Hayden Young celebrates a goal during round 20, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

FREMANTLE asserted its authority but left plenty of goals on the table, controlling a spiteful Western Derby 61 to win by 49 points at Optus Stadium and continue its recent dominance over rival West Coast.

The Dockers were powerful for long periods and had their equal most scoring shots for the past 10 years, but their inaccuracy was a small blemish in the 18.18 (126) to 12.5 (77) win, which saw star midfielder Hayden Young win the Glendinning-Allan Medal as best afield.

DOCKERS v EAGLES Full match coverage and stats

After an outstanding return from hamstring surgery as the substitute last week, Young played just over three quarters and had a massive impact with 23 disposals and three goals.

He was a steadying influence when his team was being wasteful in attack, with his running goal from just inside 50m in the third quarter putting the finishing touches on the Dockers’ third straight Derby win and their ninth win in 10 games this season.

It was a Derby between two teams in vastly different positions as the Dockers eye a bigger prize later this year and the Eagles fight for respect after a dispiriting loss to Richmond last week.

Andrew McQualter’s underdogs showed plenty of fight but ultimately lacked the experience and class to match Freo’s midfield, which won the clearances (45-27) and inside 50s (56-42) convincingly.

They were best served by Young, while half-forward Michael Frederick booted a career-best four goals and draftee Murphy Reid enhanced his case for the Rising Star award with 23 disposals and a game-high six score assists.

Star midfielder Andrew Brayshaw was influential with a game-high 32 disposals and eight clearances, stepping up as sidekick Caleb Serong battled a tag from Brady Hough.   

The Eagles kicked their third highest score this season , with the game opening up in the final quarter, and benefited from a much improved performance from Tim Kelly (26, two goals and eight clearances.

They will sweat on Harley Reid’s fitness after the young star was crunched in a tackle late and limped from the ground.

There was late drama five minutes before the opening bounce, with important West Coast defender Harry Edwards heading to the rooms with a hamstring injury and emergency Sandy Brock rushing onto the ground for a brief warm-up.

There was little time for Brock to settle, with the 10-gamer thrust into the starting 18 and a match-up on Jye Amiss as the game started in a flurry of physical clashes as the Eagles tried to get an early foothold.

Goals to Jamie Cripps and Tyler Brockman gave the underdogs an early lead, with the team tackling hard and forcing turnovers. But once the Dockers settled, they accelerated away to kick five unanswered goals in an 11-minute burst.

Young and Frederick were central to the charge, kicking two goals each in succession as the Dockers built a 28-point lead at the first break.

That extended to 35 when Frederick converted on the run to start the second quarter, but the Eagles response – led by Reid – was impressive.

Reid was being tagged by Jaeger O’Meara and attempted to break it by positioning himself next to Luke Jackson and forcing a two-on-one. He then used the confusion at a half-forward stoppage to burst into space and kick a brilliant goal on the run from 50m.

Kelly cut the margin to 23 points when he snapped a neat set shot from the pocket, with the Eagles’ accuracy in stark contrast to the wasteful Dockers, who booted five behinds in a row before the Eagles snared another late goal through Cripps.

It would have been a frustrating quarter for the Dockers, who won the clearances (11-7) and inside 50s (16-9) for the term but didn’t capitalise, heading to the rooms with a 22-point lead after Josh Treacy called them together for a few words on the field.

The pattern continued to start the third, with the Dockers enjoying the first five inside 50s but kicking 0.3 before the Eagles made them pay through Liam Baker after he caught Heath Chapman holding the ball.

At one point the Dockers had 20 scoring shots to the Eagles’ seven but led by only three goals. It took a pair of set shots from Jye Amiss and Pat Voss to push the lead back out to 30 points before Young kicked his third streaming inside 50.

Kelly cut the margin to 30 points at the last change, but any chance of a miracle comeback was quickly snuffed out by a run of four unanswered Freo goals to start the fourth term.  

Young’s ripping return continues
Hayden Young showed how vital he is to this Fremantle team with an outstanding return as the substitute last week, and he picked up where he left off on Saturday. The star midfielder had 10 disposals, five clearances and two goals in the opening quarter, stepping up as Caleb Serong battled a tag. He was a consistent force through the game before he was substituted in the final term with 23 touches, three goals and 555m gained. The Dockers took chances to rotate him as the deepest forward, but the build back from hamstring surgery appears complete as the 24-year-old steadies himself for a key role at the pointy end of the season.

Freo’s wasteful quarter
From the fourth minute of the second quarter to the 10th minute of the third, Fremantle kicked eight consecutive behinds and missed a chance to put the game to bed early. The Dockers have the worst percentage of the top nine teams and, as much as it wasn’t their primary objective on Saturday, a bigger win on Saturday would have helped their cause. Through the middle stages of the second term, five consecutive behinds were kicked by Michael Frederick, Nathan O’Driscoll, Murphy Reid, Caleb Serong and Karl Worner. The inaccuracy could have played on their minds and opened the door for the Eagles, but they were mature enough to steady.

Harley limps off late
All eyes were on Harley Reid after his manager, Nick Gieschen jetted into Perth this week amid contract talks. The young star, who has enjoyed an outstanding month of form, was booed by fans as has become customary in Derbies, but he was a thorn in the Dockers’ side at times with two goals from his 15 disposals. A tackle late in the game from Karl Worner left an impression as Reid limped from the ground and headed straight to the rooms.  

FREMANTLE                    6.4    7.10    10.16   18.18 (126)
WEST COAST                  2.0     5.0     7.4       12.5 (77)

GOALS
Fremantle: Frederick 4, Young 3, Amiss 3, Voss 3, Bolton, Dudley, Jackson, Reid, Switkowski
West Coast: Cripps 2, Kelly 2, Baker 2, H.Reid 2, Brockman, Dewar, Hewett, Ryan

BEST
Fremantle: Young, Reid, Brayshaw, Bolton, Frederick, Jackson, Amiss
West Coast: Kelly, Baker, McCarthy, Ginbey, Hough

INJURIES
Fremantle: Nil
West Coast: Nil

LATE CHANGES
Fremantle: Nil
West Coast: Harry Edwards (hamstring) replaced in selected side by Sandy Brock

SUBSTITUTES
Fremantle: Neil Erasmus (replaced Hayden Young in the fourth quarter)
West Coast: Tyrell Dewar (replaced Matt Owies in the third quarter)

Crowd: 54,384 at Optus Stadium