3 minute read
Fremantle have come from behind to score a thrilling four-point win over Collingwood at the MCG.
Michael Walters has scored a last-gasp winner for the second time in seven days as Fremantle stunned Collingwood in a controversial four-point thriller at the MCG.
The Dockers led by four points at three-quarter time on Saturday after an apparent score review error allowed the first of Walters' two goals to stand.
As the clock ticked down Nat Fyfe mistimed a torpedo that fell fortuitously into Walters' lap and the Dockers star coolly slotting a goal from 35m out with 27 seconds left that sealed a 11.13 (79) to 11.9 (75) win.
It followed Walters' heroics at Optus Stadium in round 10 when he hit the post after the siren to hand his side a one-point win over Brisbane.
"Everyone talks about the physical side of the game but the mental side ... to go back and kick a winning goal, it doesn't matter what distance or what angle, he's mentally tough," coach Ross Lyon said.
"It was a really strong performance, a hard-fought victory. I'm really proud of the group's effort."
Walters' goal in the third quarter will be hotly debated after a score review failed to pick up Chris Mayne's touch off the boot.
While some Pies fans will feel aggrieved by the incident, coach Nathan Buckley was more disappointed by the flat performance from a side that was aiming for an eighth win in a row.
"We were beaten by an opposition that were harder inside, that played with more energy and dare and aggression," Buckley said.
"In our brief conversation straight after the game we accepted that if we had won with our efforts in the last quarter it would have gone against the trend.
"We would have not really deserved it.
"The team that won was the team that earned it and deserved it."
Buckley bemoaned a poor third quarter by his charges when they conceded four goals in a row to trail by four points heading into a frantic final term.
Collingwood booted three of the first four goals of the quarter to lead by nine points but couldn't hold off the late Dockers surge.
It was a grandstand finish to a game that failed to reach any great heights in the first half.
In a scrappy contest where errors came thick and fast, the few players who were able to maintain their composure and execute skills under pressure stood out more than they usually would.
Brad Hill (29 possessions and two goals), Walters (24 and two goals) and Fyfe (32) were those players for Fremantle, while Scott Pendlebury's class shone out for the Pies, the skipper finishing with 29 touches and two goals.
Fremantle finished a player down after Alex Pearce limped off with an ankle injury and failed to return for the final term.