Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir calls out players for chasing stats instead of buying into team defence against Western Bulldogs

In an unusual public airing of grievances, Justin Longmuir has issued a pointed message to his players ahead of Sunday’s clash with Gold Coast, calling for a change in priorities after last week’s 67-point loss, writes ELIZA REILLY.

Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir has accused certain players of padding their stats sheets against the Western Bulldogs instead of buying into the Dockers’ team defence.

In an unusual public airing of grievances, Longmuir issued a pointed message to his players ahead of Sunday’s clash with Gold Coast, calling for a change in priorities after last week’s 67-point loss.

Asked about Neil Erasmus’ impressive form at WAFL affiliate Peel Thunder, Longmuir was quick to distinguish between statistics and the broader role each player is in the team to perform, warning “priorities can sway a bit.”

“Everyone loves looking at the Peel stats for all of our players, not just Neil,” Longmuir said. “They love looking at all stats, reading stats and thinking a good game is determined by what the stats sheet says at the end of the day.

Justin Longmuir was strong in his press conference on Thursday. Picture: Getty Images

“I don’t look at the stats sheet, not even for our games. I look at all aspects of their role that contribute to us being a good team.

“There’s no doubt that in the seniors on the weekend, guys were more worried about how many possessions they got than how they competed in the contest and how they pressured the opposition and how they defended.

“That’s not what I stand for as a coach.

“We need to make it really clear what makes us a good team, what’s gotten us to the position we’re in. It’s not on our offence and scoring.

“You come off a 141-point score against Melbourne, go into the bye and sometimes your priorities can sway a 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.”

While it’s unclear who exactly Longmuir is referring to, a glance at the statistics from round 14 reveals that Karl Worner, Luke Ryan, Brandon Walker, Jaeger O’Meara, Jordan Clark and Bailey Banfield all finished with contested possession rates of 30 per cent or less from more than 10 disposals.

Eight players finished with 10 or less pressure acts. And 15 players had two or less tackles, including Ryan (15 disposals), O’Meara (10), Luke Jackson (19), Banfield (14), Walker (13), Clark (26) and Nat Fyfe (16).

Justin Longmuir is not happy with some of his stats-focused players. Picture: Getty Images

Longmuir said earlier in the week that “there needs to be change” to the side after last week’s loss.

Fremantle will be forced into one change, with Michael Walters set to miss up to three weeks with a hamstring strain. But it appears the Dockers will give their players a right of reply and resist wielding the axe.

Small forwards Tom Emmett and Cooper Simpson trained with the WAFL group despite being like-for-like replacements for Walters.

Heath Chapman will return pending his recovery from main training, Longmuir revealing the Dockers “dodged a bullet” by scratching him late due to hamstring soreness. Corey Wagner and Karl Worner trained with the main group as Fremantle weighs up how to tackle Suns tall forward trio Ben King, Jed Walter and Jack Lukosius.

Heath Chapman is set to return. Picture: Getty Images

“It’s the balance of the team,” Longmuir said when asked about Walters’ replacement. “There’s a number of different ways that we could go.

“We’ve got the extra forward in the forward line with Banners (Banfield) whose playing a bit on the wing so do we reshuffle the deckchairs in the team or do we do like for like? There’s a few different options.”

Midfielder Andrew Brayshaw was spotted sporting a mask early in the session and trained with the WAFL group before taking part in some 18v18 match simulation at the very end of training. But the Dockers indicated that he was being managed.

Longmuir said tagging one of the Suns star midfielders like Touk Miller, Noah Anderson or Matt Rowell was an option after the Dockers got torn apart by Marcus Bontempelli last week.

But Longmuir indicated that he hadn’t been forced to motivate the playing group this week as they prepare to respond.

“Hands off the steering well,” Longmuir said. “I feel like they’re going to drive it this week.

“They have already. They’re up and about. They want to redeem themselves.”

Originally published as Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir calls out players for chasing stats instead of buying into team defence against Western Bulldogs