THE ABILITY of Fremantle's depleted midfield to stifle its opposite numbers was the key factor in the 45-point victory at Metricon Stadium, says Ross Lyon.
With Stephen Hill and Nathan Fyfe out, the Suns would have felt they had the midfield advantage heading into the contest on Saturday night.
Despite leading in disposals and clearances, Gold Coast could not put quality delivery into its forward 50 - a point emphasised by the amount of ball spare defender Garrick Ibbotson enjoyed (22 possessions).
Lyon felt the pressure his midfield applied played a large part in heading back west with the four points.
"It was a really pleasing performance from start to finish," the Freo coach said.
"We have big challenges coming up and our midfielders really stood up and we showed strong leadership throughout.
"(We) gave a really good effort start to finish.
"You go through the quality they’ve got in their midfield. They’ve got some superstar kids like (Jaeger) O’Meara and (Harley) Bennell and Gary (Ablett)’s a great role model for them.
"I just thought (Nick) Suban, (Matt) de Boer and (Cameron) Sutcliffe and the boys stood up."
Ryan Crowley had the job of man-marking Ablett, who Lyon dubbed "untaggable" in the lead-up to the game.
Crowley started strongly, getting under Ablett's skin. After a skirmish the Brownlow medallist initiated in the opening minutes, the Suns’ captain ended the first quarter with just four possessions.
Fremantle was able to take a 19-point lead into the first break - a three-goal buffer it retained throughout the match.
And although the little master went on to accumulate 28 disposals, it could be argued Crowley's first-term victory was the key factor in Freo's win.
"I just thought Gary was under pressure all night (but) he never gives up," Lyon said.
"The team had to work had to help (Crowley) at times. Ryan pushed forward and looked dangerous at times as well. He could have kicked a couple."
Though Michael Walters kicked four goals and Jonathon Griffin three, it was a match where few Dockers stood out.
No one from Fremantle came within 10 of the 32 disposals garnered by the Suns’ Jarrod Harbrow but Lyon felt it was a genuine 22-man performance where his men won individual battles all over the ground.
"We had contributors throughout," Lyon added. "They just kept fighting until they got on top in their position."
