Hawthorn players have every right to be nervous after Fremantle produced one of the best halves of pressure football to beat Sydney by 25 points in Saturday night’s preliminary final at Patersons Stadium.
The Dockers booted five unanswered goals in the second quarter to set up the 14.15 (99) to 11.8 (74) win, with the triumph booking their place in next Saturday’s AFL grand final against Hawthorn.
The only concerns for Fremantle are the fitness of defenders Luke McPharlin (adductor) and Michael Johnson (calf).
Sydney have built their reputation on their ability to thrive in the tight, uncompromising clinches of finals football.
But they looked a shadow of the unit that won last year’s flag on Saturday night, with Fremantle’s unrelenting pressure proving the difference in the first half.
The second term was particularly brutal as Sydney struggled to even gain possession of the ball.
When the Swans did get their rare chances, they turned the ball over more often than not.
If it wasn’t actual pressure forcing turnovers, it was inferred pressure.
Such was Fremantle’s dominance, it took Sydney 28 minutes to have their first disposal inside their forward-50m for the term.
Even that came to nothing, with Jesse White spraying his 48m set shot.
By contrast, the Dockers booted 5.1 for the quarter as they dominated every facet of the game.
The first term was a similar tale – except for Fremantle’s finishing.
The Dockers booted a wayward 2.6 from set shots as Matthew Pavlich, Michael Walters, Chris Mayne and Hayden Ballantyne all missed shots they would normally nail.
The 43,249 sellout crowd roared their approval as Fremantle headed into the half-time break with a commanding 39-point lead.
Sydney launched a mini fightback early in the third term, booting three of the first five goals as Fremantle displayed some nerves for the first time in the match.
That was best illustrated by forward Mayne, who was all alone in the goalsquare when he dropped a simple chest mark and fumbled the ball over the line.
But substitute Lachie Neale eased any fears of a choke when he sold the dummy to a Swans defender before drilling a running goal from 40m.
And when Nat Fyfe nailed a goal a minute later, it was game over as Fremantle went into three-quarter time with a 43-point lead.
“It’s what we play for to get to this position,” Fremantle skipper Pavlich said.
“It’s something special. It’s something to soak up right now. We’ll enjoy the victory for five minutes.
“It’s taken a lot of hard work to get to this point.”
The Swans added some respectability to the scoreboard with a six-goal final quarter, but that was all in junk time when the game was over.
Sydney’s star-studded midfield was supposed to be their strength.
But it was Fremantle’s on-ballers who shone, with David Mundy and Fyfe starring.
Michael Walters did the damage up forward with three goals, while Pavlich was influential early.
All-Australian Swans midfielder Kieren Jack was held to just 11 possessions by master tagger Ryan Crowley, who tallied 22 disposals himself and also kicked a goal.
Sydney had few winners on the park.
In the end, their heavy injury toll caught up with them.
With no Adam Goodes, Sam Reid, Kurt Tippett, Rhyce Shaw and Tom Mitchell to call upon, the Swans had no answers to Fremantle’s onslaught.
Fremantle’s 19-year history has been littered with disappointment and failure.
But Ross Lyon has inspired a cultural shift since taking over as coach two years ago.
In yesteryear, success was craved.
Now it’s expected.
Hawthorn had to fight hard to get over Geelong by five points in Friday night’s preliminary final.
But they’re going to have to produce something even better if they are to win their first flag since 2008.