FREMANTLE coach Mark Harvey has implored the media to focus on the positives as his side desperately tries to turn around a losing sequence that now stretches to eight games.
A 22-point loss to the Brisbane Lions on Sunday afternoon at the Gabba continued a frustrating trend for Fremantle, who were highly competitive save for a 20-minute spell in the second quarter, in which the home side kicked five unanswered goals.
Fremantle actually won three of the four quarters and, after squandering three-quarter-time leads in the preceding five games, outscored the Lions in the final term.
"When you write about Fremantle, make sure you write about how dangerous we are and don’t just go over the top with the critical bombardment we have been copping.” Harvey told media after Sunday’s game.
"When you hear opposition coaches talk about playing Fremantle, they know not to take us lightly and quite often they comment about that.
"We outscored the opposition in the last quarter today. From what’s been happening in the last quarters before today, it shows that we are getting on top of things.”
Unbeknown to Harvey at the time, the coach was seen on television coverage giving his playing group a stern talking to at half-time – thanks to a changeroom camera that Fremantle wasn’t aware of.
Harvey said he was disappointed with Fremantle's failure to capitalise on second term opportunities, while, at the other end, the Lions were building what ultimately turned out to be a match-winning lead.
"I didn’t realise the camera was there. We were getting good looks into the game and just not capitalising, and that was the frustration,” he said.
"In everything in close, we matched it with Brisbane. But it’s about the opportunity beyond that and what you do with it – a big thing in footy now is punishing turnovers and how you finish when you end up having a shot at goal.
"We didn’t do that as well as Brisbane.
"Another aspect of the game that I wasn’t happy about was that when the tackling component came into the game, (the Lions) still managed to get ball to teammates. We couldn’t.
"When we were getting tackled, it was either a free kick or the ball spilled out and (the Lions) pounced on it.”
Fremantle will now prepare to take on North Melbourne at Subiaco in round 12, and Harvey says the continued good form of younger players gives solid cause for optimism.
He was particularly pleased by the display of Chris Mayne, who was poleaxed against Port Adelaide last week but bounced back with 20 possessions, seven marks and a goal against the Lions.
"He got carried off in stretcher last week, so I was really happy with him,” Harvey said.
"It’s good to see these young guys play well in these kinds of venues. On the road that’s what we’re looking for looking for - guys who don’t just play well in front of our home crowd.
"(Rhys) Palmer, (Garrick) Ibbotson, (Robbie) Warnock and Mayne are starting to evolve. So it’s good signs.”
