‘They will start going through’: Longmuir backs Nat to find big sticks again

FREMANTLE captain Nat Fyfe’s continued inaccuracy in front of goal shouldn’t take away from the brilliant midfielder’s match-winning form up the ground, according to coach Justin Longmuir.

Fyfe was at his best in the midfield against North Melbourne on Saturday night, with his bullocking and creative work at stoppages crucial in setting up the Dockers’ third consecutive win.

The dual Brownlow medallist went unrewarded in front of goal, however, booting 0.4 to take his season tally to 1.12. He has kicked 11 consecutive behinds since last converting in round two.  

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The Dockers and Kangaroos clash in round six

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Longmuir did not want to take away from what was an overwise brilliant performance from Fyfe, who had 34 possessions (23 contested), seven clearances and six inside 50s, with the coach confident his accuracy would improve.

“I’ve got no doubt that if he keeps putting himself in dangerous positions and creating shots on goal, they will start going through,” the coach said.

“There’s probably a couple today where he could have taken an extra step or an extra five metres on the shot on the run. He might have just rushed a couple of them a bit more than he had to.

“I don’t want to take any gloss off the rest of his game. His work around the contests, his work around the stoppages actually helped us win the game tonight.”

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08:28 Mins

Watch Fremantle’s press conference after round six’s match against North Melbourne

Longmuir said the skipper, who returned to Optus Stadium for a post-match goalkicking session a fortnight ago after kicking 0.6, was practicing his goalkicking more than any player at the club.     

He was a standout on Saturday night alongside veteran midfielder David Mundy, who led an even midfield that also got excellent performances from Caleb Serong and Andrew Brayshaw.

DOCKERS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

“We obviously lost (Adam) Cerra out of the midfield, but Caleb was able to play more game time, Andy obviously spent a lot of time through there,” Longmuir said.

“Big Sean Darcy’s work in the ruck the last three weeks in particular has been really strong, and he’s really complementing our midfield group and giving them first look.”

Defender Brennan Cox looks to have escaped serious injury but will be sent for scans after rolling an ankle in the fourth quarter when he was caught awkwardly under a tackle from Cam Zurhaar.

North Melbourne coach David Noble said his team defended well but was unable to take its opportunities, eventually kicking 6.12.

He called for more effort and intensity around the stoppages, where Fremantle won the clearances 37-26.

“I thought our third quarter was poor and we weren’t happy with some of our efforts coming into half-time,” the coach said.

“There is a level of expectation that we consistently talk about around effort. The game doesn’t care how old you are or what team you put on the paddock, so with that comes expectation that we’re going to stand up in terms of effort and intensity.”

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09:21 Mins

Watch North Melbourne’s press conference after round six’s match against Fremantle

The winless Kangaroos slipped to their worst start to a season since 1972, with Noble focusing on checkpoints outside the win-loss columns.

“We are trying to win as many quarters as we can. The other area is the roles we have been giving some of our younger guys,” he said.

“I thought (Tarryn) Thomas in the midfield, I liked some of his efforts in there.

“‘Stevo’ (Jaidyn Stephenson) hit the scoreboard again. (Jack) Mahony had his best game for us this year. Tom Powell showed some class around the stoppages when he was able to get his hands on the ball.

“We have to keep chipping away. We have work in front of us to learn how to be competitive and move up the ladder. That’s the bottom line.”