In a match where the scoreboard got away from Fremantle, the forwards still found positives in how they adapted to change and held their structure heading into finals.

Fremantle's final away game of the regular season finished in a 37-point defeat to Carlton at Marvel Stadium on Saturday, with the Blues winning 18.11 (119) to 12.10 (82).

For debutant Tobyn Murray, it was a first AFL outing shaped not just by the occasion, but by the need to adjust on the fly after key forward Brennan Cox was subbed out with injury.

Murray said the group had prepared for that kind of disruption and was confident in the connection built across the season.

"The (forwards') connection was great. We practice that at training, so whether one or two players are out, the connection was awesome," he said.

"And no matter what way the game's going, our way or their way, we're still connecting really well, so it was great.

The loss of Cox, combined with the managed absences of Jye Amiss, Heath Chapman and Sam Switkowski, meant Fremantle had to juggle roles in real time.

Murray, Bailey Banfield and Judd McVee all came into the side, offering different looks in the front half and across the ground, while swingman Oscar McDonald, who kicked Freo's first goal for the day, was shifted down back to cover the loss of Cox.

AFL senior coach Justin Longmuir spoke post-match and acknowledged that the combination of a locked‑in top‑two finish and the sight of Cox going down may have shaved a few percentage points off his side’s edge.

“It’s been a real challenge because we've known for a while that top two's probably been sewing up, and I have largely been proud of the players of how we've been able to stay in the moment,” he said.

“During the week we've been really diligent to making sure that we're present with what we're trying to do at any one time.

“I think there is five or 10 per cent where the edge does come off, and maybe today they saw ‘Coxy’ go down, and that maybe takes a couple of per cent off as well.”

Longmuir stressed that in AFL football, even that slight drop can quickly snowball on the scoreboard.

“It doesn't take much in this game to just be a little bit off and start losing a few contests and fumbling a few balls, and all of a sudden you get what you get.”

While the result did not fall Fremantle’s way, Murray’s assessment of the forward line’s cohesion underlined one of the Freo’s strengths this season, the ability for players to rotate through roles without compromising structure.

That flexibility has been built over months of training and match play, and Round 24 provided another test against a Carlton side playing high-stakes football to secure a wildcard slot.

Murray’s own role as a small forward was shaped by that team-first approach. Having worked his way into the side as a mature-age recruit, he has focused on bringing energy and pressure, and fitting into a system that has served Fremantle well across the year.

As Fremantle looks ahead to a home qualifying final, Fremantle will use the wildcard weekend as a chance to reset their forward mix, reintegrate managed players and reinforce the principles that have taken them to top spot in season 2026.