One of the finest home-and-away victories in Fremantle’s history — a stunning raid on Sydney at the SCG — has catapulted them into the top four.
West Australian Sydney forward Logan McDonald — long linked to a move to the Dockers — missed a kick after the siren in the pulsating 15.9 (99) to 14.14 (98) defeat that stopped the Swans’ winning streak at 10 games.
It proved the Dockers can be serious contenders this season in what now looms as a return to finals.
Will Hayward, Nick Blakey and McDonald kicked final quarter goals to chip away at their12-point three-quarter time deficit and tie the scores with less than four minutes to go.
Two behinds, one from Jeremy Sharp and one rushed, proved the buffer the Dockers needed.
First-year forward Josh Draper — who was dropped last week — produced a mammoth defensive effort down the stretch without captain Alex Pearce to keep Fremantle’s dam wall shut.
Caleb Serong made a Brownlow-like statement against two of the favourites for the medal and Chad Warner, whose name is on Fremantle’s trade whiteboard, endured a day filled with frustration and riddled with errors.
A two-time winner, Nat Fyfe was sent to do a run-with role on Isaac Heeney and kept him to 20 disposals and no goals.
The Swans are the hottest ticket in the big town, but the Dockers stormed the stage. They overwhelmed the overwhelming premiership favourites in a 44-point first quarter — their highest-scoring of the season.
It was Jye Amiss’ turn to enjoy the forward spoils and the resurgence of Sam Sturt continued. The pair kicked three goals each.
Fremantle will almost certainly finish the weekend inside the top four. It was a contest that would have looked at home in September.
The Dockers kicked the first three goals of the game. Amiss nailed a set shot one minute after the jump and had with a big contested mark on the wing, had a hand in Sturt kicking the next one.
Luke Jackson was given a 50-metre penalty because Taylor Adams tripped Andrew Brayshaw and thumped a set shot from well outside the arc. They were marching.
Hayden Young impacted when he rolled forward, Josh Treacy kicked one and then Jackson pulled out a party trick on the boundary to steer a ball to Bailey Banfield.
Sydney’s star quartet of Warner, Taylor Adams, Errol Gulden and Heeney had combined for 12 touches.
The Swans entered the clash with a 7-7 record in opening terms. But they lacked their usual polish and the Dockers forced turnover after turnover in the middle of the ground. They were waiting for a pounce that never came.
Fremantle’s defence through the middle of the ground was pivotal in helping their thinned-out and inexperienced backline.
Justin McInerney’s behind to start the second term levelled the scoring shot count. Caleb Serong’s first goal, where he roved the ball off hands and outmuscled Heeney, put them ahead by 32 points.
Fremantle were well prepared and on top of the Swans’ high-profile midfielders, but high-octane Tom Papley added a new element.
Brayshaw and Young had been combining to take the ball out the front of stoppages and Serong was the most prolific ball-winner on the ground, but they were forced to defend hard as the Swans worked into the contest.
Fyfe’s most clever kick of the season, an outside-of-the-boot ball to find Amiss inside 50, helped the Dockers to a crucial goal on the stroke of half-time. They carried in a 27-point lead.
Brodie Grundy came off the ground with a sore shoulder in the third term and Sean Darcy became the dominant force and remained so when he returned. It was timely, too. This became a game where centre-bounce was king.
The Swans and Dockers shared goals from the bullseye. So much for coming out the front door — they’d both been blown off their hinges in a barnstorming seven-goal to-five run that lasted 35 minutes.
Hugh Davies and Josh Draper were worn out and Brandon Walker was battling a shoulder problem as Papley and Hayden McLean threatened to reclaim a game the nominal underdogs had owned.
Adams had been sluggish but lifted and Warner’s class peaked through. When McInerney drilled through a ball that had fallen to the back of a contest, Freo’s lead was worth two goals.
Justin Longmuir pulled Hugh Davies off at the start of the final term for substitute James Aish in a move that left them at risk of being short at the back.
But Draper and Luke Ryan, as well as a goal to Michael Frederick in the last, meant the Dockers held on.
FREMANTLE 7.2 9.5 14.5 15.9 (98)
SYDNEY 2.5 4.8 11.11 14.14 (99)
Goals – FREMANTLE: S Sturt 3 J Amiss 3 J Treacy 2 L Jackson B Banfield S Darcy J O’Meara C Serong S Switkowski M Frederick. SYDNEY: W Hayward 3 T Papley 2 H McLean 2 S Wicks 2 L McDonald J Amartey J McInerney B Campbell N Blakey.
Best – FREMANTLE: C Serong H Young J Amiss A Brayshaw S Darcy L Ryan. SYDNEY: T Papley J McInerney H McLean W Hayward
Injuries – FREMANTLE: Nil. SYDNEY: H Cunningham (hamstring).
Umpires: D Johanson, J Broadbent, R Finlay, P Bailes. Crowd: 35,477 at Sydney Cricket Ground.