FREMANTLE used one of its best pressure performances under Justin Longmuir to rediscover its defensive identity, with the players proving to each other that they value the right things, according to defender Corey Wagner.
The Dockers were smarting after conceding 107 points to Melbourne in round six and going away from their brand, with players conceding they had been chasing the wrong things as individuals.
The fourth quarter was an exhibition of uncontested marking and low pressure, but the hard work had been done as the Dockers target a repeat performance across four quarters against St Kilda on Friday night.
“We got back to our trademark footy and that’s what we usually build our game off. We lost that last week, so that was a front of mind and everything else came after that,” Wagner told AFL.com.au.
“We value defence, and the last couple of weeks, as bad as it is to say, we were probably valuing the wrong things, like touches and blokes kicking goals.
“There were little acts [against Melbourne] where we thought, ‘We’re not playing Fremantle footy’, and there was frustration during the week that we weren’t getting it right.
“But ‘JL’ (Longmuir) just said the frustration means we care, and we showed that we care. Hopefully we can just do that for the rest of the year now.”
Direct feedback from players and coaches had provided plenty of motivation to keep standards high for the rest of the season, with Wagner noticing a difference immediately as he shifted into the midfield against the Crows and impressed.
“It was just little blocks and how much we were working for each other. Being up close and personal in there, it was really good to see,” he said.
“Getting those things right and playing trademark footy, we held the best-scoring team in the comp to 67 points, with a lacklustre last quarter.
Jordan Clark’s chase down of opponent Alex Neal-Bullen in the third quarter typified the Dockers’ approach against the Crows, with that gut-busting run – and another desperate effort going back with the flight – highlighted by Longmuir post-match.
Jordan Clark kicks the ball during Fremantle’s clash against Adelaide in round seven, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
Clark said a poor moment against Melbourne the week prior, which was highlighted internally as part of a video compilation, had meant he was laser focused on not letting his standards slip again.
“We showed a few clips last week of controllable things, which was a little bit of a lack of effort, little bit of a lack of care at times,” Clark said on Monday.
“I was in one of those clips and I never want to see myself in one of those ever again.
“Trying to call myself a senior player now, I’ve got to be better than that.
“It’s one of the first five minutes of the game, so it probably set the tone for the day, and looking back on it, was pretty embarrassing.
