Fremantle Facing the Heat After Humiliating Loss Amid Star Midfielder’s Injury

Serious inquiries are being made about Fremantle, both from within and outside the club, following their crushing defeat to St Kilda, which ended 14.10 (94) to 5.3 (33) last Friday night.

Presented with a rare chance to showcase their skills under the Friday night lights and on prime-time television, Justin Longmuir’s team struggled to make an impact during an incredibly unbalanced match at Marvel Stadium.

Compounding Fremantle’s challenges is a setback for young midfielder Hayden Young, who left the field in the second quarter due to his third hamstring injury of the season.

“I’m pretty disappointed, to be honest, mate,” said Fremantle half-back Jordan Clark in an interview with ABC Sport, expressing the team’s frustration over their lacklustre performance. “We’re embarrassed. We’ve let the Freo family down, and we carry the responsibility for a dreadful showing tonight.”

During the match, Fremantle was outplayed, losing 151-103 in contested possessions, 233-135 in uncontested possessions, 50-22 in clearances and 61-34 in inside 50s.

The West Australian team could only manage five goals despite the favourable conditions inside Marvel Stadium.

“We were totally dominated at clearance and were beaten on both sides of the ball,” Longmuir acknowledged in his press conference.

Former Melbourne captain Garry Lyon offered a bleak commentary during Fox Footy’s post-match analysis, saying, “The Saints have restricted a forward line featuring Josh Treacy, Jye Amiss, and Luke Jackson to just five goals under optimal conditions. This is a side that aspires to be in the top four.” He added, “The Dockers were utterly embarrassed. They needed to step up under the Friday night lights in front of a large audience.”

This heavy defeat has inevitably led to renewed scrutiny of coach Longmuir, who has only guided Fremantle to the finals once since taking over in 2020. In 2022, the Dockers managed to win an elimination final before being knocked out the following week.

Currently, they sit 10th on the ladder with four wins and four losses, facing tough challenges ahead against Collingwood and GWS over the next fortnight.

“I think everyone at the club should be reflecting on their own performances right now,” Longmuir said. “After a display like that, a good leader should first ask, ‘What did I do wrong?’ I’m not blaming the players for this; I need to assess my own contribution to our inconsistent performances. Naturally, I’ll be questioning myself. It can’t be solely on the players.”