The 60th Perth derby was no classic, and certainly no demolition, but it delivered a much-needed win for Fremantle. There has been an anxiety growing around the Dockers – about the coaching, about their trustworthiness and about the way they manage their moments in close finishes. The wolves would have been at the door had they dropped this. Thankfully for them, in a typically spirited local affair, they had too much class and too much run in the legs for the Eagles.
Freo’s priority on Sunday was to recapture their midfield dominance. Sydney and Geelong, two AFL teams that tend not to excel in that area, trounced them in the stoppages in the first fortnight. Caleb Serong, coming off a rare poor game last week, racked up 35 touches, more than half of them contested. He has only just turned 24, but has already been best afield in four derbies.
