Janet Linn reporting for AFANA from Subiaco Oval
Before the match a minute’s silence was observed to honor former East Fremantle player, and one of the game’s all time greats, Con Reagan who passed away Saturday while overseas.
In the first quarter the young Hawthorn team took the home team by surprise with some excellent teamwork and attacking moves. The first goal came after only 90 seconds and was scored by Hawk Trent Croad, ironically an ex-Fremantle player. Hawthorn seemed more settled off the starting line than Fremantle who peppered the ball into their forward line and made life impossible for their forwards. The Hawks’ pressure put the attacking skills of Fremantle under the microscope and they came up lacking. Lance Franklin dominated the Hawthorn forward line and there was an air of excitement every time this exciting youngster touched the ball. The Dockers’ play was indecisive coming out of defense and their back men turned the ball over numerous times on the half back line. Croad scored the second goal for the Hawks after being tackled without the football by Luke McPharlin at the 15 minute mark. Fremantle were yet to score at this stage in spite of Sanderlands’ dominance of the center hit outs (eight to zero at this point). The next hit out yielded a score after Fremantle’s Chris Tarrant took an excellent mark but disappointed by scoring a point. Hawk Chance Bateman was on top and set up Hawthorn’s next goal with a good run through half-forward and an eventual goal from Tim Boyle. Fremantle’s ball skills continued to get them into trouble with kick after kick not hitting its mark and often going straight to the opposition. A fine goal by James Walker late in the quarter gave Fremantle some reason to smile but overall it was a discouraging quarter for Freo fans. The Dockers were struggling to counteract the intensity and commitment of the Hawthorn opposition and went into the quarter time huddle 14 points down.
The second quarter started as badly for the Dockers as the first with Hawthorn quickly into attack, scoring a point followed by a goal to Jordan Lewis after a 50 meter penalty against Des Headland. Fremantle could not hit a target in their forward line no matter how hard they tried. A wonderful 80 meter run resulting in a goal by Hawthorn’s Rick Ladson was an indicator of how badly the young Hawk team wanted to win the contest. Fremantle found themselves 26 points behind at the 10 minute mark of the quarter and they seemed to have no answer to the youth and exuberance of the Hawthorn team. The inexperienced Hawks were showing far more discipline and run than their opposition whose stop-start attacking moves were creating confusion in their forwards. A beautiful goal to young Docker Adam Campbell brought Fremantle back into the game at the 12 minute mark. Fremantle lifted its tempo and attacked the ball with more commitment. A skillful interception by Paul Hasleby gave Fremantle its third goal and narrowed the gap to 14 points. Minutes later Des Headland gathered the loose ball from a marking contest in the goal square and Fremantle moved eight points closer. A second brilliant crumbing effort from Headland minutes later saw Fremantle invigorated by their fifth goal. Good work from Tarrant at center half forward saw the ball come forward and a goal from Adam Campbell gave Fremantle the lead late in the quarter. A steadying goal by Hawk Ben McGlynn put the visitors in front at the 28 minute mark. A rushed behind to Fremantle tied the score going into the half-time break.
In the first thirty seconds of the third quarter a mark to Lance Franklin in the forward pocket for Hawthorn yielded a point. Fremantle answered through Haselby and scores were level again. Chris Tarrant used his body to position himself and take a mark. This gave the Fremantle forward a shot on goal and he kicked truly to give Fremantle a six point lead. A skillful mark to Adam Campbell minutes later took Fremantle two goals ahead. The lead widened when Adam Crowley tackled a Hawthorn back man who played on and was caught holding the ball. The resultant goal gave Fremantle a handy 19 point lead. Tim Boyle took a fine mark deep in the Hawks’ forward line and scored his second goal to keep Hawthorn in touch but with a lot of work to do to overtake the reinvigorated Dockers. Late in the quarter the momentum started to shift Hawthorn’s way. Franklin took a good mark in the forward 50 and kicked his first goal for the day to help the Hawks edge closer to be within 12 points. An effective Freo rebound off the half back line gave Chris Tarrant a chance to score his second goal for the quarter and he didn’t disappoint. Another Hawk goal came from Murphy who followed it with a point on the siren. At one point in the quarter Fremantle had been 27 points in front but the Hawks never say die attitude had eroded that lead to only five points setting the scene for an exciting last quarter.
Hawthorn started the final quarter full of energy. A stunning solo run by Campbell Brown through the center gave young Hawk Tim Boyle an opportunity on goal and scores drew level at the four minute mark. A skillful pick up by Ben McGlynn at center half forward gave Hawthorn the lead at the six minute mark. A brilliant juggling mark by Docker second-gamer Adam Campbell saw him celebrate with his fourth goal to give the Dockers a one point lead. Scores were level two minutes later after the Hawks received a dubious free kick in front of goal. The instant replay showed that the umpire awarded the kick for a trip when in fact the player had tripped over his own shorts after being “dakked” (Australian slang for having his pants pulled down) by Docker Peter Bell. To the relief of Dockers' supporters the result was only one point. Matthew Pavlich took a good grab on the 50 meter line and passed to James Walker who kicked a magnificent goal. With Fremantle leading by 5 points at the 18 minute mark, the home crowd erupted in the familiar “Fre-o” chant. A beautiful goal by Pavlich at the 22 minute mark seemed to put the result in no doubt. Josh Carr made sure of it when he received a clever handball from Tarrant and kicked a goal to put Fremantle 16 points in the lead minutes before the full time siren rang.
Final Score:
Fremantle: 1.1 6.6 10.10 14.12 (96)
Hawthorn: 3.1 6.6 9.11 11.14 (80)
Best:
Fremantle: Sandilands, Tarrant, Walker, Campbell
Hawks: Boyle, Croad, Brown, Bateman, McGlynn
Crowd: 36,481 at Subiaco Oval, Perth
Article last changed on Tuesday, May 22, 2007 - 9:49 AM EDT
