1. 50 Shades
Robbie Gray loves playing the Dockers. Or should I say he did. Coming into Saturday’s clash his 24-possession-a-game average was his best against any team. But he must have been apprehensive when in-form stopper Michael Barlow sidled up next to him. By quarter-time Barlow had 14 touches and kept Gray to just three, although the Power gun did lay four tackles. By the end of the game it was Barlow who was being tagged to try and stop his profound impact. Barlow ended with 43 disposals, eight tackles, nine clearances and two goals while Gray had 18 possessions and eight clearances.
2. If the shoe fits
Dougal Howard is no Cinderella but the umpires at Domain Stadium were keen to ensure he didn’t have to look far and wide to find his missing slipper (boot). The young Power tall’s boot came off midway through the second term as sides prepared for a stoppage. But instead of searching the land to find the foot to fit the precious slipper, Dockers skipper David Mundy tossed it away like one of the ugly sisters. Luckily the brave umps were on hand to give Dougal a free kick and retrieve his dignity. The resident WA umpiring guru confirmed it was a rarely used rule but was indeed correct. And they all lived happily ever after, except for Dougal Howard who injured his knee in the third term.
3. Just a tickle?
It’s marvellous what a quick attitude adjustment can do for players. Interviewed after the quarter-time break, Ross Lyon admitted giving his forwards a stern word or two. “We just think we have been sloppy defensively so we gave them a little tickle”, were his exact words if my shorthand can be relied on. Well blow me down with a feather and tickle me purple if the Dockers didn’t slam on three goals in the first eight minutes of the second term as the ball didn’t even threaten to leave Fremantle’s forward half.
4. Freo kids are alright
The silver lining from the Nat Fyfe-less Dockers’ miserable injury run and 0-10 start to the season has been the development of the young purple brigade. They’ve had rising star nominations the past two weeks with Connor Blakely and Lachie Weller, and Matthew Taberner also booting a career-best five goals last round, while Darcy Tucker and Hayden Crozier are settling in nicely. Taberner fought on well, often against two men, while the other four were prominent again. Talking of Fyfe, he was spotted heading to the coaches’ box with pen and notebook in hand. Taking notes for his Brownlow 2017 speech probably.
5. Ledger buster
Port Adelaide’s record in Perth coming in was pretty darn good, with 14 wins from 28 clashes with either West Coast or Fremantle. And their past three with the Dockers in Perth had been beauties – an eight-point loss at the end of 2013, a 22-point upset win in the 2014 semi final and a round-one loss by just seven points last season. The Power would have been in this one up to their eyeballs as well except for an inexplicable run of inaccuracy late in the third and early in the final term, when they put on six straight behinds. One of them was rushed but there were some misses that the likes of Ollie Wines, Aaron Young and Charlie Dixon would normally nail. Not to mention Robbie Gray’s first-term poster from 15m.
