AFL 2021 Hawthorn v Fremantle: Dockers ace Nat Fyfe franks 200th game with inspired performance

It was left to the 200-gamer Nat Fyfe to deliver a long overdue result for Fremantle and keep its finals ambitions in place, as the Hawks reeled from the loss of one of their brightest lights.

LAUNCESTON, AUSTRALIA - JULY 10: Changkuoth Jiath of the Hawks is tackled by David Mundy of the Dockers during the round 17 AFL match between Hawthorn Hawks and Fremantle Dockers at University of Tasmania Stadium on July 10, 2021 in Launceston, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

The season of one Hawthorn’s biggest shining lights in a torrid 2021 appears over, compounding a dismal day for the club against Fremantle.

After watching his side suffer its biggest ever loss to the Dockers and held to its lowest score at UTAS Stadium, Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson revealed post match the seriousness of a knee injury to Changkuoth Jiath.

The dashing defender — who has emerged as one of the club’s biggest excitement machines this campaign with his run and flair — had been among the best players before going down late in the third quarter when his right knee buckled underneath him in a contest.

Clarkson confirmed the 22-year-old has suffered a PCL strain, and with only six weeks left in the year will take no risks with the emerging star.

“He’s unlikely to play for some time… we’ve got six weeks to go and they’ll need to determine the severity of the injury,” Clarkson said.

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Changkuoth Jiath was one of the Hawks’ best against Fremantle before his untimely injury in the third quarter. Picture: AFL Photos/via Getty Images

“Usually our way of treating these is put him in some sort of brace and just let that come up over the next little while.

“The trouble with PCL’s, if you try to rush these the knee can become loose and can be so for some time, and then that causes long term cartilage damage and that sort of stuff in the years to come.

“With only six weeks, that would probably mean that it’d be doubtful that he gets back this year, but we just wait and see.

“We’ll be very conservative with him and get him right for next year if we get a result over the next few days that is unkind to us.”

Jiath was not the only Hawk to finish on the bench in the 62-point defeat, with fellow defender Jack Scrimshaw also not returning after halftime after copping a blow to the back of the neck.

Jiath is already a cult figure with the Hawks as he greets a fan before the match in Launceston. Picture: AFL Photos/via Getty Images

With Blake Hardwick a late withdrawal and already missing Jarman Impy and James Sicily, it robbed the Hawks of their noted rebounding weapons.

“He [Scrimshaw] wasn’t feeling well with a migraine and then got a knock so our docs need to assess him over the next 24 hours,” Clarkson said.

“A lot of our rebound from our back end is all on the injury list at the present time, so just getting some flow and bounce in our game, we just couldn’t do it anywhere near as well as Fremantle.

“Very slow with our ball movement and some of that is just because we just haven’t got the ping off our half back like what we’ve had in the past.”

Inspired Fyfe snaps long drought as Dockers overrun Hawks

Fremantle’s first victory over Hawthorn in 11 visits to Launceston has launched the Dockers temporarily back into the AFL top eight.

The Dockers celebrated inspirational skipper Nat Fyfe’s 200th appearance in perfect fashion, crushing the Hawks 16.12 (108) to 6.10 (46) at UTAS Stadium and putting the disappointment of slipping up against Carlton seven days ago behind them.

For the first time in coach Justin Longmuir’s career Fremantle surpassed the 100-point mark, and the result saw the side leapfrog West Coast and GWS, who have games in hand this round, into seventh spot.

Fyfe starred in his milestone match, gathering 31 possessions and kicking a goal in the final term to ice his performance.

Evergreen veteran David Mundy played shotgun in amassing 30 disposals of his own and booting two majors, young guns Andrew Brayshaw (32 touches) and Caleb Serong (30) also found plenty of the ball while ruckman Shaun Darcy continued to enhance his reputation as a star of the competition with another commanding outing.

Nat Fyfe is chaired off by Alex Pearce and David Mundy after the Dockers broke an 11-game drought. Picture: AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Rory Lobb was the major beneficiary up forward with 4.3, including three goals in the opening stanza — where the visitors took eight minutes to settle before hammering on 5.5 to open up a 23-point buffer.

From that point they were never seriously challenged, increasing their advantage at every change against a dismal Hawthorn who were held to their lowest ever score at UTAS.

The 62-point margin was also Fremantle’s biggest over the Hawks.

SLUGGISH START

Fremantle failed to kick a goal in the opening quarter against Carlton last round and were again slow out of the blocks in Launceston. But from the eight minute mark the Dockers clicked into gear, winning the inside 50 count 16-2 for the remainder of the term.

James Worpel is wrapped up in a tackle by his Fremantle opponents. Picture: Getty Images

DOMINANT DARCY

Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy have been considered the best two ruckmen in the AFL for several years but Sean Darcy is fast closing the gap. The 23-year-old had 21 hit-outs to advantage last week — the most for any ruckman this year — and backed up with another big game which included 25 disposals (16 contested), nine marks (six contested), five clearances and 27 hit outs, many again helping instigate Fremantle forward thrusts.

Nat Fyfe after kicking a goal in his 200th game as his teammates join the celebrations. Picture: Getty Images

MAIDEN MAJORS

It was a dirty day for the Hawks who had little to celebrate in the thumping loss and lost key defensive cogs Jack Scrimshaw and Changkuoth Jiath to injury. Arguably the only bright spot was Emerson Jeka hitting the scoreboard for the first time in his career, booting two goals in his third AFL match.

Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson tries to lift his troops at their Tasmanian home. Picture: AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Dockers finally deliver on scoreboard

Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir has hailed his side’s ability to not take the foot off the gas and drive home its dominance in the big win in Launceston.

The result lifted the Dockers into the top eight, where they will remain at the end of Round 17 if one of West Coast or GWS lose.

Having failed to cash in on stages of control in several games this season — including last week’s loss to Carlton — the Dockers ensured they didn’t make the same mistake twice at UTAS Stadium in skipper Nat Fyfe’s 200th match.

“The evenness of the performance, there’s been times this year where we’ve dominated quarters and then just taken the foot off the pedal and haven’t played our way and the opposition has got on top,” Longmuir said when asked what pleased him the most in the victory.

“There were periods of the game where they got on top but I thought it was probably the most consistent performance through style of play but also evenness of contribution.”

Four Dockers finished with 30 possessions or more, while five multiple goal scorers also highlighted the spread of effort.

SCOREBOARD

HAWKS 2.0 4.5 5.7 6.10 (46)

DOCKERS 5.5 8.7 11.12 16.12 (108)

SMITH’S BEST

Hawks: Mitchell, Moore, Bramble, Jiath, Greaves, Shiels

Dockers: Darcy, Fyfe, Mundy, Lobb, Serong, Brayshaw

GOALS

Hawks: Jeka 2, Koschitzke 2, Moore, Worpel

Dockers: Lobb 4, Banfield 3, Treacy 2, Switkowski 2, Mundy 2, Acres, Fyfe, Walters

INJURIES

Hawks: Scrimshaw (neck), Jiath (knee)

UMPIRES

Fisher, O’Gorman, Dore.

VENUE

UTAS Stadium

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

ADAM SMITH’S VOTES

3 Shaun Darcy

2 Nathan Fyfe

1 David Mundy