Lions mid dislocates shoulder in big win over Dockers
Justin Chadwick |
Nat Fyfe’s hopes of ending his career with a premiership are hanging by a thread after Fremantle slumped to a 57-point loss to Brisbane in front of 54,302 fans at Optus Stadium.
The Lions kicked the first five goals of Friday night’s match and staved off a second-quarter Fremantle fightback to post the 15.11 (101) to 5.14 (44) win.
Fyfe will retire at the end of the season, but Fremantle (15-7) could miss the finals unless they beat the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium next week.
Defending premiers Brisbane (15-6-1) are now guaranteed to make finals, and they could secure a prized top-four berth if they defeat Hawthorn at the Gabba next week.
The Lions were at their ruthless best against wayward Fremantle, but the win came at a cost, with midfielder Jarrod Berry dislocating his left shoulder in the final quarter after being bowled over by Andrew Brayshaw.
“I don’t know the full extent, obviously there’ll be scans and stuff like that,” Lions coach Chris Fagan said.
“I mean, it didn’t look good, but sometimes they can find a way to strap them up and get them through the season and have an operation at the end of the year.
“It’s not ideal. He’s been one of our better players this year, very reliable leader. So fingers crossed for him.”
Zac Bailey was huge for Brisbane with 28 disposals and two goals, while Hugh McCluggage (28 disposals, eight clearances, one goal) and Jaspa Fletcher (32 disposals) racked up big numbers.
Lions forward Logan Morris finished with four goals, including two in a dominant final quarter, while Charlie Cameron kicked three majors.
For Fremantle, Caleb Serong (26 disposals, eight clearances) battled hard, while Josh Treacy kicked two goals but committed a host of uncharacteristic errors.
Supersub Fyfe, who came on in the final quarter, finished with eight disposals and a clearance, and was given a guard of honour by both teams after the match.
“It’s very strange, it’s not my style to announce my retirement and keep going,” Fyfe told Fox Sports.
“I would have liked to have just disappeared quietly. But we still have business to complete.
“I will soak in every single minute. This could be the last time I’m out here, and if that’s so, that’s okay.”
Brisbane racked up a whopping 47 uncontested marks in the opening quarter to throw Fremantle off their game, with the Dockers only registering 0.5 for the term.
The Lions were able to kick three goals to take a 15-point lead into the first break, with Dayne Zorko racking up 11 disposals and 225m gained.
Fremantle came out firing in the second quarter – but their early reward was a mere three behinds as their kicking yips continued.
Bailey silenced the crowd when he kicked the ball over his own head to split the sticks from 15m out.
And when Dockers defender Brennan Cox put down Morris 100m off the ball to hand the Lions another goal, alarm bells were ringing.
The margin was 25 points at that stage, but Treacy played like a man possessed for the next few minutes.
Treacy kicked two quick goals to finally end Fremantle’s drought, and when Andrew Brayshaw chipped in with one of his own, the margin was back to just eight points by half-time.
Fremantle undid their good work with a poor start to the third, with the Lions piling on four unanswered goals to extend their lead to 32 points.
The Dockers were their own worst enemy at times.
The perfect example of that was when Treacy took a mark 10m out from goal and decided to play on – only to be run down by Ryan Lester.
Cam Rayner’s two goals for the quarter gave Brisbane a 31-point lead at the final change, and even Fyfe’s introduction for the start of the fourth quarter wasn’t enough to reel in the deficit.
AAP
