Janet Linn reporting for AFANA from Subiaco Oval
The final match of the Anzac Day round in Perth promised much. Before the encounter, an Australia-wide betting frenzy saw punters invest large sums of money on a Dockers win. With Adelaide certain to be without some of their best players through injury (captain Mark Ricciuto, ruckman Rhett Biglands, forward Trent Hentschel and back men Graham Johncock and Kris Massie) and doubts about Simon Welsh (who didn’t play) and Simon Goodwin (who did), the stage looked set for the home team to post its second win of the season.
In a dramatic pre-match revelation, the Fremantle Dockers announced that the club had suspended key forward Jeff Farmer (already out of the game for five weeks after being found guilty of eye-gouging in the pre-season NAB Cup). Police arrested the beleaguered Farmer late Saturday night for allegedly assaulting a security guard at a Perth nightclub. The Dockers acted quickly to suspend Farmer until round 13 with a fine of $5000 thrown in for good measure.
Not even Farmer’s indiscretion and its potential to harm Freo’s 2007 season could mar the highlight of the game for Freo fans – the popular Shaun McManus’ 200th game. McManus has overcome serious injury, inconsistent form and two knee reconstructions in two seasons to become only the second Docker in club history to reach the 200 milestone. The stirring Anzac Day ceremony that preceded the game was a fitting beginning to what turned out to be a memorable game.
The coin toss was won by 200 gamer McManus and Fremantle kicked to the city end of Subiaco Oval. Adelaide scored a goal within the first minute after some loose checking by the Fremantle back line allowed Ian Perrie an easy mark and shot on goal from directly in front. Minutes later a strong mark by Chris Tarrant on the goal line looked like a certain six pointer for Fremantle until the Collingwood export kicked straight into the man on the mark. At the 12 minute mark of the quarter Tarrant regained some fans and made up for his previous lapse in skill by kicking a brilliant goal from outside the 50 meter line. Fremantle’s forward forays were continually thwarted by Adelaide’s tactic of running extra men in defense. Time after time the ball rebounded from the half forward line after promising forward moves by Freo. Eventually Adelaide entered their forward line for only the fourth time and scored a timely goal through Scott Stevens. A goal by Scott Thompson saw the Crows gain a 9 point advantage before Docker Ryan Crowley scored a late goal to finish the quarter.
It was raining errors at Subiaco Oval in the second quarter. Adelaide dominated the first ten minutes of play and Stevens soon scored his second goal after some poor defensive work by the Dockers. Fremantle fought valiantly but excellent pressure by the Adelaide defense saw the Crows dictating the terms of the game. This was a low scoring quarter marred by mistakes that at times bordered on the farcical. Fremantle gradually worked their way back into the game with a flurry of entrances into their forward 50. Eventually these attacks bore fruit with a brilliant goal by Troy Cook at the 18 minute mark leaving the visitors only one point ahead. The last part of the quarter was a hard slog with the ball ricocheting from Fremantle to Adelaide and back again with both teams breaking down on their respective forward lines. It was hard to pick good players for either side as the game became congested and not a great spectacle for the fans. When the half-time siren sounded the Crows entered the dressing rooms with a one point lead. The stage looked set for an intense second half.
A tight third quarter kept the crowd on tenterhooks. The Dockers bounced out of the dressing rooms to start the second half full of run and commitment. A promising attack ended disappointingly when Matthew Pavlich kicked across the goal face and didn’t score at all. A reinvigorated Fremantle team trapped the ball in their forward line until a forced behind saw them take the lead at the 6 minute mark. Adelaide registered a behind several minutes later to draw level and the next 15 minutes saw both teams throw themselves into the tussle with vigor as the lead changed nine times--the pressure was intense. Nathan Bock marked a ball that rebounded from the Dockers’ forward line and his straight kick put the Crows five points ahead. A superb tackle by Luke Webster 15 meters in front of goal led to a Dean Solomon goal that gave Fremantle a 1 point lead. Nathan Van Berlo scored a goal for Adelaide followed by a Troy Cook goal for the Dockers. The pace was frenetic with players putting their all into the contest. Fremantle had the ball in their forward line for much of the quarter but didn’t reap the rewards on the scoreboard. A bad miss by Luke Webster at the 26 minute mark gave the Crows renewed determination as they headed into their forward line. Scott Stevens took a shot on goal but missed to the right of the goal post. This was a low scoring, high energy quarter of highs and lows for both teams. The fourth quarter promised to be a thrilling fight to the finish.
The fourth quarter produced an epic finish and turned into the ultimate cliffhanger. A turnover from a poor kick by Heath Black gave Ian Perrie the first shot on goal and Dockers fans breathed a sigh of relief as he missed the goal posts. An Adelaide player was penalized for a throw in front of the Fremantle goal (a potentially controversial decision but confirmed by the instant replay as the correct one) and he put the ball straight through the middle to put Fremantle 7 points in front. Adelaide persevered and several minutes later a forced behind and a third goal to Scott Stevens tied the score. A wayward shot and miss on goal by Des Headland put the Dockers one point in front. Fremantle swarmed into attack and Peter Bell was on the end of a terrific kick forward by Chris Tarrant. Bell goaled to give the Dockers a seven point lead. A poster minutes later by Dean Solomon took Freo to an eight point lead. The Fremantle chant echoed around Subiaco Oval. The Fremantle defense stood firm in spite of continued forward thrusts by Adelaide yielding only two points. There was intense pressure at all contests around the ground. A kick out of the pack at the 23 minute mark gave Ian Perrie his second goal and suddenly scores were level. Every clearance became crucial. When Crow Robert Shirley spoiled a certain mark by Crowley in front of goal the home crowd was on the edge of its seats. Minutes later the ball came out of a pack into the hands of Des Headland who kicked a point. The fullback’s kick into play was marked by Docker Matthew Pavlich in the center square just as the siren sounded. The home crowd gasped. It was Fremantle by a point. The Dockers’ team song began playing and those punters who bet on Fremantle went home happy and richer!
The final match of the Anzac Day round in Perth promised much. Before the encounter, an Australia-wide betting frenzy saw punters invest large sums of money on a Dockers win. With Adelaide certain to be without some of their best players through injury (captain Mark Ricciuto, ruckman Rhett Biglands, forward Trent Hentschel and back men Graham Johncock and Kris Massie) and doubts about Simon Welsh (who didn’t play) and Simon Goodwin (who did), the stage looked set for the home team to post its second win of the season.
In a dramatic pre-match revelation, the Fremantle Dockers announced that the club had suspended key forward Jeff Farmer (already out of the game for five weeks after being found guilty of eye-gouging in the pre-season NAB Cup). Police arrested the beleaguered Farmer late Saturday night for allegedly assaulting a security guard at a Perth nightclub. The Dockers acted quickly to suspend Farmer until round 13 with a fine of $5000 thrown in for good measure.
Not even Farmer’s indiscretion and its potential to harm Freo’s 2007 season could mar the highlight of the game for Freo fans – the popular Shaun McManus’ 200th game. McManus has overcome serious injury, inconsistent form and two knee reconstructions in two seasons to become only the second Docker in club history to reach the 200 milestone. The stirring Anzac Day ceremony that preceded the game was a fitting beginning to what turned out to be a memorable game.
The coin toss was won by 200 gamer McManus and Fremantle kicked to the city end of Subiaco Oval. Adelaide scored a goal within the first minute after some loose checking by the Fremantle back line allowed Ian Perrie an easy mark and shot on goal from directly in front. Minutes later a strong mark by Chris Tarrant on the goal line looked like a certain six pointer for Fremantle until the Collingwood export kicked straight into the man on the mark. At the 12 minute mark of the quarter Tarrant regained some fans and made up for his previous lapse in skill by kicking a brilliant goal from outside the 50 meter line. Fremantle’s forward forays were continually thwarted by Adelaide’s tactic of running extra men in defense. Time after time the ball rebounded from the half forward line after promising forward moves by Freo. Eventually Adelaide entered their forward line for only the fourth time and scored a timely goal through Scott Stevens. A goal by Scott Thompson saw the Crows gain a 9 point advantage before Docker Ryan Crowley scored a late goal to finish the quarter.
It was raining errors at Subiaco Oval in the second quarter. Adelaide dominated the first ten minutes of play and Stevens soon scored his second goal after some poor defensive work by the Dockers. Fremantle fought valiantly but excellent pressure by the Adelaide defense saw the Crows dictating the terms of the game. This was a low scoring quarter marred by mistakes that at times bordered on the farcical. Fremantle gradually worked their way back into the game with a flurry of entrances into their forward 50. Eventually these attacks bore fruit with a brilliant goal by Troy Cook at the 18 minute mark leaving the visitors only one point ahead. The last part of the quarter was a hard slog with the ball ricocheting from Fremantle to Adelaide and back again with both teams breaking down on their respective forward lines. It was hard to pick good players for either side as the game became congested and not a great spectacle for the fans. When the half-time siren sounded the Crows entered the dressing rooms with a one point lead. The stage looked set for an intense second half.
A tight third quarter kept the crowd on tenterhooks. The Dockers bounced out of the dressing rooms to start the second half full of run and commitment. A promising attack ended disappointingly when Matthew Pavlich kicked across the goal face and didn’t score at all. A reinvigorated Fremantle team trapped the ball in their forward line until a forced behind saw them take the lead at the 6 minute mark. Adelaide registered a behind several minutes later to draw level and the next 15 minutes saw both teams throw themselves into the tussle with vigor as the lead changed nine times--the pressure was intense. Nathan Bock marked a ball that rebounded from the Dockers’ forward line and his straight kick put the Crows five points ahead. A superb tackle by Luke Webster 15 meters in front of goal led to a Dean Solomon goal that gave Fremantle a 1 point lead. Nathan Van Berlo scored a goal for Adelaide followed by a Troy Cook goal for the Dockers. The pace was frenetic with players putting their all into the contest. Fremantle had the ball in their forward line for much of the quarter but didn’t reap the rewards on the scoreboard. A bad miss by Luke Webster at the 26 minute mark gave the Crows renewed determination as they headed into their forward line. Scott Stevens took a shot on goal but missed to the right of the goal post. This was a low scoring, high energy quarter of highs and lows for both teams. The fourth quarter promised to be a thrilling fight to the finish.
The fourth quarter produced an epic finish and turned into the ultimate cliffhanger. A turnover from a poor kick by Heath Black gave Ian Perrie the first shot on goal and Dockers fans breathed a sigh of relief as he missed the goal posts. An Adelaide player was penalized for a throw in front of the Fremantle goal (a potentially controversial decision but confirmed by the instant replay as the correct one) and he put the ball straight through the middle to put Fremantle 7 points in front. Adelaide persevered and several minutes later a forced behind and a third goal to Scott Stevens tied the score. A wayward shot and miss on goal by Des Headland put the Dockers one point in front. Fremantle swarmed into attack and Peter Bell was on the end of a terrific kick forward by Chris Tarrant. Bell goaled to give the Dockers a seven point lead. A poster minutes later by Dean Solomon took Freo to an eight point lead. The Fremantle chant echoed around Subiaco Oval. The Fremantle defense stood firm in spite of continued forward thrusts by Adelaide yielding only two points. There was intense pressure at all contests around the ground. A kick out of the pack at the 23 minute mark gave Ian Perrie his second goal and suddenly scores were level. Every clearance became crucial. When Crow Robert Shirley spoiled a certain mark by Crowley in front of goal the home crowd was on the edge of its seats. Minutes later the ball came out of a pack into the hands of Des Headland who kicked a point. The fullback’s kick into play was marked by Docker Matthew Pavlich in the center square just as the siren sounded. The home crowd gasped. It was Fremantle by a point. The Dockers’ team song began playing and those punters who bet on Fremantle went home happy and richer!
Fremantle 2.3 3.7 5.13 7.16 (58)
Adelaide 3.0 4.2 6.5 8.9 (57)
Crowd 37,172
Best players:
Fremantle: McPharlin, Dodd, Bell, McManus, Cook, Webster
Adelaide: Stevens, Thompson, Perrie
Article last changed on Tuesday, May 22, 2007 - 9:39 AM EDT
Comments
Posted by Anonymous (not verified) on April 08, 2008
It was Luke Webster who
It was Luke Webster who kicked to winning point, not Des Headland!
