West Coast has produced an efficient and composed performance in the intense first derby at Optus Stadium in front of 56,521 fans to run out eight-point winners over a determined, albeit ultimately hapless, Fremantle outfit.
Josh Kennedy slotted three integral goals for the Eagles, surpassing Peter Sumich's club record of 514 goals, while Jack Redden and Andrew Gaff were prominent with the midfield with 34 and 32 touches respectively.
Shannon Hurn too was spectacular down in defence, preventing the Dockers from converting throughout the entire game and taking out the Ross Glendinning Medal alongside Fremantle's Lachie Neale.
Neale was back to his best, finishing off his day with a game-high 35 disposals and eight tackles, but it wasn't enough for Freo to edge out their fellow West Australian rivals, with the latter far superior in the centre of the ground through their clearances (8-17) and hit-outs (34-52).
All eyes were on the opening bounce, as many a predicted battle played out before the on-looking crowd’s eyes, with Elliot Yeo going straight to Nat Fyfe, and while youngster Bailey Banfield took place next to West Coast gun, Luke Shuey.
After playing out the opening five minutes in a heavily contested affair in-between the two 50s, Josh Kennedy marked inside 50 and slotted through the historic first goal of the game.
But Dockers forward Michael Walters kicked truly from 30 metres on the run soon after to restore the game to a one-point ball game in favour of the Eagles.
Although set for a massive game, Walters was sidelined after a sustaining a suspected PCL injury late in the term, leaving a gaping hole in the Dockers' forward line which they couldn't fill.
West Coast managed to lock the ball in their half for sustained periods, demonstrated by the Eagles spending nigh on 70 per cent of the game in their half midway through the first term.
Yet they failed to capitalise on their territorial dominance through sloppy entries, clangers and a desperate Freo defence, as Josh Kennedy remained their only goal-kicker.
The Dockers' ability to move the ball at speed on the counter and deliver efficiently inside 50 set the teams apart in the latter stages of the opening term, upstaging the Eagles by scoring seven times from seven entries, as opposed to their opposition's two from seven.
Ed Langdon, Brandon Matera and David Mundy exemplified their efficiency, kicking a procession of goals late in the opening term to hand Fremantle a three-goal lead.
Jack Darling and Nic Naitanui provided a timely boost for the Eagles at the start of the second quarter, with the Eagles slotting the first of the term through a series of costly Fremantle free kicks.
But Fyfe, with his third clearance and 12th touch of the game, set up Cam McCarthy to slot his first and restore a 19-point lead early in the second.
The Freo skipper's influence however ultimately petered out despite is final figures of 27 disposals, with Yeo tagging on the superstar for the remainder of the game.
Alex Pearce, widely acknowledged as the best defender of the year thus far, provided a pivotal contest to deny Kennedy a certain goal on a fast West Coast breakaway, once again highlightin the Dockers' intensity and application in the first derby at Optus Stadium.
After wasted opportunities via Marc LeCras and Jack Darling, the latter turned small forward to add the Eagles' second of the term to provide a potential shift in momentum; the margin resting at just 12 points.
The Eagles added another one through LeCras who made amends for his earlier miss, sandwiching two Fremantle behinds, before being followed by Darling’s second to bring scores level with seven minutes until the main break.
West Coast’s dominance finally begun to pay dividends, with +41 disposals inside the forward half, +18 inside 50’s, +8 tackles and -7 clangers midway through the second term.
As Shuey added a third goal in a row for West Coast, the Eagles found themselves with an eight-point advantage at half-time.
Fremantle started the second half similarly to the way West Coast ended the first; winning clearances and earning repeat entries into their forward 50.
McCarthy and Darcy Tucker capitalised on an inside 50 count of 5-0 in the opening 5 minutes to restore a five-point lead to the Dockers.
But the Eagles replied instantly through rookie Jake Waterman with clever ball use and a calm finish from 45m out on an angle.
The game continued in end-to-end fashion, with both teams guilty of sloppy ball usage in their forward half until a slick West Coast counterattack found Josh Kennedy, who kicked truly from a tight angle to slot his second of the game.
West Coast continued to push forward with momentum, until a courageous Ed Langdon mark and sensational "shake and bake" to lose Shuey resulted in a Freo goal, with the margin cut back down to just one point.
Back-to-back goals via Waterman and Redden steadied the ship for the Eagles late into the second term, as they returned to their form of the first half and asserted their dominance over Fremantle.
However, a desperate smother from Tucker and a costly 50m penalty by Shannon Hurn allowed a passive Hayden Ballantyne to slot his first goal of the game late in the third quarter, before David Mundy missed after the siren to bring the margin back to six points heading into the final break.
Despite an intense start to the term by Fremantle, Dom Sheed capitalised on a Fremantle turnover to slot home from 40m out, establishing a 13-point lead early in the last term against a tiring Fremantle outfit.
The Dockers continued to struggle to exit their defensive 50, as West Coast continued to limit their ball usage.
It wasn't until a sloppy Jeremy McGovern tackle let the pressure off, to which Angus Brayshaw ultimately capitalised by slotting his first AFL goal to breathe the some life into the Dockers.
Although having a period of sustained pressure, sloppy turnovers by Fremantle cost them opportunities to bring themselves back into the game as West Coast, via a composed Yeo and a clinical Kennedy, added a further two goals to take a 20-point margin heading into the dying stages of the game.
Late goals to Hayden Ballantyne and Darcy Tucker proved to be little more than consolation as the Eagles ran out eight-point victors in the first ever derby at Optus Stadium.
Fremantle will be heading to the MCG to play against Richmond on Sunday afternoon, while West Coast will remain in Perth in what will be a highly anticipated contest against Port Adelaide.
FREMANTLE 4.3 5.4 9.7 12.9 (81)
WEST COAST 1.1 6.6 10.7 13.11 (89)
GOALS
Fremantle: Ballantyne 2, McCarthy 2. Tucker 2, Langdon 2, Walters, Mundy, Brayshaw, Matera
West Coast: Darling 3, Kennedy 3, Waterman 2, LeCras, Redden, Shuey, Sheed, Yeo
BEST
Fremantle: Neale, Langdon, Ryan, Sandilands, Pearce, Fyfe
West Coast: Hurn, Redden, Darling, McGovern, Gaff, Naitanui, Kennedy
INJURIES
Fremantle: Walters (knee), Ryan (hand)
West Coast: Nil
TALKING POINTS
1. HOW LONG WILL FYFE HANDLE THE TAG IN THE FUTURE?
After a blistering opening term consisting of 11 disposals and two clearances, Adam Simpson
instructed Elliot Yeo to wear Nat Fyfe like a glove for the rest of the match, with the two going head-to-head in many a contest.
Yeo was the clear winner of that duel, restricting Fyfe to just 16 touches in three more quarters of footy.
Fyfe was also down on clearances and contested possessions, areas where he is expected - along with Lachie Neale - to do the heavy lifting.
With the Tigers at the MCG next week, it will be noteworthy whether or not Damian Hardwick attempts to stifle the Fremantle star’s output, as Yeo and Simpson did today.
2. CAN FYFE AND NEAL CO-EXIST AT PEAK PERFORMANCE IN THE SAME MIDFIELD?
A game with 35 disposals, 15 contested possessions, eight marks, eight tackles and the Ross Glendinning Medal to cap it all off is a fantastic game at any stretch.
However, Lachie Neale was making this a regular output last season for the Dockers.
While this year he averages more in disposals, he is now down nine per cent on efficiency, down on clearances, goals scored, and score involvements.
Is it possible that Nat Fyfe and Neale are stealing each other’s limelight in the middle of the ground, or are they capable of striking a balance and creating a partnership worthy of top four credentials?
Only Ross Lyon can figure that one out.
3. EAGLES THE INTERCEPT KINGS
While the Eagles couldn't capitalise on their dominance in the first term, throughout the entirety of the match, West Coast excelled in locking the ball inside their forward half, smashing the Dockers in the first half in inside 50s by +19, and overall winning the count by +10.
The statistical victory for the Eagles boils down to a couple of central figures down back in Jeremy McGovern and Shannon Hurn, the latter of whom was the joint-winner of the Ross Glendinning Medal after today's performance.
Since Adam Simpson arrived, a pillar of the West Coast’s play has been the ability to
intercept and prevent the opposition from moving the ball quickly.
Hurn provided the rebound with 11 marks and 24 kicks, while McGovern had 10 marks (4 contested) and four score involvements while being stationed as the interceptor in defence.
4. FREO FORWARD LINE IN TROUBLE
With Matt Taberner out of the side for at least six weeks with a foot injury, it was left to Michael Walters to bear the brunt of the Freo forward line.
But after going down in the first term with what is a suspected PCL injury, the Dockers may find themselves in a world of hurt with their two key forwards sidelined for significant periods of time.
Following Walters' absence, Freo struggled up forward and were unable to find any solid structure, allowing the West Coast defenders to swoop in and intercept.
With no name jumping out as a star replacement for Walters and Taberner, the only thing Fremantle can be hoping for is a miracle.
5. HOW MANY MORE FOR KENNEDY?
It was a day of records in Perth today, but Josh Kennedy was undoubtedly the most special.
Although well-held by Alex Pearce for most of the match, Josh Kennedy became the most prolific forward in the Eagles' history, passing Peter Sumich's club record of 514 goals.
The 30-year-old still has a lot of juice in the tank; it's just a question of how much he'll extend his career tally to.
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