Fremantle has survived a second half scare against a spirited St Kilda outfit at Optus Stadium, eventually running out as 30-point victors after steadying in the final stages of the last term.
Although many would have pencilled St Kilda out of contention following their abysmal 1.5 first half and game-high 43-point deficit, the Saints managed to turn the tables, bringing themselves back into the game with a six-goal third term.
In a night initially devoid of highlights for St Kilda, first-gamer Ed Phillips (24 disposals) provided all the promise early on, before the leaders in Jack Steven and Jimmy Webster stepped up to the plate in the latter half of the game to give the Saints a sniff.
But it wasn't enough as Fremantle persevered through the Saints' surge, with Nat Fyfe once again leading the charge with 36 disposals (25 contested) and 12 clearances which paved the way for the Dockers' fourth win of the season.
The Dockers found themselves on top of the clearances early in the piece - ultimately winning the quarter count 13-5 - yet their initial entries inside 50 left little to be desired.
St Kilda's Jake Carlisle was kept busy in defence with three intercept marks from Freo's first four entries, ending the term with five intercept marks as Fremantle struggled to find targets in their undermanned forward line.
Jimmy Webster too played spoiler along the wings, thwarting Fremantle's movement forward and mitigating their attacking surges.
But despite their intercept plays, St Kilda's indecisiveness out of half-back and ineffectual kicking inside 50 once again continued to plague them, impeding their attempts to convert.
The task was made even tougher considering all of the Saints' moves to their attacking half were stemmed from half-back, and their work throughout the middle of the ground only resulted in the one centre clearance.
Butchered attempts inside 50 from both sides were all the craze for the opening half of the quarter, until Brandon Matera bucked the trend with a precise kick inside 50 to give Hayden Ballantyne the first of the game after 14 minutes of play.
Danyle Pearce roared the crowd back to life after a long range shot just seconds later, before Aaron Sandilands inflicted more pain on the Saints after a strong grab and goal.
Fyfe continued to cause headaches for the Saints, notching up nine disposals and four clearances for the term.
Although the Saints competed well, with a Maverick Weller rundown tackle on Lachie Neale a highlight, the visitors failed to capitalise on their opportunities in front of goal, with Sam Gilbert the only goalscorer for the term.
Seb Ross' run along the wings attempted to spark the Saints, and presented both Tim Membrey and Jade Gresham with shots on goal, yet both could only muster behinds as the margin sat at 12 points in favour of Fremantle at the first change.
The pressure on St Kilda continued to manifest going into the second term, with inaccurate kicking and poor entries once again at the forefront of their play.
It would only worsen for the Saints, after Carlisle received an accidental knee to the head from Fyfe, resulting in the defender sitting out the rest of the game with a suspected concussion.
With their best player for the game off the field, Fremantle capitalised, booting four unanswered goals for the term.
Fyfe, Neale and Connor Blakely continued to rack the ball up at will, remaining virtually unchallenged as the Saints struggled to keep up with their increasingly confident opposition.
As St Kilda again bungled another opportunity up forward - with a Membrey snap being called a behind upon review - Fremantle moved the ball coast-to-coast in the space of five seconds to reward Matera with his first of the night.
Piling on the pain, the Dockers continued to find space and pace, easily overrunning St Kilda with a further three goals to David Mundy, Fyfe and Cam McCarthy.
With just the three behinds to show for the term, St Kilda were left with a lot to ponder over the long break, trailing by 36 points following Freo's commanding quarter.
Fremantle's ascendancy carried into the third term, with Neale jagging the first of the term virtually unopposed as the margin ballooned out to 43 points.
But what came as a complete surprise to all, St Kilda managed to claw their way back into the contest with a blistering six-goal term to put the Dockers under the pump.
Although Matera added another major to his tally, Membrey finally kicked true to give the Saints their second goal of the match to kick-start their fiery fightback.
In a rare occurrence for the season, the Saints booted four goals in a row, with two Gresham majors sandwiching a long Jarryn Geary goal, which was cleverly shepherded through by David Armitage.
Finding their hands on the ball far more than the home side, St Kilda swarmed over the Purple Army as the Dockers struggled to combat their resurgent opposition.
With their confidence brimming and the little one percenters starting to fall in the Saints' favour, Adam Cerra spoiled the occasion with a major of his own to interrupt the visitors' momentum.
But the Cerra major served as nothing more than a minor inconvenience, as Jack Newnes and Jack Steven converted late to trim the margin back to just 14 points at the final change.
St Kilda got the jump early on the Dockers in the final stanza, with a Membrey intercept in defence giving the Saints an opportunity to bring the margin back to single figures.
Yet the key forward could only extend his figures for the night to 1.4, as Fremantle quickly punished St Kilda's inaccuracy through another Cerra goal.
With an fierce appetite for victory, the Saints continued their surge forward as Freo began to falter in terms of their skill execution.
But despite St Kilda's dominance around the contest, panicked kicks inside the forward 50 and crucial misses allowed Darcy Tucker to kick away and extend the lead once more.
A Tom Hickey major put the Saints just three goals adrift, but as the Dockers continued to chew time off the clock, a final Matera goal solidified the win before Brennan Cox put the icing on what was a decisive victory for Fremantle.
With the final margin resting at 30 points, the Dockers currently sit with a 4-4 record, opposed to the Saints' less than ideal 1-6-1.
Fremantle will face a tough challenge against Sydney next Saturday night at the SCG, while St Kilda will face off against the old rivals in Collingwood in a week's time at Etihad Stadium.
FREMANTLE 3.2 7.5 9.9 13.11 (89)
ST KILDA 1.2 1.5 7.7 8.11 (59)
GOALS
Fremantle: Matera 2, Cerra 2, Tucker, Neale, Ballantyne, Mundy, Sandilands, Cox, McCarthy, Pearce, Fyfe
St Kilda: Gresham 2, Steven, Hickey, Geary, Membrey, Newnes, Gilbert
BEST
Fremantle: Fyfe, Neale, Sandilands, Blakely, Langdon, Brayshaw, Cerra
St Kilda: Webster, Dunstan, Steven, Phillips, Acres
INJURIES
Fremantle: S. Hill (quad, replaced in the selected side by Ryan Nyhuis)
St Kilda: Carlisle (concussion)
TALKING POINTS
1. SAME OLD PROBLEMS LET DOWN SAINTS
Consistency has been an issue for many a year at St Kilda, but week after week, inaccurate shots on goal, terrible ball use and sloppy skill execution are all too prevalent.
Registering just 1.5 in the first half - a score lower than their abysmal 2.10 in round two against North Melbourne - St Kilda were nonetheless able to pick up the pieces with a spirited second half which startled the unsuspecting Dockers.
But short bursts of good form aren't enough to win, with the Saints' late expenditure of effort not lasting through the final quarter.
With emphasis on four quarter efforts down in Moorabbin, there's simply no excuse for such a deplorable first half of football.
Calling heads at this stage of the season is nothing short of malicious, but there's no denying Richardson and his men are well and truly under the pump.
2. FREO'S WIN VITAL GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES
If ever two coaches needed a win to get some pressure off their backs, tonight was the night.
Yet only one could emerge victorious, and ultimately some much-needed weight was taken off Ross Lyon's shoulders following his side's 30-point victory.
As the Saints continue to squander down south, across the west, Ross Lyon is facing a tough battle of his own after two separate complaints have caused rumours to swirl about his future at the club.
The pressure hasn't just been placed upon Lyon, but the players, club staff and the Fremantle Football Club itself, as questions surrounding the club culture continue to escalate.
A timely win to relieve some pressure.
3. FREAKISH FYFE... AGAIN
He's a talking point every week, irrespective of a win, loss or draw, and for good reason.
Simply put, Nat Fyfe is a freak.
Fyfe's 36-disposal game was once again phenomenal, with his presence and skill standing head and shoulders above anyone else on the ground.
His injury-riddled form behind him, the Fremantle skipper is averaging just under 32 touches a game and appears even more dangerous than his Brownlow-winning year.
At this rate, Fyfe looks to add another Charlie to his trophy cabinet.
4. ST KILDA MISSES AGAIN DAMAGING
St Kilda fans will be bald by mid-season, with the few remaining tufts of hair currently on their heads sure to be gone if their side's goal-kicking continues to be horribly wayward.
An uncharacteristic 1.5 from Tim Membrey and a combined team score of 8.11 continued to highlight the Saints woeful year in front of goal, allowing the Dockers to secure the win in the late stages of the final term.
The misses are proving to be costly, with the Saints given several opportunities to cut the margin down to single figures in the last quarter.
Yet their hopes of a win were dashed with inaccurate kicking again letting them down.
With confidence low in front of goal and pressure high as a result, St Kilda need to rectify their kicking before it costs them four points again.
5. ED PHILLIPS, WE SALUTE YOU
In a side whose highlights are few and far between them this year, first-gamer Ed Phillips provided a ray of sunshine for the Saints.
The debutant put together a smooth performance in the west, notching up 24 classy disposals despite his side being put under immense pressure.
Composed with ball in hand, Phillips' 24 touches were the most made by a St Kilda debutant in over 25 years.
Well done, Ed.
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