Fremantle Dockers back in top four after win over Richmond Tigers in Justin Longmuir’s 100th game as coach

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Fremantle Dockers back in top four after win over Richmond Tigers in Justin Longmuir’s 100th game as coach

Fremantle gave its top-four hopes a hot shot in Justin Longmuir’s 100th game as coach with a 51-point win over Richmond on a wet and windy Saturday night at Optus Stadium.

The Dockers edged ahead of the dogged Tigers in the first half and then put space on the scoreboard with a six-goal third term to win 16.9 (105) to 7.12 (54).

Fremantle welcomed back key defender Brennan Cox and veteran forward Michael Walters, lost ruckman Sean Darcy to concussion and defender Josh Draper to injury, and celebrated a career-high five-goal haul from in-form forward Josh Treacy.

On a night Jye Amiss Optus broke his Optus Stadium goal drought, the Dockers banked the four points without major drama as they continue to set up a season of possibility.

The last time the two sides met, the Tigers roughed up Amiss, prompting Longmuir to seek out the AFL over the crude attention on his young forward.

Veteran Tigers defender Nathan Broad this week even forecast Amiss was in for some more close attention, but it never really reached boiling point.

Amiss finished with 1.3 but it didn’t matter anyway as Treacy set up the win with a forward line blitz, eclipsing his previous career best of four goals kicked against the Tigers in round nine.

Camera IconJosh Treacy kicked a career-high five goals. Credit: Glen Quartermain

Richmond’s Shai Bolton battled valiantly to keep his side in the game with four goals of his own.

But the Tigers, who have had only two players feature in all 15 games this season, did what they have done all season.

They put up a ****** they were never going to win against the one, two, three punch of Andy Brayshaw, Caleb Serong and Hayden Young, whose delivery inside 50 was a welcome distraction in a game with a glut of ugly disposals.

Brayshaw led the possession count with 35, six clearances and five inside 50s. Serong had seven clearances and seven inside 50s among 27 possessions.

Players found the conditions difficult in the first quarter after a downpour that left the Richmond banner in tatters and swathes of the ground covered in water.

Camera IconHayden Young. Credit: Glen Quartermain/Jackson Flindell

Richmond forward Jacob Koschitzke sprayed a set shot out of bounds, while a number of players kicked out on the full.

The Tigers exploded out of the blocks with the first two goals of the match, but the Dockers steadied and wrested control at the contest.

Nat Fyfe had three of their 13 clearances for the first term, while Hayden Young had the Sherrin in his hands 10 times and made them count.

Fremantle’s form forward Treacy kicked three goals from set shots and also put on his blue collar with some gut-running defensive work down the line.

Treacy could have had four for the term but gave up another with a deft handball to put Sam Sturt in a better position, but he was unable to convert.

Camera IconAndrew Brayshaw escapes a tackle from Toby Nankervis. Credit: Jackson Flindell.

The 15-point lead the Dockers held at quarter-time was crafted on the back of 19 to 11 inside 50s – they had nine of the last 11 for the quarter.

The Tigers again controlled the tempo of the start of the second quarter and matched the Dockers at the contest throughout the term, but all their hard work had amounted to five behinds until Bolton swooped on a loose offering inside the last minute.

Neither side could make a mark on the scoreboard until Young pounced on a loose ball at the top of the square at the 15-minute mark.

The Dockers continued their recent trend of rotating midfielders through half-forward and it paid off.

Young’s lace-out kick 25 minutes in was the definition of precision and capped off by an equally good lead from Treacy and it gave the Dockers their sixth goal for the match against a Richmond backline that had good defensive shape, with Nick Vlastuin the plus one.

Brayshaw gave the Dockers a four-goal lead in the shadows of the half-time siren, but had Fyfe to thank after some heavy bullocking work.

Camera IconMichael Frederick and Andrew Brayshaw celebrate a goal. = Credit: Glen Quartermain

Brayshaw’s goal capped a dominant second term in which he helped himself to 13 possessions, four at the contest, 206 metres gained, and three score involvements.

The Dockers lost ruckman Darcy to concussion protocols for the start of the second half, forcing Luke Jackson into the No. 1 role against influential Tiger Toby Nankervis.

Nankervis had a game for the ages, with 26 disposals and 36 hitouts, but Jackson’s influence also grew in the second half.

He finished with 21 disposals and ***** nine tackles.

Darcy’s exit allowed the Dockers to release their sub, veteran Michael Walters, and he kicked two for the third term in a return celebrated by his teammates.

Two goals from Bolton to open the third term, punctuated by a Sam Switkoswski major from a set shot, kept the Tigers in the contest, before the gates opened and the Dockers bolted.

Just like Bolton, Treacy was hitting them as sweet as Scottie Scheffler, converting his fifth nine minutes into the third quarter from a Switkowski bullet.

And Treacy was continuing to create havoc out on the field, as Tyler Sonsie discovered in a hard contest on centre wing.

Amiss ended a run of goalless games at Optus Stadium when he kicked accurately from 50m from a set shot late in the third term. He had last brought up six points at home in round three against Adelaide and he will be relieved to shake off the unwanted burden.

The appearance of defender Josh Draper, who remained on the ground despite a heavy first half collision, in a tracksuit on the boundary line alongside Darcy was the only concern for the Dockers as they cruised to victory.

SCOREBOARD

FREMANTLE 4.3, 7.5, 13.6, 16.9 (105)

RICHMOND 2.0, 3.5, 5.8, 7.12 (54)Goals – FREMANTLE: J Treacy 5 M Frederick 2 H Young 2 M Walters 2 J Amiss A Brayshaw H Chapman J O’Meara S Switkowski. RICHMOND: S Bolton 4 R Mansell T Nankervis T Taranto.

Best – FREMANTLE: J Treacy A Brayshaw L Jackson H Young C Serong J Clark. RICHMOND: T Nankervis, S Bolton, J Hopper, D Rioli, T Taranto, J Short.

Injuries – FREMANTLE: S Darcy (concussion). J Draper (groin).

Umpires: J Power J Dalgleish J Howorth J Fry.

Crowd: 42,690 at Optus Stadium.

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