A disappointing night for Fremantle saw the Club suffer a heavy loss, kicking just 33 points — the Club’s equal tenth-lowest score ever.
Nothing went right for the travelling side, who recorded fewer contested possessions (151–103), inside 50s (61–34), clearances (50–22), and marks inside 50 (15–4).
A low-scoring first term from both sides saw Fremantle trail by only eight points, but from there, St Kilda steadily extended their lead at each break, eventually pushing the final margin out to 61 points.
Despite Fremantle’s defensive struggles, captain Alex Pearce (10 intercepts, four contested marks) stood tall, fighting hard both in the air and on the ground.
Speedster Corey Wagner (16 tackles, 13 disposals) had his moments, setting a new Club record for tackles in a single game.
Quinton Narkle, who made his Fremantle debut in last week’s win over the Crows, kicked his first goal for the Club late in the fourth quarter — but by then, the damage had already been done by the Saints.
Much of the battle was won and lost at the contest and out of the middle, with Fremantle’s -28 clearance differential the worst on Club record.
Things went from bad to worse for Freo with dynamic midfielder Hayden Young suffering a hamstring injury in the second quarter, taking no further part in the match after being subbed out.
Andy Brayshaw (18 disposals, one clearance) was largely shadowed by Saints captain Jack Steele, while Caleb Serong (15 disposals, eight clearances) faced a rotating match-up of Jack Macrae and Hugo Garcia. It was Serong’s lowest disposal count in five years.
ST KILDA 2.2 4.3 8.6 14.10 (94)
FREMANTLE 1.0 1.1 2.3 5.3 (33)
GOALS
St Kilda: Sharman 4, Owens 3, Wilson, Steele, Hill, Higgins, Garcia, Collard, Caminiti
Fremantle: Amiss 2, Young, Narkle, Dudley
BEST
St Kilda: Owens, Sharman, Macrae, Steele, Wanganeen-Milera, Wilkie
Fremantle: Pearce, Clark, Wagner, Ryan
INJURIES
St Kilda: Nil
Fremantle: Young (right hamstring)
LATE CHANGES
St Kilda: Mattaes Phillipou replaced by Tobie Travaglia
Fremantle: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
St Kilda: Tobie Travaglia (unused)
Fremantle: Quinton Narkle (replaced Hayden Young in the second quarter)
Crowd: TBC at Marvel Stadium
