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The Fremantle Dockers’ AFLW win over the Magpies was built on another solid display of tackling and defensive pressure.
The Fremantle Dockers are the only team to win all three matches so far in AFLW 2020 while building an imposing home-ground advantage on the back of their ferocious defensive pressure.
Coming off reaching the preliminary final in 2019, the Dockers look to have improved further so far in 2020 having now recorded strong wins against Geelong, West Coast and Collingwood.
Saturday’s win at Fremantle Oval, in the battle of undefeated teams over the Magpies, was especially impressive and showcased how imposing the Dockers’ tackling and defensive pressure is.
Despite 93 more possessions to the opposition, Fremantle only conceded four goals to Collingwood as they laid 73 tackles for the game and didn’t allow the Magpies an opportunity for clean disposal.
The win was also a seventh in-a-row for the Dockers at Fremantle Oval and coach Trent Cooper, who was accustomed to playing against South Fremantle in the WAFL in his own playing days, loves what they are building at the port.
“It’s such a good place to come and play for us. I didn’t mind playing here as an opposition player back in the day, but now when we play it’s nearly all purple and it’s really fierce,” Cooper said.
“Even a game like this when there’s no wind, we decide to kick to the northern end in the last quarter so we get that crowd support down there. We love playing here, it’s a really special place for the group and we look forward to playing another couple of games here this year.”
Collingwood might have dominated on the stats sheet and had all the major ball winners in the game, but what pleased Cooper the most was the way the Dockers used their speed to an advantage on the defensive end to apply that tackling pressure.
That was key to Fremantle surviving Collingwood’s dominance and winning by three points, and it’s something Cooper hopes they continue as they head on the road to play St Kilda next Sunday.
“Everyone talks about our speed which is a big asset for us, but we can use that to pressure the opposition and that’s what we’re doing,” Cooper said.
“I was especially rapt with the game of Sabreena Duffy who didn’t have a big day on the stat sheet, but she interrupted a lot of their back handpass and put that pressure on.
“We need 21 players buying into that pressure and we had that in the second half which is how we got the result.”
© AAP
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