Fremantle in ruins as ‘brain fade’ leaves season hanging by a thread

Fremantle’s finals hopes are no longer in their own hands with the side ruing a late brain snap that cost the Dockers any chance of victory.

Freo's season is hanging by a thread. Photo: Fox Sports

The GWS Giants have held off a fast-finishing Fremantle in one of the games of the season to edge closer to a spot in the top four.

The 15.11 (101) to 14.8 (92) means the Giants can’t finish the regular season any lower than fifth on the ladder, while a win against the Western Bulldogs next week would lock in a spot in the top four.

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The loss could seen Fremantle drop out of the top eight by the end of the round with the injury-ravaged Blues facing the 16th placed West Coast Eagles, the Bulldogs playing the 17th placed Kangaroos and Hawthorn taking on the last-placed Tigers on Sunday.

The teams traded the lead throughout the first half with the Giants leading by eight at quarter-time, Dockers up by nine at halftime and the Giants up by eight at three-quarter time.

But while the teams went toe-to-toe in the fourth quarter, Toby Greene stretched the lead past two goals early on before the Dockers responded to stay within a goal until late in the game.

With just over three minutes remaining, the Giants were leading by three points and kicking it short to wipe some time off the clock.

A probing kick to Jesse Hogan was marked by the GWS forward just outside the arc when the Dockers’ Bailey Banfield shoved him to the ground, giving away a costly 50m penalty.

Hogan clearly had the mark. Photo by Phil Hillyard

Banfield was slammed for the late push. Photo by Phil Hillyard

Hogan went back and booted the goal — his sixth of the day — wrapping up the game and leaving Fremantle’s season on a knife’s edge.

Hogan is now closing in on the Coleman Medal, having moved to 67 goals for the year, 10 ahead of Carlton’s Charlie Curnow.

But Fremantle fans could not believe the brain snap from Banfield, slamming the 26-year-old for the costly “brain fade”.

One fan said: “Banfield, that was just dumb.”

Another fan said: “At this stage, I do not think it would be unreasonable to send Bailey Banfield to a Siberian salt mine.”

Another suggested: “Banfield just cost Freo the game.”

A fourth commented: “Absolute nonsense from Bailey Banfield, completely killed us. Think we played excellently and are unlucky to lose but that’s three weeks in a row where we’ve been beaten unluckily and it’s not just fluke is it? It’s a pattern and it has to end next week or there’s no week after.”

Hogan was the difference. Photo by Phil Hillyard

It’s another close loss that will have Fremantle fans wondering what if. In 2024, the Dockers have had eight games decided by 13 points or less, winning just one.

“It was two good sides having a real crack,” Dockers coach Justin Longmuir said.

“I said to the players after the game that I thought they took a few more opportunities.

“It comes back to execution. Over the last three weeks it’s come back to bite us, that composure in the front half.”

With the Dockers relying on results to go their way, the final round of the season sees the Bulldogs play the Giants, Hawks play North Melbourne and Blues face St Kilda, while Freo face Port Adelaide in Perth in the last game of the regular season.

If one or more of the teams ahead of them drop at least one of their remaining matches, it could well be a live game with a simple equation for Freo — win and you’re in, lose and the season’s over.

With Sean Teuma, NewsWire