Sabrina Frederick has ended her goal drought to lead Collingwood to a 29-point win over injury-hit Fremantle at a sun-drenched Fremantle Oval.
Frederick entered Sunday's match with 0.8 to her name for the season, but she broke the game open in the second quarter with two goals in the space of 40 seconds.
The 25-year-old key forward got Collingwood's first goal of the match by producing a fine snap.
And her second was a remarkable dribble effort from the pocket after she ran onto a loose ball.
Frederick's one-two punch gave the Magpies a valuable 16-point lead at half-time, and the visitors kept Fremantle at bay thereafter on the way to the 4.8 (32) to 0.3 (3) victory.
Collingwood's fourth win in a row improved its record to 7-1 and ensured it remained behind the top two, Brisbane and Melbourne, only on percentage.
Fremantle was a preliminary finalist last season but it sits second last on the ladder this campaign and has been held goalless twice.
Its first goalless outing was in round two against Geelong when it was held to just one behind.
Although the scoreboard didn't make for pretty reading against Collingwood, Fremantle dominated the second half and at least gave itself a chance.
Dockers midfielder Kiara Bowers was influential with 28 disposals and 11 tackles, while Laura Pugh (24 possessions) created bounce from defence.
But every time Fremantle went forward, Collingwood's backline had the answers.
Stacey Livingstone was particularly impressive in defence, cutting off Fremantle's forays forward on numerous occasions.
Chloe Molloy (18 disposals), Jaimee Lambert (19 disposals, one goal) Ash Brazill (11 disposals, one goal), and Mikala Cann (20 disposals) were also influential in an even team performance from Collingwood.
The Dockers entered the match with just 20 fit players from their main list, meaning they had to call up train-on player Madizen Wilkins to ensure they had a full bench.
Flying Pies enjoy trip west
This marked the first time Collingwood has left Victoria this season, and it showed travel is no problem. The Pies were far too good for the injury-hit Dockers, who had a train-on player – Madizen Wilkins – playing. Their ability on the road will face a far bigger test in the final round, when they take on Brisbane at Metricon Stadium.
Say what?
"Disappointed with the end result on the scoreboard and we were really disappointed with our second quarter, I thought that was one of our poorer quarters for the year. The first quarter was fine, played really well, then third quarter we won the inside 50s 12-7, we were really happy with that. The last quarter we created a lot of opportunities to score and didn't so that's the disappointing part of it. I thought our backs held up really well and we're very proud of them." – Fremantle coach Trent Cooper
"The Dockers are a very good outfit and we know whilst the ladder is indicating they haven't had the greatest season from a results point of view, they're a competitive bunch. We knew today they were going to come out with a contested brand, their pressure brand that they're renowned for and they certainly brought that to us as well. I thought they defended our 50 really strongly and made it really tough for us to be able to score. They're a good team. They're well-coached. I think this is the first time we've actually beaten them since the first season so it's nice to get a win against them." – Collingwood coach Steve Symonds
Up next
The Pies are looking for five straight wins when they take on North Melbourne in a huge clash at Victoria Park on Saturday, while the Dockers are away to Sydney on the same day.
FREMANTLE 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 (3)
COLLINGWOOD 0.2 2.4 3.6 4.8 (32)
GOALS
Fremantle: Nil
Collingwood: Frederick 2, Lambert, Brazill
BEST
Fremantle: Bowers, Pugh, Miller
Collingwood: Lambert, Schleicher, Cann, Livingstone
INJURIES
Fremantle: Nil
Collingwood: Nil
Reports: Nil
