Just two days after Hawthorn captain Luke Hodge kicked five goals in his comeback match, returning Freo midfielder Nat Fyfe tore Port Adelaide apart with a stunning first half. He had 18 disposals and kicked a goal before understandably fading in the second half to finish with 26 touches. Ross Lyon labelled his young star as “brilliant” and a “monster athlete”.
Watch Fyfe's highlights from his return match
Super Sub Sutcliffe
Young Cam Sutcliffe has made three appearances in a row as Freo’s sub and has been prolific on each occasion. To put his output into perspective, his 0.88 Toyota AFL Dream Team points per minute average before Sunday’s matched ranked only behind Nick Lower (1.03), Michael Barlow (1.02), Nat Fyfe (0.96), David Mundy (0.89) and Clancee Pearce (0.87). A 36-point effort after entering Sunday’s win over Port into the fourth quarter would no doubt have pushed Sutcliffe’s average even higher. Could he be Freo’s super sub for the run home?
Mayney’s mark
Melbourne high-flyer Jeremy Howe seemed to have a monopoly on this season’s mark of the year. That was until Chris Mayne soared above his opponent to take a screamer on Sunday. How good was ‘Mayney’s ‘ mark? Just watch this.
Four on the trot
Freo won four matches in a row for the first time since registering nine victories in succession in 2006 - the club’s most successful season ever when it reached a preliminary final. The journey gets trickier now though, with top four contenders West Coast and Adelaide (at AAMI Stadium) to come.
Ruthless first half, but effort fades
Ross Lyon would be a happy coach if he can bottle the side’s first half effort and have Freo repeat that in every quarter of football it plays from now on. A fourth-quarter fadeout disappointed the senior coach, whose mantra has been 100 per cent effort, 100 per cent of the time.
Watch Ross Lyon's media conference after the game
More stories:
From the Eagles: Glass suspended
Lyon lauds Pearce's hard work
Mayne: Freo set for Eagles
Fyfe's a monster athlete: Lyon
We're ready for Eagles says Barlow
From the Eagles: Three Ds in doubt for Derby
