FREMANTLE will continue to sharpen its kicking skills after an untidy showing in Sunday's two-point NAB Challenge win over Adelaide in Mount Barker, defender Cam Sutcliffe says.
The Dockers have made no secret of their desire to improve their skills and ball movement in 2016 in order to generate greater scores.
They have worked tirelessly over the pre-season but coach Ross Lyon was clearly frustrated at what he described as a "scrappy" performance on Sunday.
The Dockers kicked at just 60 per cent efficiency in the first half. They improved that number to 64 per cent by full-time, compared to the Crows' 68 per cent for the match.
They generated just 16 scoring shots from 38 inside-50 entries while the Crows registered 27 scoring shots from 43 entries.
Click here for full match coverage and stats
The Dockers won the game due to their superior accuracy in front of goal but Lyon felt that the Crows were the better side for most of the day.
Sutcliffe said the players were also frustrated that they couldn't execute some of things they have been working on against the Crows.
"We've been trying to tinker with a few things throughout the pre-season and it didn't really come to life as much as we would've liked," Sutcliffe said.
"It's just a matter of it jelling and coming together now, and us performing what we want to perform on the field.
"The most important thing is that we're trying to score.
"We've had an emphasis on skill throughout the pre-season and hitting your targets is a major part of that and that's what we've been working on.
"When that comes together I'm sure the game plan itself will come together and we'll score more."
Sutcliffe collected 17 disposals in defence on Sunday. The 23-year-old heads into his fifth season at AFL searching for more consistency in his performances after a frustrating 2015.
"Probably compared to 2014 (I was) a little less consistent," Sutcliffe said.
"I want to get back to playing my role for the team and playing it more consistently and being a key driver from the back line."
Sutcliffe played all 24 games in 2014 and was named the Dockers' player of the finals that season. Last year he managed just 21 games after being dropped mid-season.
