When North Melbourne takes the field at Domain Stadium on Saturday night, it will be expecting Fremantle’s best form from the outset.
The Dockers’ 7-0 start to 2015 has been underpinned by superhuman first quarters, frequently blowing teams out of the water by the first break.
They have scored the most points of any team and conceded the fewest, leading to a monster differential of more than 22 goals.
Fremantle in 2015 | First quarters |
For | 32.17.209 |
Against | 10.15.75 |
Differential | +134 points |
Thanks to Champion Data, we can drill down into the quarter to see exactly where Fremantle puts the foot down both offensively and defensively.
Offensively, the majority of the scoring happens towards the middle of the first quarter. After an initial feeling out period, the Dockers’ heaviest scoring periods are between the 5-10 and 10-15 minute marks.
Time period | Fremantle’s first quarter scoring |
5-15 minutes | 19.4.118 |
Remaining first quarter | 13.13.91 |
On an individual note, the score involvements are spread out relatively evenly, pointing to the depth the Dockers possess in an attacking sense. 11 players have had at least 10 score involvements in the first quarter alone.
Defensively, Fremantle does its work in the first 20 minutes before time-on hits. In this time period, when opposition attacks are at their fittest and freshest, the Dockers have only conceded four goals all season. That equates to approximately the equivalent of a full match in game-time.
Opponents v Fremantle | Q1 scores v Fremantle |
Before time-on | 4.8.32 |
Time-on | 6.7.43 |
It’s Fremantle’s prime movers that play a large role in winning possession right from the start. Of the Dockers that have played more than two games, the top four disposal winners in the first quarter are Nathan Fyfe, David Mundy, Lachie Neale and Michael Barlow.
North’s first quarters have arguably been its weak point so far this season, having won just two of seven. However, if the Roos can get to the first break on parity with their opposition, things may then start to open up.
Fremantle’s scoring output decreases from quarter to quarter, with the opposite happening to its opposition. By the time the final quarter arrives, the Dockers have lost more than they have won, while also being outscored.