Dual North Melbourne premiership player David King has expressed his “worries” for Fremantle following its shock defeat to rivals West Coast on Saturday night.
The Dockers were dominated from start to finish at Optus Stadium, consigned to their third loss in as many games after starting their 2024 campaign 3-0.
Having established such a promising foundation for their season, Fremantle’s prospects suddenly appear murky after six games.
Speaking on Fox Footy’s First Crack on Sunday night, King highlighted the Dockers’ shortfalls following a forgettable outing in the 58th Western Derby.
“I look at them, and I just wonder if they’re too accepting of what the opposition is doing to them,” King explained to the panel.
“Are they really able to take the ball from inside to out? Are they strong enough to stay focussed and hang onto that ball and not allow it to spill? (To) get your hands on it and ensure that it gets to the outside.”
Referencing an errant Luke Jackson handball in the middle of the ground, King stated: “That’sjust flippant. That’s just whipping the ball as quickly as you can (to) get it out of your area.”
Offensively, Fremantle managed just 40 inside-50s on Saturday — eight fewer than the Eagles — and six fewer than their season average of 46.0, which ranks worst in the competition on a per-game basis.
Defensively, the Dockers sit dead last in the AFL in pressure acts per game (269.5).
King compared Fremantle to how the league’s elite are trending.
“The best teams in the comp, now, they challenge you in every way,” he continued.
“They know what’s required to get the ball from inside to out … These sorts of (errant) handballs happen throughout the night.”
The Kangaroos champion expressed concern about where the Dockers sit, citing multiple facets of the game.
“I just worry about them, and I worry about them for a whole host of reasons,” he said.
“I don’t know if they interrupt the opposition enough when they’re moving the ball down the ground. They’re bottom four in the competition, if not bottom two in the competition for that.
“I don’t know if their contest game is anywhere near where it should be to really challenge the best teams. So, it makes you question the plan a little bit.
“The uncontested mark game — when it works it works well, but when it fails it looks miserable.
“I think they’ve got a little bit of searching to do, to work out as a coaching panel ‘how is this coming together?’”
King denied the notion that he was pointing a target at coach Justin Longmuir.
“People think we’re going after the coach — we’re not,” he said. “We’re having a look at the plan, the method, and if it’s not working you’ve got to make change.
“I don’t think they get the ball from inside to outside as effectively as other teams, and until they do, they’ll meander through the middle part of the (top) eight.”
Fremantle hosts the fellow 3-3 Western Bulldogs this Saturday night, before embarking on matchups with Richmond (MCG), the Sydney Swans (home) and St Kilda (Marvel Stadium) to round out their first 10 fixtures.