FREMANTLE has ended its disappointing season on a positive note with a 37-point win over Hawthorn at the MCG.
Tough midfielder Caleb Serong led from the front and emerging talent Tom Emmett shone again as the Dockers prevailed 14.9 (93) to 8.8 (56) on Saturday.
HAWKS v DOCKERS Full match coverage and stats
Justin Longmuir's side won three of its last five games to finish the year with a 10-13 record, after reaching a semi-final in 2022.
Serong, who lined up against younger brother and Hawks utility Jai for the first time, was outstanding in the Dockers' midfield with 32 disposals and nine clearances.
Hayden Young (22 touches, five clearances) and Andrew Brayshaw (33, three and a goal) were also influential, while Emmett impressed in his second senior game.
The 21-year-old, who beat cancer and overcame a serious Achilles injury before he was drafted by Fremantle last year, finished with 17 disposals and two goals.
Jye Amiss (three goals), Michael Walters and Josh Treacy (two each) also hit the scoreboard.
Amiss took his season tally to 41 majors, making the 20-year-old spearhead the youngest Docker in history to boot 40 or more in a single year.
Hawthorn veteran Luke Breust kicked two goals and James Sicily stood firm in defence for three quarters, but the skipper couldn't drag his side over the line when swung forward for the final term.
Will Day (30 disposals, six clearances), Conor Nash (23, five) and James Worpel (23, four) also worked hard for the Hawks (7-16), who will finish the season in 16th position.
Fremantle is only two rungs higher, still in the bottom third of the ladder.
Both sides were out of finals contention heading into the final home and away round and it showed in a scrappy opening.
Hawthorn kicked the first two goals but the Dockers wrested midfield ascendancy through the hard work of Young and Serong.
It helped the visitors boot eight of the next 10 majors, including two to Walters, to take a commanding 29-point lead to the main break.
The teams went goal for goal in the third term and Emmett's second major was a highlight as he squeezed through a shot from a tight angle while being pushed off balance.
Lachie Schultz added another for the highlights reel with a dribbling right-foot effort from the boundary line as the Dockers kicked three goals to one in the final term.
Hawks spring Finn surprise
Eyes were on Finn Maginness to see who the Hawks tagger would go to, with gun midfielders Caleb Serong or Andrew Brayshaw expected to be targeted. Instead, he went to Luke Ryan and held the important Dockers defender to just one kick in the first quarter. Maginness moved to quieten Serong in the second quarter before the tags were released in the second half.
Freo second-gamer shows promising signs again
After kicking two goals on his AFL debut last week, Tom Emmett – taken with pick No.41 in the 2022 draft – got another chance against the Hawks on Saturday and the forward impressed. Emmett had 17 disposals, five marks and kicked two goals to go with two assists.
HAWTHORN 2.0 4.1 7.4 8.8 (56)
FREMANTLE 3.4 8.6 11.8 14.9 (93)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Breust 2, Worpel, Scrimshaw, Newcombe, Moore, Koschitzke, Amon
Fremantle: Amiss 3, Walters 2, Treacy 2, Emmett 2, Switkowski, Sturt, Schultz, Johnson, Brayshaw
BEST
Hawthorn: Moore, Amon, Sicily, Newcombe, Day
Fremantle: Brayshaw, Serong, Emmett, Amiss, Young
INJURIES
Hawthorn: Nil
Fremantle: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Hawthorn: Lloyd Meek (replaced Brandon Ryan in third quarter)
Fremantle: Neil Erasmus (replaced Michael Walters in fourth quarter)
Crowd: 27,951 at the MCG
