There's an old Derby saying down Fremantle way. 'If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.' It’s something that Fremantle normally don't worry about. 'Let them look' Chris Connolly was often heard to say before one of his many derby wins but Ross Lyon is a more cautious man and, with an anomaly of fixturing seeing the Eagles up the top end of the ladder, he didn't want them getting too much of a look at his game plan should the Dockers meet up with West Coast in the business end of the season. It was obvious from the opening bounce that Fremantle weren't taking the game seriously, most of them barely getting out of a trot in the opening quarter. Obvious to everyone that is except the Eagles who puffed their chests out as they took an early lead, as if the game was actually of any meaning. Once the Eagles had a bit of a lead, the Freo players thought they'd better make a show of things, lest the AFL get suspicious and throw some sort of a tanking fine their way; but it was all pretty laid back sort of stuff from Fremantle. A few speccy marks, a couple of fancy goals and the odd jaw breaking smack to the head...but with the focus clearly on September. You can’t fly that Western Derby trophy from a flagpole, Eagles. Trust us. We’ve tried.