Being a Fremantle supporter has been very stressful in the last month. After an explosive start the season, Freo’s form has taken a hit in the last month or so.
Round 14 alone raised a lot of eyebrows after the Dockers couldn’t get their act together against bottom of the ladder Brisbane, until finally kicking away in the last quarter.
One of the most notable issues for Fremantle at the moment seems to be their forward line. The midfield and defence are working over time to get the footy inside the 50 but who is there to receive it and kick the goals?
Until last weekend skipper Matty Pavlich and pocket rocket Hayden Ballantyne couldn’t get a goal to save them selves. And they are not the only ones. On Sunday, Fremantle’s goal kicking from set shots was abysmal. Ballantyne, Chris Mayne, Zac Clarke, big Aaron Sandilands and even super star Nat Fyfe all missed from set shots inside 50.
So what will Fremantle have to do to get back to the premiership winning form that they were showing at the start of the season? Are they still favourites for the flag?
They have only lost one game this season, which is still a bloody good effort, regardless of how we view the game.
Although, going from seemingly only playing a first half of footy earlier in the season and still winning to now only digging deep in the second half or last quarter to steal the win from the opposition has me wondering if Ross Lyon is trying to prove a point? The boys only need to play half a game of footy and are good enough to still secure the 4 points…? I don’t feel that this trend will fair well for much longer.
Well only time will tell. I think this weekend’s game against the Hawks is going to be a big one and will test the Dockers. If there is no one to stand up and be dominant in the forward line I think they may be in trouble.
Talking Points
- Pavlich and Ballantyne MUST make more of an impact on the scoreboard
- Premierships cannot be won without a dominant forward line
- Fremantle need to play hard for the entire game in preparation for beating top 4 sides
