Tobe Watson’s season ends in disappointing Fremantle loss, Jetta rides the bench as Dees finish as top dogs

Donnybrook’s Tobe Watson was the only South West product to feature as Fremantle’s season came to a disappointing end in Hobart on Sunday. Clinging on to slim finals hopes heading into the final round of the season, the Dockers needed to beat St Kilda who will also miss the finals, and see other results go their way to sneak into eighth spot. But a lack of pressure on ball carriers in midfield made life hard for Watson and his fellow defenders, as the Saints ran away to a comfortable 17.5 (107) to 6.13 (49) victory. The 23-year-old had 16 disposals, including four contested possessions and four intercept possessions. Watson’s disposal efficiency coming out of the back-half has continued to improve this season. He used the ball at 88 per cent on Sunday, improving his career efficiency to 80.5 per cent. The Fremantle back-line was under immense pressure as the Saints scored from an impressive 46 per cent of their inside 50 entries for the day, despite losing the game’s clearance count. It brings to an end a season on the fringes for Watson, who built on his three-game debut season last year with 10 more games. Dockers teammate and fellow South West export Connor Blakely ended the season on the sidelines after picking up a hamstring injury in last weekend’s western derby, while Harvey’s Ethan Hughes was on the outer. For Bunbury product Neville Jetta, a season in which he managed just five games has ended on a high note, with his beloved Melbourne Demons finishing on top of the ladder for the first time since 1964. In his 13 seasons at the club, Jetta has played finals just once, in 2018, but looks set to miss out this year, having not featured for his side since their round 10 clash with Adelaide. The Demons face Brisbane in a qualifying final on Saturday night at the Adelaide Oval for a chance to move straight through to a preliminary final. However Melbourne’s lockdown means that Jetta hasn’t played even at VFL level since July 31, making a recall to the senior team in time for the finals unlikely.