Round 22 - Melbourne vs Fremantle review 'as good as it gets!' (9.08.26)
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Why was Melbourne’s win over Fremantle considered a ‘must‑see’ thriller?
As much as some of these intriguing games have given us questions and answers and a lot of drama, you probably need it. We probably need it yesterday afternoon to remind us that as we get to the back end of the year, the best teams in the league play the best football matches. Thursday night, North Melbourne standing up. First time they've beaten a top eight or a top ten team for a long time. Brisbane go whack. Hawthorne got some questions. Geelong did what they had to do. And, of course, Sydney likewise, as you touched on. But we just needed that game just to remind us how good this football finals football is going to be.
And I think they delivered yesterday in the sunshine of the MCG. Yeah, it was awesome. And I've done half a dozen ladder predictors this morning just to try and work out who's going to be playing who and, you know, the wildcard stuff. It's just so exciting. It's kept this. It has. The teams that are like St. Kilda in any other year, they're 11th.
Tonight's an irrelevant game in any other year outside of if Josh Fraser wins another one and the conversation about him being the coach. So tonight is the perfect example as to what wildcard the introduction of it has done.
And Melbourne's win yesterday. And you mentioned yesterday's game. We needed that. That was just one of the most entertaining games of footy. Both sides going through the corridor. Awesome offense. Both score over 100 points. And the Demons, they're a genuine contender now. They have to be, don't they?
They have to be because any time they play at the MCG, they're just so hard to beat.
How did the Melbourne fans and atmosphere at the MCG influence the game?
Is it 10-1 now, their season record?
They've lost the one. Geelong got hold of them three weeks ago or so. And I think... You can win a game, but you can win a game when you're challenged. And, I mean, every challenge when you're playing the best team in the league is always there. But, you know, Fremantle have had an amazing ability to be able to just work their way for three and a half quarters and be the better team. They look like before halftime yesterday and just after halftime that Fremantle were getting on top of them. And then in the fourth quarter, we've seen the Dockers put the foot down and banish every team that challenged them. It felt like it was going to happen again. I think it was 15, 16 points. Bang, bang. Sometimes you need a little bit of luck.
Sometimes you need a little bit of class. And sometimes you just need Max Gorn, who, again, was huge in that fourth quarter. But they got challenged on the scoreboard. And Fremantle asked everyone the same question. And no one's been able to answer it, really. Until yesterday. And that would be the most pleasing thing, I think, for Stephen King.
Yeah. And it was great to see the Melbourne fans. And they turned up yesterday, obviously. Gee, they've got some great kids. Yeah, they have. You know, Langford, he took that big screamer yesterday. You know, Sharp is hitting his scoreboard. And you mentioned Max Gorn. Like... And I was thinking if you had to pick one in the all Australian team, would you pick Jackson or Gorn?
What made Max Gawn’s performance in the fourth quarter so pivotal?
Well, tell me, what would you do?
I think you've got to put both in now. I think you have to. And that was, it was probably, it was great to see those two go head to head yesterday. If you had to pick one, I would go Max, but, um, But gee, Jackson and him yesterday, and I hope we see that again in September, that matchup. But yeah, Petty was great. Pickett was awesome. You love it when coaches just let teams play. And maybe that's just their game style, both of those teams playing. Break, neck, speed, offense, corridor, overlap, run and carry, excitement. I mean, you would love to see that sort of style of footy every week when you pay your money and go watch these teams play. But you're the coach, Sander.
You're the one stopping this.
I know, exactly right. All about defense, right? Defense. That's what I love about Stephen King is most first-time coaches would walk into a club and say, right, we're going to set up our defensive system first. And yeah, why?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why was Melbourne’s win over Fremantle considered a ‘must‑see’ thriller?
0:00–1:33
2
How did the Melbourne fans and atmosphere at the MCG influence the game?
1:33–2:51
3
What made Max Gawn’s performance in the fourth quarter so pivotal?
2:51–4:23
4
Why do the hosts view Melbourne as a genuine contender for the finals?
4:23–5:53
5
How is Stephen King’s coaching style reshaping Fremantle’s defence?
5:53–7:57
6
What are the key strengths and weaknesses of Fremantle heading into September?
7:57–9:50
7
Which teams are likely to challenge for the top‑four and the flag this season?
9:50–11:18
8
What unanswered questions remain about the upcoming Grand Final match‑ups?
11:18–13:43
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Crunch Time
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