Western Derby 55: Melee haltered as fans show appreciation for Fremantle Dockers star David Mundy

A Jackson Nelson tag on Andrew Brayshaw has sparked an old-fashioned derby scuffle which threatened to overshadow a touching tribute from Fremantle fans for David Mundy.

Again the weather was Fremantle’s great leveller and the depleted West Coast would have led at the main break if not for a Blake Acres snap in the final minutes.

A neat connection with Sean Darcy set up the Acres goal, which put Fremantle back in front after Jack Darling gave the Eagles the lead.

Nelson’s close checking of the overwhelming Glendinning-Allan favourite in the early stages triggered Caleb Serong into action and a full-scale melee ensued on the northern wing.

The scrap started just before Luke Shuey converted a set-shot goal to reinstate a first-quarter West Coast lead.

A pre-planned tribute from the Dockers faithful to the retiring great, where the home fans stood and applauded at the 16-minute mark of the first term added to the chaos as umpires pleaded with players to disperse.

But the fitting show of appreciation from the Optus Stadium crowd was recognised with typical subtlety by the veteran midfielder, who offered a thumbs up when he was shown on the giant screens.

Mundy had already whipped the crowd into a frenzy when he won his first centre clearance and marched towards goal — the crowd groaning as one as his kick fell short.

Hostilities continued into time-on, when Serong, sporting a ripped jumper from the original melee, gave away two consecutive 50m penalties to give Jack Redden a goal from the top of the square.

There was heat in the western derby from the start, with Eagles captain Shuey laying a huge bump on Dockers ruck Caleb Serong.

Brayshaw’s efforts to get to Jack Redden in a bid to shrug the Nelson attention meant the Eagles veteran and the pair of Dockers midfield guns became the chief protagonists.

Amid the chaos, Sean Darcy steadied and kicked a set-shot goal to put them back within a goal before Brayshaw won a 50m penalty of his own.

Redden was involved again, following up a holding-the-man free-kick with an elbow into the neck of his fellow number eight.

As their Brownlow Medal fancy converted, Dockers players converged on Nelson.

An error of judgement from young Docker Heath Chapman handed Xavier O’Neill a goal in his first derby on the stroke of quarter-time.