By Steve Barrett and Justin Chadwick
Caleb Serong has etched his name into western derby history after winning yet another best-afield honour in Fremantle’s 38-point win over West Coast.
Serong tallied 35 disposals and 10 clearances in Sunday’s match to snare his fourth Glendinning-Allan medal, joining Paul Hasleby at the top of the all-time list.
Harley Reid of the Eagles wrestles with Caleb Serong.Credit: Getty Images
The 15.16 (106) to 10.8 (68) victory in front of 53,289 fans was Fremantle’s first win of the season, improving their record to 1-2 ahead of next Sunday’s home clash with the Western Bulldogs.
West Coast are 0-3 and are away to the Giants next Sunday.
The Eagles’ poor day was made even worse when star defender Jeremy McGovern limped off late in the third quarter with a groin injury.
Fremantle skipper Alex Pearce appeared to tweak his left knee in an awkward landing in the final term, but he was able to return.
Caleb Serong of the Dockers in action.Credit: Getty Images
Jye Amiss (four goals) and Josh Treacy (three goals) were potent in attack for Fremantle, while Andrew Brayshaw (29 disposals, 696m gained) starred alongside Serong in the midfield.
Luke Jackson was a force in the ruck on the way to 17 disposals, 35 hit-outs and a goal.
For West Coast, Liam Baker finished with 23 possessions, defender Ryan Maric racked up 28 disposals and 445m gained, Jamie Cripps kicked two long-range goals from near the boundary and emerging forward Archer Reid kicked two goals.
But Harley Reid didn’t come close to repeating his derby heroics from last year.
Reid kicked three goals from 19 disposals when West Coast upset Fremantle early last season, and he posted 29 disposals and 10 clearances against them later in the year.
But he couldn’t get going on Sunday, restricted to just seven disposals in the first half en route to 15 disposals, one clearance and one goal for the match.
In the dying minutes, Reid engaged in a wrestle with Serong that led to a mini melee between the two sides.
Fremantle were forced to swing a late double change, with the in-form Jaeger O’Meara (illness) and rebounding defender Corey Wagner (injured) replaced by Karl Worner and James Aish.
Dockers forward Patrick Voss endured a busy start to the match - but not in the way he would have liked.
First, Voss’s over-zealous high five resulted in a poked eye to teammate Treacy, who had to go to the bench for treatment.
Then a short time later, Voss gave away a downfield free kick that eventually led to a West Coast goal.
He also shanked a shot on goal later in the term.
Two quick goals to debutant Isaiah Dudley ensured Fremantle entered the first break with a 15-point lead, but it should have been much more given the Dockers dominated the inside 50 count 21-7.
Treacy broke the game open in the second quarter with three goals, including an after-the-siren effort from a tricky angle after Eagles midfielder Tim Kelly coughed the ball up in the midfield.
Shai Bolton of the Dockers marks the ball.Credit: Getty Images
The 26-point half-time lead for Fremantle was just reward given they had doubled West Coast in the inside 50 count (34-17).
West Coast’s struggles were highlighted by skipper Oscar Allen, who was starved of supply in the first half on the way to just one disposal.
Allen finished with only four possessions for the match, spending some long stints in defence in the second half.
Harley Reid had a bad turnover early in the third quarter, but he made up for it later in the term with a spectacular mark and goal.
Fremantle still won the quarter four goals to three, giving them a match-winning 36-point lead at the final change.
It was more of the same in the final quarter, with Fremantle ending with a whopping 65-37 advantage in the inside 50s.
Nasty knock to Rachele fails to halt Crows’
High-flying Adelaide soared to their first 3-0 start to a season since 2017 with a workmanlike 36-point win over North Melbourne, but their joy was tempered by a nasty rib injury to livewire forward Josh Rachele.
The 180-centimetre Rachele was substituted out of the match midway through the second quarter after being crunched from behind by 202cm Kangaroos ruckman Tristan Xerri’s knee late in the opening term during a marking contest on the eastern wing.
Adelaide’s Josh Rachele on his haunches after copping a nasty knock against North Melbourne.Credit: Getty Images
Rachele walked off gingerly in clear discomfort, evoking flashbacks to Christian Petracca’s horrific injury in last year’s King’s Birthday Melbourne-Collingwood clash.
Petracca suffered four broken ribs, a lacerated spleen and a small lung puncture on that occasion after being kneed in the ribs by Magpies captain Darcy Moore.
Rachele attempted some run-throughs at quarter-time before retreating back to the home change rooms shaking his head, but he appeared in good spirits and in less pain at half-time, suggesting he has likely avoided the nightmare endured by Petracca.
“He [Rachele] is a little ginger, he’s a little bit sore,” Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks said.
“We don’t know exactly [the severity] as yet, but it was quite a collision with probably the biggest bloke on the ground, coming at speed. He’s in the rooms.“
Nicks backed the Crows medicos’ call to not send Rachele straight to hospital.
“I think we back the experts around that,” he said.
“We’ve got some really good people in that space who know their stuff and will make some decisions around it.
“They would have done everything possible to put his health and safety as a priority.”
Taylor Walker (four goals) and Riley Thilthorpe (three) led an even display by the Crows’ multi-pronged attack.
Veteran half-back Rory Laird celebrated his milestone 250th game by helping himself to 32 disposals, including 20 before half-time.
Adelaide caught North’s midfield napping early, charging to a four-goal headstart before the Roos belatedly began firing some shots back.
Caleb Daniel was prolific across half-back, Nick Larkey slotted four majors and captain Jy Simpkin typically led a gritty fightback.
Rachele leaves the field after being floored in the marking contest.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Luke Davies-Uniacke drifted in and out of the contest, but he came alive in the third term as the chief architect of the Kangas’ back-to-back centre-bounce goals which sliced Adelaide’s advantage to seven points.
But the Crows finished the quarter strongly against the prevailing southerly with three unanswered six-pointers to ease ahead by 27 points at three-quarter-time.
The result was never in much doubt but nor did the margin seriously balloon out, further evidence that North’s long rebuild remains on track.
It’s just that the Crows’ rise back from similar doldrums is further advanced.
“Both sides were turning the ball over so much in the middle of the game, but they were able to capitalise on their turnovers better than us,” North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson said.
“That put scoreboard pressure on us, whereas when we got an opportunity to have the open play ourselves, we just found a way to muck up a handball or kick.
“It didn’t allow us to convert that turnover chance because some of them were really open plays.
“The ease with which Adelaide got theirs, on the flip side of that, was probably the difference in the game.
“They were tougher, cleaner and harder than us around contest.”
– AAP
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