Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir has slammed his playing group after last week’s massive loss to the Western Bulldogs, claiming some of his players were more concerned about padding their stats than playing their role in team defence.
The Dockers suffered a monstrous 67-point drubbing at the hands of the Bulldogs in round 14, just a week after dismantling Melbourne by 92 points in Alice Springs.
Longmuir didn’t hold back in his assessment of the loss.
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“There’s no doubt in the seniors on the weekend that guys were worried more about how many possessions they got than how they competed in the contest, how they pressured the opposition and how they defended,” Longmuir told reporters on Thursday.
“That’s not what I stand for as a coach.”
The Dockers are one of the competition’s best defensive sides in 2024 and leaking 149 points against the Bulldogs was very out of character.
It was the worst defensive performance by the Dockers during Longmuir’s four-and-a-half-year tenure.
“It’s not our offence and scoring,” Longmuir said.
“When you’re coming off a 140-point score against Melbourne and you go into the bye, sometimes your priorities can just get swayed a little bit.
“I’m not talking massive margins either. It only needs to be a little bit in this game to lose your edge and give the opposition a sniff.
“We rely on what’s important – around the contest, pressure and the way we defend the ground. No doubt we’ll bounce back.”
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Despite his brutal review, Longmuir said he did not point out individual players during the week.
“No individuals got called out. The issues we covered in the team meeting were team issues,” he said.
“Yes, some individuals were in the individual clips, but they were only highlighted because it was a team problem. Everyone needs to bounce back.”
Longmuir said the playing group owned their uncharacteristically poor performance against the Bulldogs.
“They came in and owned it,” he said.
“They’re up and about, they want to redeem themselves.
“I get criticized at times for being calm and composed. I don’t react to one performance. Just like I didn’t react to the Melbourne game, I’m not reacting to this.
“Clearly some players got some things wrong on the weekend, which contributed to us getting a lot wrong.
“I don’t think it’s going to be much to realign. Only two games ago we had a 92-point win. I’m confident we can turn it around.”
Fremantle will take on the Gold Coast Suns on Sunday evening as they look to get back on the winner’s list and continue their push towards a 2024 finals berth.