Freo’s Home Fortress Holds Off a Plucky Suns Outfit
Look, I’ll be upfront about something — watching Fremantle win at Optus Stadium is a complicated experience when you’re a dyed-in-the-wool Eagles fan. It’s a bit like watching your neighbour’s lawn looking better than yours. You’re glad the suburb’s got some green, but you’re also quietly grumbling under your breath the whole time.
Still, Round 16 was a cracking contest over here in the west, and the Dockers did enough to knock off a Gold Coast Suns side that, fair dinkum, gave them more than a few nervous moments before the final siren rang out at Optus Stadium.
The Dockers Didn’t Have It All Their Own Way
Anyone who wandered off at three-quarter time thinking this was a done deal probably missed the most interesting bit of the afternoon. The Suns came hard in patches — and that’s not a consolation-prize observation, that’s genuine credit to a Gold Coast team that’s been building something real up in Queensland over the last couple of seasons.
Fremantle were better for most of the contest, and the scoreboard reflects that. But there were periods, particularly through the second and third quarters, where the Suns’ pressure around the contest was as good as anything you’ll see in the competition right now. Their forwards worked hard and created opportunities that a stingier Dockers defence might’ve kept out more comfortably.
In the end, class and home ground advantage told. Freo got it done. But the margin flattered them somewhat, and if you’re a Suns supporter you’re probably feeling reasonably hopeful about the second half of the season.
The Midfield Battle Was the Story of the Day
This is where the game was won and lost, as it usually is. Fremantle’s midfield brigade has been one of the more consistent engines in the competition this year, and they showed exactly why on Saturday. Their ball movement out of the centre was sharp, and when they got it rolling early in the first quarter, Gold Coast struggled to get a hand on it.
What I’ll credit the Suns for, though, is they didn’t just roll over. Their on-ball group kept grinding, kept applying pressure at the stoppages, and they clawed their way back into the game during that second-term passage of play I mentioned earlier. They won enough of those contested moments to keep the scoreboard ticking, even if Fremantle ultimately ran away with the clearance count.
Over here in the west we know what it’s like to have your midfield carry the load. Some weeks it clicks, some weeks it doesn’t. For Freo today, it mostly clicked — and that’s what separates the top-eight contenders from the rest at this point of the season.
Gold Coast’s Forward Line Was a Genuine Handful
I want to spend a bit of time on the Suns’ forward half because I reckon it deserves more attention than it’ll get on the Monday morning wrap shows down in Melbourne. Not that the footy media would ever go out of their way to spotlight a positive story from a Queensland or WA club — heaven forbid something interesting happened outside the Yarra catchment area.
But seriously, Gold Coast’s forwards worked exceptionally hard all day. Their ability to creat space inside 50 caused Fremantle’s backline some genuine headaches, and had their finishing been a fraction sharper in front of goal — particularly in that third quarter — this could’ve been a very different result. A couple of regulation shots on goal that went begging were the difference between a thriller and a comfortable win.
That’s footy, though. You don’t take your chances, the points don’t go up.
Optus Stadium Does It Again
Right, I’ll say this without any bias whatsoever — Optus Stadium is an absolutely ripper venue. It’s world-class. And before anyone accuses me of going soft on the Dockers, I’ll point out that it’s also the Eagles’ home ground, which makes it objectively the best stadium in the country by pure association.
The crowd over here in the west got right into it today. There’s something about a Saturday afternoon game at Optus that just brings the atmosphere out of people, and the fans gave both sides a decent run. The Suns’ travelling contingent — never huge, given the trek from Queensland, and trust me, as a WA club supporter I know all about the tyranny of distance — made their presence felt in the early going.
It’s genuinely frustrating that east-coast commentators still underestimate what a genuine football atmosphere looks and sounds like out here. Come over and have a look, fellas. We’ve been doing this for decades.
What This Result Means for Both Clubs
For Fremantle, this is exactly the kind of win you need to bank in the second half of the home-and-away season. They’re firmly in the mix for September footy, and a victory against a competitive Suns outfit — even if it wasn’t totally convincing — is two more points on the ladder. In a tight competition, that’s all that matters.
The Dockers will know they’ve got work to do. The efficiency in front of goal could’ve been better, and there were a few defensive lapses that a more clinical team might’ve punished. But overall, you’d take this as a coach. Win ugly, win pretty, just win.
For Gold Coast, the takeaway shouldn’t be too gloomy. They went to Optus Stadium — which, as I keep saying, is a genuinely tough place to play — and they competed hard for most of the game. They’re still in the hunt for a finals spot themselves, and a few wins in a row from here and they’ll be well and truly in the conversation.
The big concern for the Suns is their composure when they have chances to really put the foot down. They had moments today where the game was theirs to really hurt Freo, and they didn’t capitalise. At this level, you’ve got to be ruthless when the door opens.
A Word From the Cheap Seats
Look, as an Eagles fan I’ve had a complicated relationship with watching Fremantle games this year. Every time they win, I do a little internal calculation about where it puts them on the ladder relative to us. It’s a West Australian thing — we want both clubs to do well, mostly, but not necessarily better than each other.
What I’ll say is this: watching this game today, regardless of who you barrack for, you got your money’s worth. Two teams genuinely competing hard, a bit of skill on display, some momentum swings that kept you honest, and a result that wasn’t certain until fairly late in the piece.
That’s not nothing. Over here in the west, we’ve had plenty of dead rubbers served up as entertainment. This wasn’t one of them.
Round 16 done and dusted. The finals picture is starting to take shape, and it’s going to be a fascinating run home form here. Whether your colours are purple and white or red and gold — or, you know, the correct blue and gold — there’s plenty to look forward to between now and September.
Just don’t expect the Melbourne media to notice until someone in a Victorian jumper does something mildly interesting. Same as it ever was, ay.
