Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
It was the selection gamble Fremantle felt they needed to make.
But the Dockers’ recall of Brandon Walker will inevitably be a talking point after a fired-up Hawthorn took the ascendancy in Thursday night’s AFL qualifying final.
Playing in just his fourth senior game in two years, the 23-year-old limped off the ground with assistance from a trainer after rolling his ankle late in the third quarter.
He appeared to be in tears on the bench as the fourth term started after being ruled out for the rest of the game.
The backman had been on the outer since Fremantle’s season-opening loss to Geelong but was a surprise inclusion at the expense of Judd McVee for the Optus Stadium home final.
And he was handed one of the toughest assignments in the game: shutting down superstar Hawks forward Nick Watson.
Walker held his own for much of the contest and had some strong moments offensively, including a blistering run through the middle of the ground that earned a standing ovation from the Dockers’ faithful.
But by three-quarter time, Watson had two goals and the Hawks were 33 points ahead.
In just his third season, the diminutive “Wizard” has stamped himself as arguably the league’s premier small forward, booting 55 goals to earn a maiden All-Australian selection.
And it took just six minutes on Thursday night for Watson to deliver another electric moment after being afforded a fraction of space by Walker, sprinting away from his opponent and soccering through a loose ball for the Hawks’ second goal.
Watson tuned up for the finals with an imperious performance in Hawthorn’s final-round win over West Coast in Perth, slotting three majors and using Liam Baker as a stepladder for a mark of the year contender.
Capable as he is of delivering show-stopping moments, Watson’s ferocious pressure and ability to instil uncertainty in the minds of defenders could be his greatest strength.
And his influence without the ball was evident as the Dockers fumbled the ball in their backline, looking far from assured in the heat of the finals furnace.
Watson’s impact grew after halftime, bursting through traffic with a brilliant gather and almost curling home a stunning banana kick, before adding his second major moments after Walker went down with injury.
