FREMANTLE has returned to form and extended Essendon's losing run to three games, holding off a late Bomber rally to win by 34 points at Patersons Stadium on Sunday.

In a high-stakes game between the seventh- and eighth-placed sides, Fremantle raced to a 32-point lead at quarter-time and led by 10 goals halfway through the third term.

But the home side dropped the ball either side of the last break and conceded five straight goals to let the Bombers back into a game they had never looked like winning.

Former Bomber Kepler Bradley converted a set shot 21 minutes into the last quarter to settle the issue, Fremantle winning just its second game since round five, 15.8 (98) to 9.10 (64).

Both sides showed glimpses of their best and worst, but it was Fremantle that produced its best for longer, comprehensively out-working the flat Bombers for close to three quarters.  

Goalsneak Hayden Ballantyne (18 possessions and two goals), captain Matthew Pavlich (16 and three) and Garrick Ibbotson (20 and eight rebound 50s) were terrific, while Luke McPharlin continued his All Australian form marshalling the backline.

Bombers captain Jobe Watson, who returned from a hamstring injury, worked back from a slow start to have 16 possessions and six clearances, and Leroy Jetta was lively all day. 

While Fremantle snared a much-needed win, its horror run with injuries could be extended, with star midfielder David Mundy taken to hospital for scans to determine if he has a fractured fibula in his right leg.

The clearance specialist landed awkwardly on his leg early in the first quarter and was immediately subbed out of the match for midfielder Clayton Hinkley, who made his first appearance for the season.

His absence didn’t hurt the home side until the last quarter when Essendon lifted its work-rate noticeably to draw within 22 points eight minutes into the final term.

Essendon could also be without defender Dustin Fletcher, who suffered a corked quad, while midfielder Brent Stanton (shoulder) was replaced in the selected side by Michael Hibberd. 

Coach James Hird's team had planned to fly home shortly after Sunday's match, but they will be stuck in Perth overnight with Melbourne Airport closed due to volcanic ash.

INFLUENTIAL PLAYERS
Fremantle defenders Garrick Ibbotson and Luke McPharlin were near impenetrable in the backline for three quarters, combining for 23 marks and each having 28 possessions. And it was a significant return to form for Matthew Pavlich, who kicked a season-high three goals. The Bombers couldn't contain nippy small forward Hayden Ballantyne, who kicked two goals and set up two more, while Michael Johnson's move to the forward line was highly effective for the home side.

In his 50th AFL game, Bomber Leroy Jetta drove his side's fourth quarter surge, winning nine of his 24 possessions in the last quarter. He finished with two goals and 12 contested possessions. Paddy Ryder kicked three of his four goals in a 10-minute burst either side of three-quarter time to give his side a chance.     

KEY MATCH-UP
Jobe Watson worked his way back into the game after a slow start, but the Bombers will be left wondering what could have been if the skipper was at his best from the outset. The clearance specialist had three possessions and one clearance in the first quarter, with Fremantle stopper Ryan Crowley returning to a run-with role. To top off his good work, Crowley kicked two goals, out-marking his man on the cusp of half-time to give Fremantle a 41-point lead. 
 
STATS THAT MATTER
Fremantle clearly worked harder than their opponents in the opening term, with the evidence in the handball receives (39-25), uncontested possessions (56-41) and marks (17-12). The tackle count for the opening term was 29-19 in Fremantle's favour. Essendon had more clearances (39-36), inside 50s (50-45) and contested possessions (150-141) for the match, but their lack of run in the first quarter was telling.   

THE NEXT FOUR
Fremantle: Fremantle will now look to build some momentum over the next month starting against Melbourne (MCG) next week at the scene of last week's fadeout against Hawthorn. Then it's home for two straight games against the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast before a round-16 bye.

Essendon: The Bombers' next month provides a mix of winnable matches and tough games. It begins with North Melbourne (Etihad) next week followed by Hawthorn (MCG), Geelong (Etihad) and Richmond (MCG).

DREAM TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Fremantle: Garrick Ibbotson ($256,600) led the way in the Toyota AFL Dream Team for Fremantle with 122 points. Matthew Pavlich ($341,700) had 113, Hayden Ballantyne ($238,100) 111, Luke McPharlin ($282,700) 110 and Nat Fyfe ($375,300) 108.

Essendon: Leroy Jetta ($269,300) and David Hille ($314,700) were the only Essendon players to reach 100 Dream Team points with 103 and 101 respectively.

QUARTER BY QUARTER
First quarter
Fremantle started on fire in a game in which it needed to. It took just under a minute for the first goal from Tendai Mzungu before Ryan Crowley and Hayden Ballantyne added one each in the first seven minutes. Then, despite losing David Mundy to a knee injury, Freo continued to dominate with Nat Fyfe, Chris Mayne and Matthew Pavlich goaling to help the home side lead by 32 points at quarter-time.

Second quarter
Fremantle booted the first two goals to lead by 44 points, but Essendon slowly worked its way back into the contest. It only ended up in a return of one goal,  but the Bombers did have some momentum going into half-time despite the lack of scoreboard pressure.

Third quarter
Fremantle looked to be running away with the contest to start the third quarter with goals to Matthew Pavlich, Jon Griffin and Hayden Ballantyne to lead by 59 points. While Essendon did get two late goals to Paddy Ryder, the margin was still 47 at the last change.

Fourth quarter
Essendon wasn’t ready to surrender, though, and made a stirring run to start the last term. Travis Colyer kicked a goal in the first 25 seconds, Ryder added his fourth, Michael Hurley his first and Leroy Jetta his second and the Bombers were within 22 points after just eight minutes. Fremantle was able to steady from there, however, and it was former Bomber Kepler Bradley who sealed the win mark when he nailed a set shot just minutes after missing one from a similar position.

Fremantle        6.3    9.4    13.6    15.8    (98)
Essendon        1.1    2.6    5.7    9.10    (64)

GOALS
Fremantle: Pavlich 3, Johnson 2, Ballantyne 2, Crowley 2, Mzungu 2, Fyfe, Mayne, Griffin, Bradley
Essendon: Ryder 4, Jetta 2, Lovett-Murray, Colyer, Hurley

BEST
Fremantle: Ballantyne, McPharlin, Fyfe, Ibbotson, Pavlich, Johnson
Essendon: Jetta, Watson, Ryder, Howlett, Myers, Hille

INJURIES
Fremantle: David Mundy (knee), Hayden Ballantyne (hamstring)
Essendon: Brent Stanton replaced in selected side by Michael Hibberd, Dustin Fletcher (hamstring)

SUBSTITUTIONS
Fremantle: David Mundy replaced by Clayton Hinkley in the first quarter
Essendon: Dustin Fletcher replaced by Alex Browne at half-time

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Stevic, Dalgleish, Meredith

Official crowd: 35,824 at Patersons Stadium

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs