Match

Fremantle vs Essendon

Commentary / 19 Jun 2025

Pre Game

00:00
Caleb Serong would seem to be the obvious target for a Will Setterfield-tag, as the Dockers midfielder leads the AFL in centre clearances (49) and sits equal-second with 127 groundball-gets in 2025.

Quarter 1

00:00
Q1 is now underway.
03:14
SCORE BEHIND - Dockers (Shai Bolton)
05:08
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Darcy Parish)
09:01
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Peter Wright)
09:31
Essendon launch their first goal from their first forward half intercept possession of the match. The Bombers average 19 forward half intercepts per game in 2025, ranked 16th in the AFL.
12:55
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Shai Bolton)
13:20
Fremantle answer back by launching their first goal from their first forward 50 clearance of the match. The Dockers average 2.8 forward 50 clearances per game in 2025, the fewest of any side in the AFL.
16:27
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Isaac Kako)
17:31
Fremantle have conceded both of Essendon's goals after allowing marks in the Bombers forward 50. Since Round 10, the Dockers have conceded 8.3 marks inside 50 per game to their opponents, the third-best figure defensively of any side.
18:34
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Jye Caldwell)
20:14
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Josh Treacy)
21:42
Essendon have recorded the first four centre bounce clearances of tonight's match. They lost the centre clearance count by 10 against Geelong last week, the fifth-largest deficit of any side in this category in Round 14.
22:46
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Luke Jackson)
25:00
SCORE BEHIND - Dockers (Andrew Brayshaw)
26:58
Luke Ryan has recorded seven intercept possessions in the first term of tonight's match. This is the most intercepts recorded by any AFL player in a single quarter in 2025.
28:17
Despite losing the hitout count 4-12 in the opening term, the Bombers reversed this when the ball left the ruck contest, outperforming the Dockers in clearances 7-4, including 4-1 at the centre bounces.

Quarter 2

00:00
Q2 is now underway.
00:22
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Luke Jackson)
02:08
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Peter Wright)
03:10
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Caleb Serong)
03:49
Fremantle kick goals from each of their first two inside 50 entries of the term to extend their lead. The Dockers have kicked a goal from 22.3 per cent of their forward 50 entries since Round 10, ranked sixth in the AFL.
06:13
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Michael Frederick)
09:15
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Murphy Reid)
09:29
It took Essendon 44 uncontested possessions to kick the first goal of tonight's match. By comparison, the Dockers have kicked four goals in the second term with 20 uncontested possessions tallied.
09:32
With that goal, Murphy Reid's last eight scores have all been goals. Only two other players in the competition have a longer streak of consecutive goals scored (Adam Treloar and Zaine Cordy, both on 11).
13:42
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Rushed)
14:48
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Archer May)
15:01
Archer May gets the first goal of his young career to end a run of six goals for the Dockers. He kicked his goal from the Bombers seventh mark inside 50 of the match, whilst the Bombers have conceded just the one mark for the Dockers in their forward 50 tonight.
17:34
SCORE BEHIND - Dockers (Patrick Voss)
21:16
Caleb Serong has broken the Will Setterfield tag with 12 disposals in the first half while matched up with the Bombers tagger. This has been Serong's second-highest rated quarter of the season, and the third-best quarter of any Docker in the entire season. Brad Scott has now shifted Setterfield's run-with role to Andy Brayshaw.
23:47
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Luamon Lual)
26:28
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Josh Treacy)
28:47
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Shai Bolton)
30:07
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Isaac Kako)
30:56
After the Bombers had the territorial ascendancy in the first term (56% time in forward half), this has flipped in the Dockers favour in the second quarter (60% time in forward half).
30:59
Bombers Interchange - Will Setterfield off due to an injury.
31:10
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Nate Caddy)
32:15
Nate Caddy gets his first goal of the night from his fifth mark of the match, the most of any forward on the ground. He has now taken 54 marks in 2025, the most of any Bombers forward this year.
33:46
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Xavier Duursma)
36:15
Bombers Interchange - Vigo Visentini off due to an injury.
36:39
Despite only registering nine inside 50's in the second term, the Bombers were able to record seven scores to keep themselves in the game at halftime. The Bombers convert 42.3 per cent of their inside 50's to scores in 2025, ranked 13th in the AFL.

Quarter 3

00:00
Q3 is now underway.
02:14
After starting the match one goal behind teammate Jye Amiss in their career tallies, Josh Treacy opens the scoring in the second half with his third goal of the match and the 100th of his career, becoming the 21st Docker to reach this milestone.
07:32
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Rushed)
09:47
Both of Fremantle's intercept possessions have occurred across half-forward in this quarter, both ending in inside 50 entries and one converted as a goal on the scoreboard. By comparison, the Bombers three intercept possessions this term have been in their defensive half and none of transitioned into an inside 50 entry.
11:35
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Matt Guelfi)
16:23
SCORE BEHIND - Bombers (Jade Gresham)
18:03
12 of the 13 free kicks Essendon have won in tonight's match have been in their defensive half of the ground. Only Adelaide (12.4) average more defensive half free kicks than the Bombers (11.6) in 2025.
19:20
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Caleb Serong)
21:38
Essendon have generated more inside 50's when launching a possession chain out of their back half than their opponents in tonight's match (14-12). However they have failed to translate this into scoreboard pressure, with Fremantle far more efficient in this regard (four goals straight to two goals, four behinds).
23:10
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Luke Jackson)
24:32
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Andrew Brayshaw)
27:29
Fremantle have spent 63% of this quarter in their forward half, off the back of dominating the clearance count 11-3. This is the Dockers second best quarter for territorial advantage since Round 8.
27:44
Fremantle have been highly accurate in front of goal in tonight's match, kicking a goal from 81 per cent of their shots at goal. This is their most accurate scoring match in the last 10 years.

Quarter 4

00:00
Q4 is now underway.
01:52
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Archer May)
02:34
Essendon kick their first goal since the 34 minute mark of the second term from their seventh inside 50 for the second half. No team has been held to 10 or less inside 50's in a second half in 2025.
03:05
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Patrick Voss)
08:20
Patrick Voss gets on the scoreboard against his former club and in doing so makes it three goals launched from centre bounce clearances in tonight's match. The Dockers have outscored their last four opponents by an average of nine points per game from this source, which is the best figure of any side since Round 10.
08:50
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Nathan O'Driscoll)
10:20
SCORE BEHIND - Dockers (Shai Bolton)
11:48
SCORE BEHIND - Dockers (Nathan O'Driscoll)
12:58
Fremantle have ramped up the pressure in the final term, applying a pressure rating of 206 on the Bombers. Neither side has recorded a pressure factor over 171 in any of the previous three quarters in tonight's match.
14:03
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Luamon Lual)
14:49
The Bombers get the goal through Luamon Lual, off the back of Lachlan Blakiston's team-high ninth intercept possession of the match. Accordingly, Blakiston rates as the equal-best ball-winner alongside Darcy Parish for the Bombes in tonight's match.
18:17
SCORE GOAL - Bombers (Jade Gresham)
21:19
Fremantle have continued their ground-level dominance at the stoppages from the third term, now leading 28-9 in pre-clearance contested possessions since halftime. Since Round 10, the Dockers average 145.5 contested possessions per game, ranked third in the AFL.
21:38
SCORE BEHIND - Dockers (Jeremy Sharp)
23:10
SCORE BEHIND - Dockers (Michael Frederick)
25:01
Luke Jackson has set a new career-best figure with 46 hitouts and counting, surpassing his previous best of 44 recorded against Brisbane in Round 21, 2023. His performance tonight is the highest-rated game by a Fremantle player in the last 10 years.
27:18
SCORE GOAL - Dockers (Michael Frederick)
30:33
SCORE BEHIND - Dockers (Patrick Voss)
30:38
Essendon's forwards have shown promise in tonight's match, leading marks inside 50 13-6 and winning five of their 10 attacking one-on-one contests. Their season average offensive one-on-one win rate of 23 per cent ranks 14th in the AFL in 2025.
31:19
Fremantle were able to leverage their dominance at the stoppages in tonight's game and didn't relinquish the lead after the 23 minute mark of the first term. They became the sixth team to score 100 or more points against the Bombers this year. Only West Coast (eight) have conceded more scores over 100 points in 2025.