Fremantle Dockers Achieve Fastest Starts Since 2005, Says Jordan Clark
Fremantle Dockers players are crediting their rapid-quick starts to games to playing the game "our way", according to star defender Jordan Clark. The team has posted two blistering first quarters in the 2026 AFL season, marking their best pair of starts in over two decades.
Impressive First Quarter Performances
In round one, Fremantle booted 8.4 (52) and led by 33 points after the first term against Geelong, though they ultimately fell away and lost the advantage. Then, in a home victory over Melbourne on Saturday night, they put 7.7 (49) on the board, carrying a 42-point lead into the first break. The combined 15.11 from these two terms is the second-highest pair of consecutive first quarters in club history and the biggest since 2005.
Historically, under coach Chris Connolly in 2005, Fremantle kicked 7.4 against the Demons in round six and followed it with 9.2 in a 112-point win over Collingwood the next week. Clark noted that early-season matches always begin at a frenetic pace, but he expressed satisfaction with how the Dockers have been able to jump into games and convert early chances effectively.
Clark on Team Strategy and Maturity
"Early in the year the game's always going to be hot," Clark told The West Australian. "I thought we were really good, converted well off the back of our contest. And we truly believe we are a very good footy team when we play the game our way and an example of that at full tilt is the first quarter this week and last week."
Unlike their round one defeat to the Cats, the Dockers managed to control the game beyond the first term in their 48-point win over Melbourne. Clark highlighted the team's growing maturity, stating, "They wrestled momentum back a bit. And that's the game in this day and age. You're not going to have the whole 120 minutes your way. And we understand that. When they got on top, we just had to find a different way to sort of wrestle it back. I felt like we did, and that shows a little sign of our maturity as a group and taking learnings from last week as well."
Coach Justin Longmuir's Adjusted Approach
Coach Justin Longmuir revealed on Saturday night that he has changed how he asks players to approach the start of matches. "We've talked about our first quarters a little bit more," he explained. "Pre game, we've shown a bit of vision around how we start games and how we get into games. Sometimes players maybe lean into valuing possessions and getting into game through possessions, but we've tried to explain that there's so many ways that players can get into the game."
Longmuir's focus on varied entry methods has helped the team maintain composure, even when scoring slowed in later quarters. At half-time against Melbourne, despite frustration over lower scoring, the Dockers had 20 scoring shots and largely controlled the game. Longmuir's message was clear: "don't get frustrated. Just keep playing our way and it'll come."
This strategic emphasis on fast starts and adaptive play underscores Fremantle's commitment to building momentum early, a key factor in their recent successes and a promising sign for the rest of the 2026 AFL season.
