Longmuir tells Dockers critics to look at Freo’s handball stats

2 weeks ago 6

By Justin Chadwick

May 2, 2024 — 2.17pm

Fremantle manager Justin Longmuir can’t assistance but consciousness a spot miffed that he’s inactive regarded arsenic a antiaircraft coach, saying analysts should look person astatine his team’s handball stats.

Analysts wide panned Fremantle’s shot question past year, saying the stagnant quality of their forays guardant was a large crushed down the club’s descent down to 14th spot.

Critics were again retired successful unit pursuing Fremantle’s daze 37-point nonaccomplishment to West Coast successful circular six.

The Dockers rebounded past week with a 24-point triumph implicit the Bulldogs, with their instrumentality of 14.11 (95) marking their 2nd highest people of the season.

Fremantle’s handball-happy crippled benignant against the Bulldogs that led to much attacking opportunities was a large talking constituent aft the match.

It near Longmuir feeling bemused, fixed that his coaching doctrine has mostly revolved astir utilizing handballs arsenic a limb for years now.

It adjacent led to him quipping “because I’m specified a dour, antiaircraft coach”, erstwhile explaining a imaginable crushed wherefore critics haven’t looked in-depth astatine the handball stats.

Fremantle led the league successful handballs successful 2022 and were ranked 4th past season.

This year, the Dockers beryllium 2nd for handballs astatine an mean of 160 per match, down lone GWS (162.3).

“I’m not definite however you tin analyse our crippled and permission retired the information we’re a precocious handball team,” Longmuir said connected Thursday.

“I don’t privation to go antiaircraft successful presumption of my reactions to those types of questions, but we’ve been a precocious handball squad for a agelong play of time, and for immoderate crushed that gets near retired of the investigation of our game.

“I’m not definite however that works.”

Two-time Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe exemplifies Fremantle’s willingness to unfastened up the crippled done handballs.

Out of Fyfe’s 37 disposals against the Bulldogs, 25 were handballs.

Caleb Serong (27 handballs, 10 kicks) was besides connected the handball bandwagon.

Fyfe looked a spent unit implicit the past fewer years arsenic injuries continued to ravage his battered body.

But the 32-year-old has rediscovered his mojo this year, with Fyfe wreaking havoc some astatine the stoppages and astir the ground.

“His crippled and process connected the play looked much decisive and natural,” Longmuir said.

“He played with little interest successful immoderate sense. He backed himself and trusted his crippled and took the crippled on.

“He had 26 possessions post-clearance connected the weekend, truthful that shows helium ran successful astute spots to person and triumph the shot post-clearance.

“He’s evolving his game. That’s what stars do, they ever look to get amended and evolve.”

Longmuir indicated spearhead Jye Amiss (concussion) and goalsneak Sam Switkowski (concussion) would instrumentality against Richmond astatine the MCG connected Sunday if they some propulsion up good from Thursday’s grooming session.

AAP