FREMANTLE has overcome the early loss of star defender Michael Johnson and a bout of the goalkicking wobbles to post a 40-point win over Adelaide in Sunday's clash at Patersons Stadium.
Johnson limped off in the second quarter after injuring the medial ligament in his right knee in a tackle in the 12.18 (90) to 7.8 (50) win in front of 35,389 fans.
Adelaide led by two points at half-time, and Johnson's absence should have opened the door for the Crows' powerful forward line to wreak major damage.
Instead, it was Fremantle's runners who clicked into top gear as the Dockers unleashed a powerful second half to cruise to victory.
"I thought we dominated the second half," Fremantle coach Ross Lyon said.
"Probably a bit frustrated we kicked 12.18. I think it was 18 shots to six after half-time. Speaking to the group, they acknowledged it and I thought it was a powerful response under some adversity with Johnson going down."
Ruckman Aaron Sandilands and defender Lee Spurr battled it out for best afield honours, while Nat Fyfe, David Mundy, Stephen Hill and Ryan Crowley were also crucial in the win.
Sandilands (20 possessions, 38 hit-outs) was a powerhouse in the ruck, while Spurr tallied 32 disposals in a supreme shutdown job on Eddie Betts.
Tagger Crowley restricted Adelaide's Patrick Dangerfield to just 18 possessions and a goal.
The win lifted Fremantle (7-4) into fifth spot, while the 10th-placed Crows (5-6) face a battle to secure a finals berth.
"They just outworked us, which is really disappointing because it was a really important game for us today," Crows coach Brenton Sanderson said.
"It's really disappointed for our fans, because we were 5-5 and knocking on the door of the eight – now this puts us back further looking in."
The Dockers were left battered and bruised in the opening term, with Hayden Ballantyne, Luke McPharlin and Chris Mayne copping painful knocks.
All three were able to recover, but Adelaide went to quarter time with a deserved 10-point lead on the back of Scott Thompson's midfield brilliance and some handy work up forward from Dangerfield.
Fremantle's goalkicking was shoddy in the first quarter, and not much changed in the second as Zac Clarke, Matthew Pavlich and Tendai Mzungu all missed gettable shots.
The Dockers had 2.9 to their name before Fyfe kicked truly from 40m midway through the quarter.
But just as the tide seemed to be turning Fremantle's way, Adelaide regained its mojo to dominate the final 10 minutes of the half.
Fourth-gamer Charlie Cameron was proving to be a handful, with the goalsneak booting three goals in the opening half to give his side a two-point edge at the long break.
The Dockers won the possession count 219-169 and the hit-outs 21-5 in the first half, but Adelaide dominated the important inside-50s 32-19.
Although Fremantle shot to the lead early in the third quarter, their wayward goalkicking meant the Crows were still within striking distance.
That was until the man with the wonkiest kick in the competition set the Dockers straight.
Defender Zac Dawson surprised even himself when he found some space in the attacking 50m to take a mark.
The crowd was even more surprised when he nailed his 47m set shot to set the Dockers on the path to victory.
Aaron Sandilands was at his dominant best against the Crows in Freo's win. Picture: AFL Media
FREMANTLE 1.4 3.9 8.13 12.18 (90)
ADELAIDE 3.2 4.5 5.6 7.8 (50)
GOALS
Fremantle: Pavlich 3, Fyfe 2, Duffield, Sheridan, Dawson, Ballantyne, Suban, Pearce, Mayne
Adelaide: Cameron 3, Dangerfield, Martin, Jenkins, Smith
BEST
Fremantle: Sandilands, Spurr, Duffield, Fyfe, Barlow, McPharlin, Mundy
Adelaide: Cameron, Smith, Sloane, Thompson, Jacobs
INJURIES
Fremantle: Johnson (right leg)
Adelaide: Wright (concussion) replaced in selected side by Ellis-Yolmen
SUBSTITUTES
Fremantle: Tom Sheridan replaced Michael Johnson at half-time
Adelaide: Cam Ellis-Yolmen replaced Sam Kerridge at three-quarter time
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Margetts, Stevic, Hay
Official crowd: 35,389 at Patersons Stadium
