CROWS DONE IN A THRILLER
DOCKERS STILL ALIVE
ADELAIDE’S season is on life support after a breakout game from Fremantle youngster Brennan Cox inspired the Dockers to an upset threepoint win at Perth Stadium last night.
The Dockers got home despite a late moment of madness from Fremantle star Michael Walters, who will face match review scrutiny today after punching Adelaide’s Jake Kelly in the stomach.
Walters then immediately gave away a 50m penalty and was reported for a headbutt on Tom Doedee.
It gave the Crows a lifeline with two minutes remaining, but Fremantle survived on the back of Cox’s four goals.
Injury-ravaged Adelaide has now lost four of its past five games and at 6-6 will face a critical clash with Hawthorn at the MCG on Saturday night before the relief of a bye.
Defender Luke Brown (ankle) joined the club’s long injury list, limping from the ground early in the last quarter and taking no further part.
Adelaide missed a series of chances on goal in the final term, with small forward Eddie Betts finishing with 2.6.
Fremantle breathed some much-needed optimism into a gloomy campaign with the dogged victory, which came after a series of big momentum swings. The Dockers could lose Walters to a ban but will regain Nat Fyfe from suspension for Saturday’s game against Carlton at Etihad Stadium, where the captain will play his 150th game.
Fremantle will also hope to regain veteran ruckman Aaron Sandilands, who has missed the past two games with concussion.
The Crows turned the match on its head in the second quarter, turning a 22-point quarter-time deficit into a twogoal buffer by the time the teams headed to the rooms for the major break.
The visitors had just two more inside-50 entries for the term but attacked with far more conviction and piled on six goals to none for the term.
Fremantle emerged with a more up-tempo style, with strong defensive pressure and a willingness to play on quickly laying the platform for another big momentum swing.
When Cox marked strongly and kicked his fourth 13 minutes into the final term, it was just the second of the 18 goals kicked scored at the eastern end. Myles Poholke’s goal after the siren was too little too late.