A PHILOSOPHICAL Brad Scott has praised the efforts of Fremantle tagger Ryan Crowley, who was involved in a heated battle with Brent Harvey in the match at Patersons Stadium.

 

Harvey's anger boiled over at one point in the third quarter, when he felled Crowley and gave away a 50m penalty which handed Fremantle a certain goal.

 

After the game, Crowley and Harvey had an animated discussion on the ground.

 

"I think it was a good battle," the North Melbourne coach said.

 

"Ryan plays a really effective, negating role for his team and I think he's really valuable to them.

 

"I thought Boomer really responded in the third quarter when we put him forward and he started to give us some options going forward.

 

"Boomer has played 350-plus games. I reckon he might have got away with 20 games at the start of his career, maybe 10, when he wasn't subjected to that sort of defensive pressure, but he's had it for his whole career so it's nothing new.

 

"The majority of his career he has won those battles. Today, Crowley was very good for Fremantle."

Scott rejected suggestions Crowley's pressure was greater than Harvey was used to.

 

"He gets it every week, Boomer," Scott said. "Every week. Honestly, it's eight out of ten it's usually like that. He gets put down behind the ball, He gets up, he more than dishes out his own. I'm not suggesting there was anything untoward."

 

Scott said it was a calculated decision to play Harvey in attack more than through the midfield.

 

The decision also had the effect of keeping Crowley, who Scott described as a "pretty effective inside midfielder", out of the play, which was important given David Mundy was not playing for Fremantle.

 

When asked whether the loss had effectively ruled North Melbourne out of contention for the finals, Scott said that was something about which the media and supporters could speculate. He was more interested in improving his team's performances.

 

Scott said he would love to have a team consisting of Fremantle's defenders and North Melbourne's forwards.

 

But one of North Melbourne's key forwards, Lindsay Thomas, received a knock to his leg and was substituted out of the game with a tight hamstring.

 

Scott said he was hopeful Thomas would be available next week. Ben Cunnington had missed the game for personal reasons, Scott said.