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Fremantle Dockers pinch last-second thriller against North Melbourne |
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Written by Chris
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Sunday, 28 February 2010 19:47 |
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Source: perthnow.com.au   SIX seconds away from a soul-destroying defeat, Fremantle instead salvaged a thrilling four-point victory over North Melbourne to set up a semi-final showdown with St Kilda in the NAB Cup.
 Dockers forward Ryan Murphy booted the winning goal in the dying seconds to seal a dramatic 1.12.13 (94) to 0.13.12 (90) quarter-final win at Etihad Stadium on Sunday night after Fremantle looked to have thrown away victory inside the last 10 minutes.
Fremantle led at every change and held the upper hand throughout, but North fought back from three goals down inside the final few minutes to take a two-point lead.
 As another Docker shocker loomed, instead the club famed for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory regrouped to do exactly the opposite.
Dockers wingman Stephen Hill, who had been influential with 17 important touches, swooped on a loose ball to start the move which sent Murphy running to goal.
Fremantle also achieved the win without captain Matthew Pavlich and midfield gun Paul Hasleby - something which pleased coach Mark Harvey almost as much as the nail-biting win.
"From a morale and self-belief point of view hopefully it holds us in good stead,'' Harvey said of a side which featured 12 first and second-year players.
"It's just pleasing we're not relying on too many of our star players.
"Just to see the faces of some of our first and second-year players to win on the road ... we're improving in the some of the areas we've had issues with.
"We're starting to get a little bit more mature and we're starting to handle a lot of those stronger situations better, but we've still got a long way to go.''
Fremantle had looked set for a far more comfortable win and a rare victory in Melbourne, until things threatened to unravel spectacularly in the final few minutes.
Successive goals to David Hale, Todd Goldstein and Drew Petrie drew the Kangaroos within a point after they had trailed by 18 with 10 minutes left.
Then two behinds to Ed Lower and another to Ben Warren pushed the Roos into what had seemed an unlikely lead before Murphy kicked the winning goal.
Fremantle forward Chris Mayne booted five goals.
Rookie-listed midfielder Michael Barlow was also outstanding for the Dockers, doing his chances of promotion to the senior list no harm by gathering 27 possessions.
Hale finished with three goals for the Kangaroos, who were best served by skipper Brent Harvey with 25 touches.
Fremantle now take on St Kilda in the semi-final at Etihad Stadium next Saturday night.
Fremantle's win came at a cost, with tough defender Antoni Grover injuring a medial knee ligament and midfielder David Mundy suffering a groin injury.
Harvey said Grover was likely to have scans on Tuesday.
"Grover's got a medial so the extent of that might not be known until Tuesday,'' Harvey said.
Fremantle also have to cope with a punishing travel schedule, having to fly back to Perth on Monday, then criss-cross the country again for Saturday's semi-final.
Harvey said that was likely to mean more changes, with Pavlich and Hasleby certain inclusions but others likely to be rested.
It will also provide the youthful Dockers a useful yardstick of how their rebuilding is faring against the dominant team in last year's home-and-away season.
"It'll be our second time travelling here in seven days, but it's a good challenge for the group,'' he said.
"We'll have to make some changes because of that, so we'll find out some more about our list.
"I'd say they'll be looking forward to playing off against a side which played in the grand final last year to get a gauge individually and collectively where they're at.''
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