Freo clinch 37-point win over Eagles
Fremantle have continued their recent dominance over fiercest rivals West Coast, recording a 4.11.10 (112) to 0.10.15 (75) win in the NAB Cup opener at Subiaco Oval.
For the fifth successive time, the Dockers claimed local bragging rights in Perth, with new skipper Matthew Pavlich the focal point allied to some impressive youngsters.
James Walker and Andrew Browne stood out for Freo, while Dean Solomon was solid in his first outing since moving from Essendon.
And although the Eagles also saw some good signs for the future, with Matt Priddis and Matt Rosa standouts, their finishing was not of the quality expected of reigning premiers.
Without Chris Judd, Andrew Embley and Daniel Kerr - the latter absent after his latest brush with the law - West Coast began as if insulted by the outsiders tag placed on them by the bookies.
As Freo struggled with the 20m kick experiment, twice being caught short in the early exchanges, the Eagles forwards looked like they had never been away, with Steven Armstrong and Ben Cousins both finishing impressively.
But Pavlich brushed off an early crunch from Beau Waters to smash a super goal to open Freo's account, and set them on an impressive run.
West Coast missed a succession of kickable shots, with Quinten Lynch, Ash Hansen and Steven Armstrong all guilty of squandering chances to open more than the seven point first quarter lead.
And those misses were made costly moments after the first break, when Marcus Drum kicked a super goal finished by an outrageous off-break to put the Dockers ahead.
With the lead came Freo confidence, and a glut of goals, while West Coast's forwards continued to struggle.
With Aaron Sandilands towering in all senses in the forward line, Ryan Crowley and Browne made hay.
The 22-year-old Browne has played just 18 games in five years at the club but has earned much praise for his preseason and showed why with an impressive second term.
While West Coast went more than a half of football without a goal, Freo kicked eight, until Eagles youngster Ben McKinley ended the premiers' goal drought.
When Brent Staker kicked another, an audible lift from the West Coast fans raised thoughts of a possible miracle comeback.
But a simple chest mark spilled at one end saw the Dockers rebound ruthlessly, with Solomon kicking his first goal since his move from the Bombers on the buzzer.
With the contest decided, the Eagles finally found their range, kicking six in the last term, but late super goals to Adam Campbell and Des Headland made the margin a more realistic 37 points.
Dockers coach Chris Connolly said he was delighted with the even contribution from his players and the fact there was more to come from the likes of Peter Bell and Shane Parker.
"The way the players shared the load, they should be really proud of themselves they all did their bit across the night," Connolly said.
"We will certainly be at full strength at this point in time ... we want all our players to have at least two practice matches under their belt.
"The pressure from within will be a key component to our success this year."
Eagles coach John Worsfold said he was relatively pleased, despite another loss to the Dockers, particularly with his youngsters.
"It was a pretty warm hit out, but we got through it pretty well," Worsfold said in reference to the hot conditions in Perth.
"I am really pleased with some of the young players ... you are just looking and learning. It was all about making sure everyone had a good hitout tonight without overtaxing them."
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