3 minute read
Fremantle skipper Nat Fyfe had another wayward day in front of goal, but the Dockers still beat North Melbourne by 51 points for their third win on the trot.
Fremantle veteran David Mundy has produced yet another vintage display to guide his side to a thumping 51-point AFL win over North Melbourne at an empty Optus Stadium.
Mundy tallied 30 disposals, eight clearances, and three goals in the 14.15 (99) to 6.12 (48) win on Saturday night.
Dockers skipper Nat Fyfe was also critical in the win with 34 disposals and four contested marks, while goalsneak Lachie Schultz and spearhead Matt Taberner booted four goals each.
Fyfe's day could have been even better had he been accurate in front of goal, with the two-time Brownlow medallist returning 0.4 to take his season tally to 1.12.
The Dockers suffered a blow in the final quarter when Brennan Cox injured his ankle, with the star defender subbed out of the game.
The result lifted Fremantle (4-2) into sixth spot, while the Kangaroos (0-6) remain anchored to the bottom of the ladder with a percentage of 45.9.
Veteran Jack Ziebell tried hard for the visitors with 37 disposals, but Fremantle simply had too many guns in the midfield, with Mundy, Fyfe, Caleb Serong, and Andrew Brayshaw leading the way.
"There was a lot of distractions for both teams coming into this match," Dockers coach Justin Longmuir said in reference to Perth's three-day COVID-19 lockdown.
"At the end of the day, getting the win was the best part of it.
"It's disappointing there was no crowd here. My heart goes out to Anzacs who were coming along tonight, and everyone at the club who put in so much time and effort to organise such a great show.
"It was a bit of an eerie feeling to be honest coming here today."
North Melbourne's Jy Simpkin could be in strife for his roundhouse hit to the ribs of Ethan Hughes in the first quarter.
Hughes had taken the mark at head-height before copping Simpkin's swinging arm, which forced the Fremantle defender from the field for several minutes.
Kangaroos coach David Noble said there hadn't been any directive from the coaching staff to be more physical.
"Jy's a pretty strong ball player, a competitive beast by nature," Noble said.
Fremantle's 2021 goalkicking woes were clear to see in the opening quarter.
Fyfe, who booted 0.6 against Hawthorn a fortnight ago, hit the post from a 25m set shot that he decided to snap around his body despite being directly in front.
Michael Frederick, Rory Lobb, and Travis Colyer also missed gettable shots.
The Kangaroos dominated clearances in the first quarter, but Mundy and Fyfe turned the tables in the second as the Dockers piled on four goals in three minutes of game time to take complete control.
Mundy entered the halftime break with 20 disposals, six clearances, and two goals to his name.
North Melbourne showed more fight early in the third quarter, with a few spotfires breaking out as tempers threatened to boil over.
Nick Larkey's powerful pack mark and goal, and a beautiful soccer goal from ruckman Todd Goldstein closed the margin to 20 points.
Fremantle missed a host of gettable shots, but goals to Schultz and Michael Walters in the final two minutes of the term extended the margin back out to a match-winning 51 points.
