FREMANTLE forward Shane Kersten said the Dockers were able to turn to a play honed on the training track to come out on top in Sunday’s thriller over Richmond at the MCG.
The Dockers let slip a 30-point lead in the final term, falling behind to a Brandon Ellis snap with less than 30 seconds on the clock.
But Lachie Neale, who last week admitted he felt his pace may have roadblocked his AFL dream prior to being drafted, pounced on the work of ruckman Aaron Sandilands to surge from the centre before delivering the ball to David Mundy.
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READ NOWMundy coolly slotted the goal after the siren to hand the Dockers a two-point win.
“We didn’t actually know how long there was to go in the game so it was a pretty frantic last 20 seconds,” Kersten said.
“As a forward group we just wanted to pull back and try and open up the front of the square so that was up to Lachie (Neale to deliver to Mundy) and it was a great kick.”
Kersten said the play was on the shelf ready to go after being trialled and perfected at training plenty of times.
“Being a young group, we don’t want to get to that point in the game and start panicking,” he said.
“So if we can keep that fresh in our mind and practice that week in, week out it will keep us in good stead.”
While each line knew their role prior to the final bounce, Kersten said there was a hint of fortune at play as well.
“It could have gone either way,” he said.
“If we didn’t get a clearance it could have gone their way and at the end of the day they would have won the game.
“There’s a little bit of Russian roulette with what we do but in the end we got most of it right and came away with the win.”
The Dockers play Carlton at Subiaco Oval on Sunday.