Fremantle mounted a remarkable late charge, kicking four goals in the final five minutes to snatch a 14-point victory over Hawthorn in an instant classic at Optus Stadium on Thursday night.
The Dockers trailed for much of the contest but finished with irresistible momentum, dominating the final term to seal an incredible win. The Hawks appeared poised for a famous triumph when Jack Gunston booted his sixth goal to give his side a 19-point lead.
However, Fremantle refused to yield. After missing a set shot, Josh Treacy quickly atoned with a brilliant snap to cut the margin to 11 points. That ignited the crowd, setting the stage for what became known as "wharfie time."
Michael Frederick kicked a brilliant snap, and Jye Amiss quickly followed with another goal to put the Dockers in front. Hawthorn was suddenly chasing the game, but Fremantle would not be denied. Star ruckman Luke Jackson produced a stunning smother that led to another Frederick goal, sealing the victory. Hayden Young then added another goal to round out the incredible finish.
"What a performance," Kane Cornes said in commentary.
Jackson was best afield with an outrageous performance, his match-saving smother earning immediate praise from teammates after the match. Andy Brayshaw quickly anointed Jackson as best on ground, giving up the TV prize to his teammate.
"The match-saving moment was Luke's smother, so he gets it," Brayshaw said on Channel 7.
At one point, the Dockers had 20 inside 50s to just two in that final term. "They have just dominated, won the inside battle, won the outside battle," Hawthorn champion Luke Hodge said on Channel 7.
Fremantle star Caleb Serong, who was among the best with 28 disposals, described the last quarter as "special."
"We knew they're a measuring stick for where we are at," Serong told Channel 7 after the match. "We're playing some good footy, but we think we're going at about 80 per cent and we probably just won on moments the past few weeks. We wanted to put a four-quarter performance together ... it probably wasn't that tonight, but the way we ground that out and that last quarter was special."
More to come ...
