Fox Footy pundits have urged Fremantle to be more brave with the ball in the club’s semi-final showdown against Collingwood, saying the Dockers “have to change.”
The Dockers won the disposal (188-167) and mark (57-42) counts in the first half and had the top four possession getters on the ground (Blake Acres, Andy Brayshaw, Caleb Serong and Luke Ryan), but only booted 2.2 to the Magpies’ 6.6 to trail by 28 points.
Justin Longmuir’s side, which rank second in the AFL in switches, had several opporuntities to attack the corridor but continued to play out wide across the wings and flanks.
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“Collingwood are controlling the flow of the ball, and Freo when they win it back, they don’t know what to do with it,” Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall told Fox Footy at halftime.
“They’re going slow, they’re going wide and they don’t even look like threatening to score.”
Richmond champion Jack Riewoldt highlighted that the “numbers are lying” given the Dockers gave the leading disposal getters in the contest but haven’t looked threatening.
“The ball has been played in one half, and Freo like a bit jumpy at the moment, especially with their handballing,” he said.
“It’s so funny how offence and defence are intrinsically linked. Fremantle’s offence is what’s killing them defensively. They’re trying to chip the ball and they’re kicking into the middle, but then pop it out the side.
“Collingwood are happy for them to try and go around then. They know if they’ beat them through the middle, they’re going to score, but it’s a really hard way to score going around that Collingwood bubble they’re setting up.”
If anything Collingwood should’ve been up by more at the main break, with Craig McRae’s side kicking 2.6 in a wasteful second term.
The two contrast of styles was stark as the Pies embraced a chaotic and more direct brand to the Dockers’ conservative approach.
“I’d hate to be playing in the Freo forward line, because the ball is coming through slowly, it’s coming from wide positions,” Dunstall noted.
“Every time they get it in the corridor in a good position to attack, they hold it up, they don’t like what they see, so they kick back out wide and take away half the ground.”
Four-time premiership Hawk Jordan Lewis added: “The bottom line is they have to change. If they continue to play the way they played in the first half, they’re not going to challenge.”
