Sean Darcy is nearly too huge an asset for Fremantle.
The Dockers have dominated hit-outs within the first three rounds, primarily on the again of Darcy’s wonderful ruck work. They are plus-84 after dealing with St Kilda, North Melbourne and West Coast.
But opposition sides are sometimes anticipating their ruckman to lose towards Darcy and establishing at stoppages accordingly. That is ensuing within the Dockers dropping most clearance battles; they’re minus-17 up to now.
Fremantle beat injury-ravaged West Coast 69-16 in hit-outs on Sunday, but had been simply plus-four in clearances. Coach Justin Longmuir conceded it was an space that wanted work.
“We’ve been positive in the hit-outs all year, haven’t we?” he requested. “And we’ve only been able to get to plus four (clearances).
“It’s not as easy as everyone thinks, to get your ruck-mid connection right when the opposition expects to lose the hit-outs.
“So, we’ll keep devising plans and coming up with plans to try to maximise our hit-outs, our ruck-mid connection.”
After two losses to start out the season, the Dockers’ 41-point win over the Eagles was welcomed by Longmuir, although it wasn’t till the ultimate time period that they had been in a position to kick away from undermanned West Coast.
Longmuir lamented a disappointing third time period by which the Eagles, with no bench to name upon, by some means managed to reclaim momentum and get again into the sport.
The Eagles had 105 touches to Fremantle 75 for the time period, had 5 extra inside-50s and kicked 3.5 to 1.3. Fremantle led by eight factors on the closing change however that might have been a lot totally different if the Eagles had kicked straighter.
“I got the players into a huddle at three-quarter time; I wasn’t saying well done,” Longmuir stated. “I was disappointed we went away from our brand of footy.
“To expose an opposition in that sort of sense, you need to be able to win the ball and we couldn’t win it.
“It’s hard to expose their lack of run if you can’t get the ball in your hands.”
While the Eagles kicked the primary aim of the ultimate time period to get the margin again to 2 factors, the Dockers obtained their arms on the ball after that and ran away with the sport to file their first win for 2023.
Originally printed as Sean Darcy’s ruck dominance for Fremantle creates downside as opposition groups modify
Source: www.news.com.au
