Captain Alex Pearce has lamented a disastrous second quarter performance that saw Fremantle concede 10 goals in a 46-point loss to Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday.
It overshadowed what could have been a promising effort from an undermanned Fremantle outfit against the ladder leaders, matching the Pies in the contest in the opening term and the second half.
Pearce said a lack of maturity from Fremantle played into the more experienced Magpies hands, with Collingwood almost three years older and 58 games more experienced on average.
“It’s been something we’ve struggled with throughout this season when teams get a run on, we haven’t been able to stem the tide,” Pearce said.
“It comes with a bit of maturity. When good teams have got a run on like that, we need to be able to go back to basics, make it hard, make it a bit of a scrap and we obviously didn’t do that in the second.
“We’ll learn some lessons through the week and try and grow as a group so we don’t allow teams to get those runs on against us.”
Pearce praised 19-year-old midfielder Neil Erasmus for helping steady Fremantle after half time.
The no.10 pick in the 2021 draft had a breakout performance both offensively and defensively, with 26 disposals, 13 contested possessions, 10 tackles and five clearances.
He had the most AFL Fantasy (115) and Supercoach (126) points of any Fremantle player on the ground.
“We were challenged in the second quarter. The second half was tough and we needed to fight it out,” Pearce said.
“Neil is a young player and he stood up and was really strong in the contest. He laid 10 tackles. Those efforts where he put his head over the ball, he was great and it was a real step forward from him.
“That’s what we want and that’s what we expect from each other. We’ll just keep building so we can have that sustained level of effort, intent and hardness around the ball.”
Pearce said the playing group would throw their arms around Brandon Walker, who was stretchered off after sustaining a serious knee injury in the third term.
“His knee didn’t look good. As a group and as his teammates, we’ll support him and we know he’ll get great support from our medical team,” Pearce said.
“He’ll have a fair stint on the sidelines. We all feel for ‘Walks’ and we’ll be right behind him supporting him throughout his rehab.”
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