Fremantle got a bit of a scare early, with Adelaide’s unfashionable attacking style of football catching the Dockers off guard and Fremantle’s forwards struggling from some sort of balance problem in front of goals. The Crows even went as far as taking a lead into half time but Fremantle quickly put a stop to that sort of shenaniganising, grinding the Crows down into a husk of a football team during the second half with their wall of defense before unleashing a devastating multi-pronged attack of Pavlich, Ballantyne and Dawson. The Crows were stunned by the cold, calculating way he Fremantle midfielders went about their business and struggled to understand the rigid discipline of the Fremantle defense but what left them aghast was the the versatility shown by Zac Dawson, who caught them unawares with a sudden run into attack and a goal which many have described as match turning. With the game in the bag fairly early in the last quarter, Fremantle cruised home for a 40 point win, poised to claim a spot in the top 4 by month’s end.
