Fremantle will need to reassess their approach to closing out tight games after a narrow loss to Essendon cost them a chance to solidify a top-four spot.
The Dockers led by 25 points early in the final term at the MCG on Sunday but conceded five consecutive goals, ultimately losing by a point and dropping to sixth on the ladder.
This follows a recent loss to Hawthorn after conceding a series of goals, and only a stray after-the-siren kick from Logan McDonald saved them against a fast-finishing Sydney.
When asked if this was a concern, coach Justin Longmuir said, “Yeah, it is.”
“It’s something we’ve been working on – we’ve been doing a lot of scenario play and trying to tidy that up,” he added.
“But it comes back to the contests. If you can’t get your contest method right and you allow the opposition out the front, it’s really hard to defend.
“So we’ll review this one and take the lessons to be better in that situation next time.”
Longmuir acknowledged that Fremantle “possibly” retreated into their shells too early against the Bombers. “I was probably more worried about our ability to get our hands on the ball,” he said.
“It felt like we couldn’t get possession of the ball there for a while.”
The Dockers, now sixth on the ladder, face a tough schedule ahead with matches against Geelong (Optus Stadium), GWS (Engie Stadium), and Port Adelaide (Optus Stadium).
“We’ve been talking about the scenarios for a while now, and I think our players have largely handled them well,” Longmuir said. “Melbourne was do or die, last week was a derby, and for large periods, we handled it well today.
“It’s the pointy end of the season, and the games probably mean a little bit more. What we’ll try and do is normalise it and focus on our footy rather than the scoreboard.
“It’s important this week – we’ve got a six-day break against another team near the top of the ladder. We can’t focus on the outcomes; we need to ensure we focus on our process, and I think largely our players have been pretty good at that.”
Longmuir admitted the Dockers could have benefited from the experience of injured captain Alex Pearce, veteran Michael Walters, and the suspended Nat Fyfe.
He took heart from the performance of his tall forwards, with Jye Amiss (four goals), Josh Treacy (three), Sam Sturt (two), and Luke Jackson (two) all making significant contributions.
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