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McCarthy bags four, Freo beat Suns

Cam McCarthy is happy to have made it home. (Photo by Will Russell/AFL Media/Getty Images)
5th August, 2017
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Coach Rodney Eade’s hopes of winning a contract extension at Gold Coast have suffered another blow after the Suns’ 23-point AFL loss to Fremantle in Perth.

Dockers forward Cameron McCarthy booted four goals to guide Fremantle to the 12.18 (90) to 10.7 (67) win on Saturday night in front of 27,050 fans.

It was McCarthy’s biggest haul since crossing at the end of last year from GWS to Fremantle.

Gold Coast were dealt a blow before the match when midfielder David Swallow was forced out with a tight groin.

And their quest to win in Perth became even harder when midfielder Aaron Hall was cut down by a hamstring injury in the second quarter.

Fremantle trio Nat Fyfe, Brad Hill and Lachie Neale starred through the midfield, while Luke Ryan finished with nine intercept marks playing as a loose man in defence.

The Suns have lost their past five games, and seven of their past eight.

Gold Coast have already announced they will conduct a comprehensive review of the entire football program, and it appears unlikely out-of-contract Eade will win a new deal.

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Dockers coach Ross Lyon forgot the surname of Peter Wright during the week.

But the Gold Coast forward put his name firmly into the spotlight in the opening term with two quality goals.

Wright’s first came from a tricky set shot near the boundary line.

And he had his second courtesy of a clever one-handed mark while running back with the flight of the ball.

The Suns led by one point at quarter-time, but Fremantle controlled play in the second term to open up a 16-point lead at the long break.

Fremantle suffered an injury blow in the third term when Brady Grey succumbed to a hamstring issue.

The margin ballooned out to 28 points when McCarthy soccered through his fourth goal late in the third quarter.

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Fremantle’s winning margin would have been much bigger if they had made the most of their chances in front of goal.

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