Fremantle and Justin Longmuir can bask in the glory of a come-from-behind win that will keep them out of the headlines for a week after christening Norwood Oval with an epic 10-point victory over the Gold Coast Suns.
Stuart Dew is now under genuine pressure in the coaches' box but wasn’t helped by his troops’ goalkicking, with the Suns looking to have the game sewn up at half-time.
Yet the Dockers hung in, and when Gold Coast tired, pounced. A comeback that few would have seen coming, the Suns led by as much as four goals but seemingly refused to put their opponents away.
Game of the Year contender.
— Andy Maher (@AndyMaherDFA) April 14, 2023
Fremantle v Gold Coast.
Norwood Oval.
Thankyou #GatherRound
Class and fitness eventually prevailed, and Fremantle’s top eight hopes remain alive.
It started in the midfield.
Gold Coast had been the best clearance side in the competition over the month, but Dew’s midfield lowered its colours as Sean Darcy monstered young Ned Moyle.
Caleb Serong was also pivotal all game, finishing with 37 disposals and eight clearances. But in the end it was another youngster, Jye Amiss, who locked in the win for Fremantle.
Playing just his seventh AFL game, Amiss finished with a game-high four contested marks, but more importantly, two crucial second-half goals.
Young Matthew Johnson also nailed a big time set shot that put Fremantle ahead late, even more impressive considering it was the 20-year-old's first goal at AFL level.
The first AFL clash to be played at Norwood Oval had plenty resting on it. Both the Suns and Dockers entered with 1-3 records, and for teams who’d declared their top eight intentions in pre-season, it was to be just about season over for the loser.
Fremantle fans were looking for signs of a different gameplan from Longmuir after another week of being blasted for the Dockers’ slow, stuttering play.
But they didn’t find it in the first term. The travelling contingent from the west would have been wondering what on earth the Dockers spent all week training in Adelaide, but more overlap and better ball use was present as the game progressed.
BRODIE x BANNERS x BRAYSHAW
— Fremantle Dockers (@freodockers) April 14, 2023
Andy slots it on the run 🤤#GatherRound #foreverfreo pic.twitter.com/aboWqT4qiT
But the Suns were cruising at half-time, having dominated the opening two terms and perhaps ruing shots at goal with a 23-point margin that could have been much greater.
The first half from Jack Lukosius was simply sublime and was more like his five-goal display against the Cats in Round 3 that set tongues wagging.
Had he kicked straighter, best afield honours would have been locked up by the main break. But playing as a high half-forward, Lukosius enjoyed seven disposals in each of the first two terms and fired up the Suns with a monster goal that travelled upwards of 60 metres into the wind.
The no.2 pick from the 2018 draft has been thrown around the ground in his short career, but it’s clear to see why Stuart Dew is so keen to settle him up forward.
Lukosius loads up for the opener!#AFLFreoSuns pic.twitter.com/MOwyHyonPX
— AFL (@AFL) April 14, 2023
But it wasn’t Lukosius doing the early damage up forward, finishing with 1.4. Had he kicked straighter, his name would have been splashed across all the headlines in a Gold Coast win. Instead, a surprise candidate in David Swallow took a number of strong grabs and bobbed up inside 50 to snare three goals early on.
If Swallow was the livewire early for the Suns, Michael Walters was that all game for the Dockers. The 32-year-old booted four goals and stepped up on countless occasions throughout the clash to prove that class prevails.
The loss will shatter Gold Coast, who will now need to produce an impeccable run to be any chance of finals.
But on the flip side, Longmuir can sleep easy for the first time in weeks.
FULL SCORE
Fremantle: 3.0, 6.2, 11.5, 15.10. (100)
Gold Coast: 4.4, 9.7, 11.11, 13.12. (90)
GOALS
Fremantle: Walters 4, Amiss 3, Schultz 3, Jackson 2, Banfield, Brayshaw, Johnson,
Gold Coast: Swallow 3, Anderson 2, King 2, Lukosius, Chol, Fiorini, Humphrey, Rosas, Holman
BEST
Fremantle: Serong, Darcy, Walters, Schultz, Amiss
Gold Coast: Miller, Lukosius, Anderson, Swallow, Holman
INJURIES
Fremantle: N/A
Gold Coast: N/A
CROWD: TBC at Norwood Oval