Despite needing to win to secure a home final at the very least, Collingwood put in a disappointing performance. The game was far from spectacular, but Fremantle came to play and controlled the match for the vast majority of the night.
The 12.8 (80) to 8.8 (56) victory gives Fremantle six for the season and it moves above Port Adelaide into 13th position, but it's a costly loss for Collingwood who now cannot finish in the top-four, and may finish as low as seventh.
Rhys Palmer capped off his brilliant first AFL season with a best on ground performance. He ran all night and finished with 27 possessions, nine marks and a goal.
Much of the talk at Fremantle has surrounded the future of Jeff Farmer and he played well to finish with three goals and collect 21 touches.
Byron Schammer was also terrific in the middle again with 23 disposals, Andrew Browne had 20, Josh Carr 23, Marcus Drum 24 and David Mundy 21.
Luke McPharlin spent most of the game in defence and was rock solid after being in the forward line in recent weeks. As well as repelling countless attacks, he had 18 touches and took 11 marks.
Leon Davis was one of very few Collingwood players who will be able to hold their heads high on the plane back to Melbourne. He had 23 touches and provided the match highlight with a breathtaking goal from the boundary line in the second quarter.
Scott Pendlebury, Shannon Cox, Josh Fraser worked hard, and Simon Prestigiacomo did well in defence in his first game of the season, but it wasn’t enough for the Pies.
Fremantle only had 24 players to pick from and dropped Steven Dodd and Brett Peake to give Andrew Browne and Clayton Hinkley one last chance to impress this season. Dodd and Peake will line up on Saturday in the WAFL for East Fremantle.
Collingwood got the opening goal of the game before Fremantle kicked the next five to open up a 20-point lead at the first change.
It wasn’t an inspiring second quarter but by half time Collingwood had whittled Fremantle's advantage down to 14 points.
Marty Clarke kicked the first for Collingwood before Des Headland answered for Fremantle with his first kick of the game and Farmer added his second.
It was a quiet next five minutes until Davis lit up Subiaco. He pressured Headland into a turnover at half forward, gathered the ball and kicked a miraculous goal from the 50m line on the boundary.
The standard didn’t rise in the third quarter as both teams struggled to find form and hit targets, but by the end of it Fremantle still led by 17 points.
Tyson Goldsack got the quarter's opening goal for Collingwood before Bradley scored his second and Fremantle's first of the half at the 16-minute mark to bring some life into the scrappy contest.
When Schammer kicked a clever snap on the run at the 20-minute mark, Fremantle hadopened up a 23-point lead. It was to prove too much despite Cloke grabbing one back for the Magpies on the stroke of three-quarter time.
Farmer marked and goaled truly to start the final quarter and when Adam Campbell took the lead to beyond 30 points, the match was done and dusted.
It took 15 more minutes for the next goal and Collingwood got it through Cloke but Bradley kicked his third soon after and Fremantle wrapped up the emphatic win.
Fremantle 5.0 7.1 9.7 12.8 (80)
Collingwood 1.4 4.5 6.6 8.8 (56)
GOALS
Fremantle: Farmer 3, Bradley 3, Duffield, Carr, Palmer, Headland, Schammer, Campbell
Collingwood: Cloke 2, Anthony 2, Clarke, Fraser, Davis, Goldsack
GOALS
Fremantle: Farmer 3, Bradley 3, Duffield, Carr, Palmer, Headland, Schammer, Campbell
Collingwood: Cloke 2, Anthony 2, Clarke, Fraser, Davis, Goldsack
BEST
Fremantle: Palmer, Schammer, McPharlin, Bradley, Farmer, Browne, Drum
Collingwood: Davis, Pendlebury, Cox, Fraser, Prestigiacomo
INJURIES
Fremantle: Nil
Collingwood: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Donlon, Rosebury, Ryan
Official crowd: 35,106 at Subiaco Oval
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
