3 minute read
Robert Harvey's first match as Collingwood's caretaker coach ended in heartbreak after Fremantle posted a 12-point win in a thrilling finish at Marvel Stadium.
Justin Longmuir hailed Fremantle's growing maturity after they rode a late challenge to give their AFL finals hopes a boost with a tense 12-point win over Collingwood in Robert Harvey's first match as the Magpies' caretaker coach.
The Dockers lost captain Nat Fyfe (shoulder) before the bounce and coughed up a four-goal lead during the second half, falling behind when Collingwood threw caution to the wind in the final term.
But two late goals from Fyfe's replacement Brett Bewley and another from Lachie Schultz helped Fremantle post an important 14.7 (91) to 12.7 (79) victory at Marvel Stadium.
It snapped a seven-match losing streak at the Docklands venue and saw the Dockers draw level on wins with eighth-placed Richmond ahead of a meeting with Carlton next week.
"We stood up under pressure in that last quarter," Fremantle coach Longmuir said.
"We knew they would come and when they hit the front we didn't seem flustered.
"We stayed on task, we were able to execute our roles and it's a sign of a bit of maturity.
"It shows a bit of confidence in being able to execute what we train and a large part of that is the mental game."
David Mundy (28 disposals) and Andrew Brayshaw (24) played important midfield roles for Fremantle and emerging ruckman Sean Darcy did well in an arm wrestle with Brodie Grundy, winning a game-high nine clearances.
Matt Taberner hobbled off with a knee injury before halftime but Rory Lobb took over as the No.1 target in attack, kicking three goals.
Schultz also booted three majors, while young goal-sneak Liam Henry chimed in with two and showed plenty of composure in the dying stages.
There were concerns over Luke Ryan after he copped an accidental boot to the head while attempting to smother a Brody Mihocek snap shot, but the defender passed a concussion test.
Ryan and Griffin Logue stood up in defence for the Dockers as Alex Pearce returned from a long injury lay-off.
After favouring slow ball movement for most of the day, Collingwood went on the attack in the final quarter and kicked three quick goals to level the scores.
Henry landed a steadier for Fremantle after a contentious free kick and 50-metre penalty against Brayden Maynard.
But the Magpies came again, with Grundy putting them in front before Bewley and Schultz combined to steer the Dockers home.
Taylor Adams and Scott Pendlebury were influential for the Magpies in the midfield as Grundy, Josh Thomas and Trent Bianco kicked two goals each.
"We started really well and finished really well but had some inconsistent moments in the middle patch," Harvey said.
"(The players') intent was really good around what we wanted to do, but we just fell into a few patterns we couldn't quite get out of and that affected our scoring and getting scored against."
