Fremantle played the game on their terms

From the first quarter, the Dockers were already on the front foot, with a 15-7 start only eight minutes into the first quarter.

At the back end of the first quarter, the Dockers hit their straps and didn’t give the Suns a sniff, with the Sun’s only scoring eight points going into half-time.

The Dockers’ defence was outstanding, keeping young gun Kalinda Howarth goalless, and continuing to stifle her influence for most of the game.

By the end of the third quarter, the Dockers were up by 40 points. They didn’t stop there, finishing the game with an outstanding final term to eventually win by 70 points. No doubt this will help them storm into the preliminary final against the Dees with the confidence they’ll need.

Fremantle provided the heat

It was a fiery clash, which spared nobody.

By the middle of the third quarter there were five injuries between the two sides.

Fremantle’s tackling pressure for the game was outstanding and fans watching would have been pleased to see the Dockers’ efforts rewarded by a number of ‘holding the ball’ calls going their way.

True to form, Kiara Bowers held up her end of the bargain, maintaining the pressure she has provided all season and finishing the game with 14 tackles.

Bright future ahead for the Suns but inexperience cost them

The game didn’t pan out the way that they wanted it to but there were glimmers of hope from their young guns.  

Jacqui Yorston and veteran defender Leah Kaslar in particular were shining lights in an otherwise disappointing performance. 

To make the finals in their first season is a credit to them when not many people could have predicted this outcome for the expansion team.

Unfortunately for the Suns, it was their inexperience that was the killer of their bid for the prelims.

Allowing the Dockers to use the overlap handball especially in the forward half allowed them to hit the Suns where it hurt and score heavily. Sabreena Duffy certainly capitalised on these opportunities, kicking another three goals, as did Gemma Houghton kicking two.