The Fremantle Dockers inability to respond to Richmond when they had the wind in the second quarter proved costly, according to midfielder Connor Blakely.
 
Richmond’s four goal second quarter extended their lead to 31 points at half time, and Blakely said the Tigers’ ability to lock the ball inside their forward was an issue for Freo.
 
“They spread the ball really well, they used it well and were smart when they had the breeze,” Blakely said.
 
“In the second quarter when we couldn’t quite get it out of our defensive 50 , they were really good at pouncing on it and getting the ball back deep and making the most of their opportunities.”
 
While Freo were disappointed with their overall performance, Blakely said the team would take positives out of their resilience following a difficult second quarter.

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“We’re really hurting,” he said.
 
“He (Ross Lyon) was disappointed with our first half and deservedly so, but we got back into the swing of things.
 
“We were really intense, really strong around the ball but it died off a bit in the fourth quarter.”
 
The 38-point loss to Richmond didn’t dampen Blakely’s enthusiasm as Freo head into the middle of their 2016 season, saying the team’s effort and enthusiasm remains at a high level.
 
“We know we try really hard every week and he (Lyon) was really happy with our third quarter,” he said.
 
“Our ability to sustain that effort and work is something we need to keep working on.”