How Freo learnt from past mistakes in courageous win
Fremantle captain Alex Pearce has revealed his immense pride after his side learned from past mistakes to close out a gutsy, hard-fought victory over the Western Bulldogs.
The Dockers’ inability to win tight tussles had become a worrying trend over the past two seasons, as they failed to defend leads and convert crucial opportunities late in games.
Despite a trio of injuries, including to star ruckman Luke Jackson, and a late charge from the Dogs, the hosts held on to claim a 16-point victory at Optus Stadium on Sunday.
Pearce said he was “really proud” of his teammates for pushing through to get the job done.
“It was a tough last quarter. We had three guys go down….There weren’t many rotations, so there were a lot of guys who were out on their feet,’ he told The West Australian.
“We had Patrick Voss playing in the ruck the whole last quarter. Just had guys you could tell just had nothing left, they just keep pushing through.
“That’s what we expect from everyone, but I think some of the decisions we made late just to be able to do the right thing when the game required it, which is where we’ve been let down before.
“I think the defenders did quite a good job of just being able to take their (the Dogs’) pressure and hold up.
“I’m really proud of everyone. We wanted to be able to take the lessons from some of the close losses, and I think we did that.”
Voss attended 25 ruck contests in the last quarter after Jackson went down with a hamstring injury, including the stoppage that led to the Murphy Reid sealer.
With less than a minute to go, the 21-year-old shoved All-Australian Tim English, roved the ball and got it into the hands of Reid. Pearce said the celebration from Voss, who charged off into open space, was proof of the passion he had for the club.
“It doesn’t surprise me with Vossy,” Pearce said. “He’s had to work so hard to get a spot on our list and get a spot in the team and it’s spilled off that, he just tries his guts out, and he does it for his teammates. We really love playing with him.
“Some of the efforts that he put up (on Sunday), I could just see the look on his face, he had absolutely nothing left with quite a long way to go, and he just kept on going. So proud of him and all the guys, really.”
Pearce said the close bond of the group helped the players dig deep, with gut-runner Nathan O’Driscoll (ankle) and defender Corey Wagner (calf) also injured.
“We want to win and play well for each other and for this club. You can tell some of the passion out there,” he said.
“We were celebrating not only goals, some of the little things, some of the big tackles and big contests. The way we complimented each other, it’s a great group to be a part of, and I’m very proud to be able to lead it.”
Fremantle’s season is now back on track after a rocky 0-2 start following a 78-point loss to Geelong and three-point defeat to Sydney ahead of their Gather Round clash with wooden spooners Richmond on Sunday.
“We didn’t play very well in round one. We played a bit better round two, and we were building, and last week, we got the job done (against West Coast),” Pearce said.
“We knew what we can deliver, and we’re starting to. I was proud of why we were able to battle it out (against the Dogs).”
The Dockers are set to be without Jackson, O’Driscoll and Wagner against the Tigers, but could re-gain Sean Darcy and Hayden Young after both returned from injury through the WAFL.
“They’ve worked really hard to get back. I’ve been really proud of the way Sean’s battled his way to playing footy,” Pearce said.
“I guess I know how it feels to miss quite a lot of footy… it’s never it’s never linear trajectory, when you’re in rehab for that long, and he’s had some ups and downs and some challenges.
“But one thing that’s he stayed true is just his personality and his drive to get back and to work hard. Because he’s got that in him, it means he’s been able to come back, and he’s in really good shape.
“It’ll take some time for him to get back to his best. But I’m just really proud of him, and it’ll be really nice to play alongside him soon.”