Freo third on ladder after wild western derby win
By Justin Chadwick
Harley Reid has officially stamped himself as the No.1 villain of Fremantle supporters on a night when the Dockers overcame a scare to post a 35-point win over West Coast.
Fremantle trailed a Reid-inspired West Coast by 19 points late in the second term of Saturday night’s match before kicking eight consecutive goals to set up the 17.8 (110) to 11.9 (75) win.
The result lifted Fremantle (12-6-1) into third, only percentage behind the second-placed Lions.
Reid, just like he was in West Coast’s shock 37-point win against Fremantle earlier this year, was the spark for the Eagles as last year’s wooden spooners threatened another derby boilover.
The 19-year-old tallied a career-high 29 disposals and 10 clearances for the match, but it was his running battles with Fremantle’s biggest stars that proved to be the most memorable part of a spiteful derby.
Reid and Andrew Brayshaw (36 disposals, one goal) took part in a particularly heated battle, with the pair going tit-for-tat throughout the match.
It didn’t go unnoticed by the 56,536 predominantly-Dockers crowd, who booed Reid every time he got the ball or manhandled a Fremantle player.
Tempers threatened to boil over late in the third quarter when Reid took down Sam Switkowski off the ball.
Bailey Banfield in action.Credit: Getty Images
Switkowski was given a free kick and duly converted, with a wild melee ensuing that is sure to attract plenty of fines.
Eagles veteran Elliot Yeo ensured Reid stayed out of the fracas by escorting him to the middle of the ground.
With Andrew Gaff’s AFL career almost over, it seems the mantle of the most hated Eagle among Fremantle fans has now officially been passed to Reid.
“I loved it,” West Coast interim coach Jarrad Schofield said of Reid’s game.
“For a 19-year-old to be getting booed, to be getting flexed and manhandled by a strong side - they’re concerned about him.”
Luke Jackson tackles Tim Kelly.Credit: Getty Images
Caleb Serong won his third Glendinning-Allan medal as best afield after tallying 32 disposals, 10 clearances and a goal to go with 525m gained, while Josh Treacy, Michael Frederick and Tom Emmett kicked three goals apiece.
“He’s a star,” Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir said of Serong.
“He’s had a phenomenal season. I thought he had a fair few alongside him today and I thought him and Andy, when they were pretty dominant,those two boys just kept at it kept at it.”
The opening quarter was a bruising affair, with young Eagles midfielder Zane Trew lasting just five seconds before suffering a game-ending neck injury after colliding head-first into a teammate.
Fremantle ruckman Sean Darcy looked wobbly late in the quarter after suffering two knocks to the head in the space of a minute.
Jack Petruccelle could be in trouble for the first hit, with the Eagles speedster running past and collecting a sliding Darcy with his hip.
Fremantle dominated clearances 14-7 in the first quarter, but West Coast kicked five goals to three to open up a 13-point lead.
The spiteful nature of the clash continued in the second term, and Reid was in the thick of the action and loving it.
Frustrations got the better of Brayshaw late in the term, with the star midfielder bowling over Reid in brutal fashion after the Eagles young gun had disposed of the ball.
Two clutch 45m set shots from Dockers veteran Jaeger O’Meara - including one on the half-time siren - kept the margin at 13 points.
There were plenty of spotfires in the opening half, but it was nothing compared to the animosity displayed in the third quarter as Fremantle kicked 5.5 to 0.1 to take control of the contest.
Treacy kicked two goals for the term in a monster effort, and when he landed a 52m bomb to start the final quarter and then helped shepherd through an Emmett major, the margin was 33 points and it was as good as game over.
AAP