A wayward Fremantle have produced a Friday night flop, ending an emotion-filled day with a 48-point AFL loss to Sydney at Optus Stadium.
Will Hayward kicked four goals and Isaac Heeney tallied 28 disposals and eight clearances as Sydney soared a game clear on top of the ladder with the 13.9 (87) to 4.15 (39) win.
Fremantle players were left devastated when news of Cam McCarthy's death at the age of 29 broke on Friday morning.
A total of 11 Dockers players who took to the field on Friday night were former teammates of McCarthy, who played 49 games for the Dockers between 2017-2020.
Fremantle veterans Nat Fyfe and Alex Pearce had tears in their eyes as both teams paid tribute to McCarthy in an emotional moment before the match in front of 46,198 fans.
When play got underway, Fremantle were their own worst enemies with fluffed shots on goal and horror turnovers.
The halftime scoreboard told the story of the contest - Sydney kicking 9.0 (54) to Fremantle's 1.8 (14).
Seven of Sydney's nine first-half goals came from Fremantle turnovers, including five in a horror second term for the Dockers.
Fremantle's goalkicking was simply horrible.
Patrick Voss missed the opening two shots of the game, while Jye Amiss sprayed a set shot and kicked another snap out of bounds.
Fyfe's shot on the run faded, while Luke Jackson and Andrew Brayshaw were also off target.
In contrast, Sydney made the most of their opportunities, with Chad Warner, Will Hayward and Joel Amartey kicking two goals each in the first half to give the visitors a 40-point lead at the major break.
Sydney's tackling was a feature, with Fyfe caught holding the ball three times in the first quarter alone.
The Swans' first miss of the match didn't arrive until the four-minute mark of the third quarter, when Hayward's 50m set shot faded.
But the damage had already been well and truly done by that stage, with Fremantle's 1.5 in the third quarter further hampering their cause.
Amiss had been in the headlines all week after Dockers coach Justin Longmuir expressed his disgust at the illegal treatment the spearhead had been receiving this season.
The 20-year-old barely got a sniff all night against the Swans, finishing with 0.1 from six disposals.
Sydney also unlocked a tactic that other teams will no doubt follow - tagging defender Jordan Clark.
James Jordon did an excellent shutdown role on the rebounding defender, limiting Clark to 16 disposals.
Clark's turnover in the second quarter also led to a Sydney goal.
Sydney's Nick Blakey could be in doubt for next week's blockbuster clash with Carlton after an accidental clash of heads with a teammate in the final term.
Dockers midfielder Caleb Serong racked up 25 disposals in the first half before finishing with 34 possessions and three clearances.
Sydney midfielder Chad Warner kicked two goals from 23 disposals.
Australian Associated Press
