Achi news desk-
Nat Fyfe put on a first-half clearance clinic and Alex Pearce was a rock in defense as Fremantle continued their unbeaten start to the AFL season with a 35-point win over Adelaide at Optus Stadium.
Adelaide were their own worst enemy on what was supposed to be Good Friday, with the Crows producing a horror show with shocking skill errors and woeful decision-making.
Despite the poor display, the visitors went down by just 10 points at three-quarter time before the Dockers piled on four goals to nil in the final quarter to run away with the 9.15 victory (69 ) to 4.10 (34) in front of 51,037 fans. .
The result improved Fremantle’s record to 3-0 in what marks their best start to a season since 2015, while Adelaide’s finals hopes are already on thin ice at 0-3.
Dockers veteran Nat Fyfe had 13 possessions and a staggering eight clearances in the first half alone before fading after that.
Not only did Pearce limit Adelaide forward Taylor Walker to 0.1 from seven disposals, but he also provided excellent defensive rebounding.
Luke Ryan and Jordan Clark were also excellent down back for Fremantle, while Hayden Young (32 disposals, eight clearances) was prolific in midfield, picking up where Fyfe left off.
Adelaide veteran Matt Crouch battled hard for 28 disposals and seven clearances, while captain Jordan Dawson collected 27 possessions.
But on a dirty night for the Crows, Wayne Milera ended late in the third term after injuring his right knee in an awkward landing, while Lachlan Murphy hurt his knee in the quarter-final.
Fremantle surrendered significant leads to the Brisbane Lions (25 points) and North Melbourne (33 points) across the opening two rounds before battling to victory in each game.
The Crows took a 17-8 lead against the Dockers in a scrappy first term, but a late goal to Matt Taberner ensured that the margin was just three points at quarter time.
Crows players unleashed their fury on Taberner after the forward barged into an opponent as the quarter-time siren sounded, sparking an intermittent push and shove that lasted about a minute.
The game became even more messy in the second quarter as Freo won the inside 50m count 16-7 for the season.
Walters had 1.4 to his name before nailing his second goal to put Fremantle ahead, and the veteran provided an important shepherd to set up Jye Amiss for a goal kick, giving the Dockers an eight-point lead on the long break.
Fremantle’s intense tackling was the feature of the first half, while Adelaide were left to rue a number of turnovers.
Fremantle kicked a stubborn 1.5 in the third quarter, with Taberner, Walters, and Michael Frederick all missing reachable shots.
But it was one way traffic in the final term as Bailey Banfield, Josh Treacy, Taberner and Frederick all popped up for goals.
