Fremantle Fells the Mighty in Thrilling Upset win

Fremantle secured their most significant result of the year, showcasing their credentials as genuine flag contenders, by defeating runaway leaders Sydney in a thrilling contest.

They had to withstand a few nervous moments as the Swans came with a really late burst – Ollie Florent snapped a shot just to the right for a behind before Logan McDonald could have won it after the siren but completely shanked his effort.

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That completely silenced the SCG but sparked celebrations amongst the Dockers players that ended the hosts’ ten-match winning streak to win by a single point.

Speaking on the ground to Fox Footy, Nat Fyfe (pictured below), a dual Brownlow Medallist, said, “It was a Hollywood finish! A significant win; to be able to play away against the best team, ten-in-a-row they have won, and a professional organisation that we have a lot of respect for. To come up here, without our skipper, and get the win is fantastic.”

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“It is a testament to our coaching staff, the programme setting us up in the week so that we can execute based on effort and the way we want to play our system. I thought, professional speaking, it was a pretty good effort today.”

He added “One win doesn’t make a season but you want to build momentum and belief. I feel like an away win against an in-form, top of the ladder side, is going to do great things for the confidence in our group.”

Blues close the gap

That slip-up allowed Carlton, in second, to close the gap after a devastating third term, which set them up nicely to go on and thrash lowly Richmond by a 61-point margin.

Charlie Curnow (pictured below) grabbed another two snags, keeping him in pole position for the Coleman Medal. He also maintains his record of scoring multiple goals in all 15 games so far this season, just the second man to do so in nearly three decades.

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Gold Coast made it eight-from-eight, now the only unbeaten team at home left in the comp, after managing to see off the challenge of reigning Premiers Collingwood.

Having led for most of the contest, it looked like they might blow it after giving up a healthy lead; a Nathan Kruger goal put the Magpies ahead with four minutes left.

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However, credit to the Suns who defied the odds, against the masters of the comeback, with majors from Ben Long (pictured above) and Ben Ainsworth seeing them get up.

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As good as they are in Queensland, they haven’t managed a single success on the road, which they will quickly need to turn around if they want to make their first finals.

Hinkley’s emotional post-siren interview

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley cut an emotional post-siren interview after watching his players manage to get over the line and defeat St.Kilda in a low-scoring affair.

Last Saturday, the 57-year-old (pictured below) was heavily booed and received plenty of criticism in the week following a run of poor form, making for a pressure cooker environment.

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It might not have been pretty out there, but he definitely saw a group clearly playing for him, showing plenty of heart and courage to grind it out.

Talking to Fox Sports’ Sarah Jones, he reflected, “It hasn’t been easy and a tough week; great boys. I really like the fact that we were under the pump and just stuck at it. It wasn’t easy but we got there in the end.”

“We are two points from fourth; it felt like we were at the bottom of the ladder and I get why. I appreciate the fact that we have been playing poorly but we are doing our best to keep it right.”

Asked about the pressure on him, he replied “It is part of the job, you don’t want it, but I want the job so you have to put up with that. I don’t feel frustrated, just a bit flat with the way we have been playing. If we hadn’t of been playing that badly then we wouldn’t have had the attention, but that is what the game does.”

McCluggage heroics

Hugh McCluggage was the hero, scoring the winner with just over a minute remaining, as Brisbane came from the clouds to beat Melbourne in a real cracker.

The Lions didn’t have their best night in front of the big sticks, amassing 20 behinds on the night, but the midfielder showed everyone how it is done as he slotted through a free-kick, awarded for insufficient intent, from a tight angle out on the boundary.

Greater Western Sydney’s alarming slump continued in the City of Churches, as they fell to another loss, putting them out of the eight for the first time this season.

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It was a really bad spell at the midway point, proving key as hosts Adelaide were able to get some real ascendency, never looked back, and went on to get the chocolates.

Lawson Humphries’s Dream debut

Lawson Humphries had a dream debut, as Geelong made it seven-in-a row over Essendon, with his family and friends amongst the 53,457 crowd at the ‘G’.

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Having gone undrafted twice, the Cats took a chance by taking him on as pick 63 in the 2023 National draft from the Wickham Wolves/Swan Districts. From there, he has risen rapidly through the ranks in the WAFL to earn himself a deserved call-up.

The defender (pictured below), the 1115th player in the club’s history, certainly did look unfazed or out of place, with a strong showing in the backline, and played his role for the team.

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Speaking in the rooms to Channel 7, he said “It is every kids dream to play at the MCG, in front of a pretty good crowd; amazing to be honest and still coming to terms with it.”

“He (coach Chris Scott) had a big coaches meeting and I came in and saw my name up on the board; it was surreal! Something I guess, thought would never probably happen; to play in a win was even better.”

“I had the family come in for the jumper presentation and nearly got a bit teary-eyed. To have all the friends and family come, have a win, do my role is pretty epic.”

Reflecting on his journey so far, he added “I guess I didn’t work hard enough, wasn’t fit enough and ready to go to the next level. I won a flag at Swannnies when I was 18; we had a really good group of boys. I am super competitive, I want to be the best player, so I just wanted to keep improving and backed it in that eventually I might get lucky and here I am.”

Hawks win in the West

Hawthorn returned from the ‘bye’, picking their form right back up as they stormed to their biggest win of the campaign against a disappointing West Coast over in WA.

It was the club’s first triumph outside the states of Victoria and Tasmania and put them well within reach of the top eight – a stark contrast from their zip-five start.

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The only issue on an otherwise fine afternoon was the sight of skipper James Sicily leaving the oval clutching his already troubled shoulder. Coach Sam Mitchell will be sweating on how his star man pulls up and whether he faces any time on the sidelines.

The Western Bulldogs led for the whole afternoon but found it tough going, never able to pull away, before eventually beating a plucky North Melbourne outfit.

Doggies’ captain Marcus Bontempelli (pictured below) put to rest any issues about back spasms by passing a late fitness test. He then put in another matching winning display that included a game-high 35 disposals, 20 contested possessions, 11 clearances, seven inside 50s, six score involvements, six marks, five tackles and 647 metres gained.

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