremantle: Pavlich 4; Barlow 2; Ballantyne, Taberner, Mayne, Hill, Weller, Smith
Port Adelaide: Wingard 3; Westhoff, Impey 2; Dixon, Ebert

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Fremantle: Barlow, Neale, Mundy, Pavlich, Mayne, Crozier
Port Adelaide: Westhoff, Wines, Ebert, Wingard, Trengove, Pittard

BEST - THE SUNDAY AGE
Fremantle: Barlow, Neale, Crozier, Mundy, Spurr, Pavlich
Port Adelaide: B Ebert, Trengove, Wines, Pittard, Wingard, Impey

INJURIES
Fremantle: Smith (hamstring)
Port Adelaide: Howard (knee)

UMPIRES: Margetts, Hosking, Mollison, McInerney

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Dwayne Russell, Brad Johnson, Gerard Healy, Ben Dixon