Nat Fyfe earns a certain three Brownlow votes with dominant performance in Fremantle win against Gold Coast

DUSTIN Martin and Patrick Dangerfield, take note. Umpires had 38 incredible reasons to hand 2015 winner Nat Fyfe three Brownlow votes as Fremantle climbed back into the top eight.

Nat Fyfe of the Dockers looks to handball.

NAT Fyfe has launched an early-season Brownlow charge, Fremantle has a niggling tagger and the Dockers are in the eight.

Fremantle might have a new home stadium but there’s a touch of nostalgia about this new-look outfit as well, after they saw off a plucky Gold Coast by 28 points at Perth Stadium.

MATCH CENTRE: FULL STATS AND SUPERCOACH

Fyfe gave the umpires 38 reasons to give him the three votes, and if his disposal count wasn’t enough he might have persuaded them with stunning game-highs of 15 clearances and 25 contested possessions, along with a goal, in a dominant performance.

Nat Fyfe was unstoppable against Gold Coast.

The wasteful Dockers probably should have won by more, but having steadied their campaign at 2-1 and with two of their next three at home, they are moving into a solid position.

Tagging is rarely a sexy job, but at a club where Ryan Crowley’s dedication and brashness was rewarded with cult status, youngster Bailey Banfield’s efforts won’t go unnoticed for long by the purple army.

Banfield was handed the run-with assignment on Aaron Hall and held him to just two disposals in the first half before he finished with a paltry five.

The Claremont rookie draft pick-up has a way to go to match Crowley’s antics, but he did enough to show he doesn’t lack a hard edge. He was spoken to by an umpire following a first-quarter clash with Hall and during the third term a goalpost had the wobbles after Banfield threw the bigger Steven May right into it.

Andrew Brayshaw, the promising No. 2 pick the Dockers got from the Suns for Lachie Weller, was in fine company when he started the game alongside Aaron Sandilands, Lachie Neale and Fyfe in the centre square.

But he was a peripheral figure, finishing with seven disposals as Weller had 19 in a steady outing for his new side in his 50th game.

Jarrod Witts tries a new way to stop Nat Fyfe.

The Suns took their chances in the opening half and the Dockers missed plenty of theirs as the teams went to the rooms with scores level.

It was a situation that couldn’t have been predicted after the first term, which was dominated by Fremantle.

Even at the major break, the Dockers had nothing to show for the midfield mauling led by Fyfe and Neale, who had already racked up 39 touches between them.

Fremantle dominated the clearance count 19-10, led contested possessions by 15 and edged the inside-50 count 29-22 at the halfway point. But sometimes the scoreboard tells you all you need to know and after spraying 5.10 to Gold Coast’s 6.4, the Dockers knew it was a case of needing to take their chances when the game restarted.

The Suns, who in fairness had kept themselves in it with some excellent pressure, kicked two of the first three majors of the third term to take an eight-point lead.

In was the scare Fremantle needed and they added seven goals to two for the remainder of the match to finally put the contest to bed.

Aaron Hall had a tough day at the office.

BEST

F remantle: Fyfe, Walters, Pearce, McCarthy, Ryan, Banfield, Neale.

Gold Coast: Lyons, Martin, Swallow, Day, Sexton, Miller.

INJURIES

Fremantle: Michael Walters (hand)

Gold Coast: Pearce Hanley (shoulder)

Reports: A Sandilands (Frem) for rough conduct against J Lyons (GC)

Umpires: Sam Hay, Nathan Williamson, Shane McInerney

Crowd: 33,388 at Optus Stadium

Originally published as Nat Fyfe earns a certain three Brownlow votes with dominant performance in Fremantle win against Gold Coast