Thought you'd want to check out our new site's 2015 season preview for the Dockers.
Genuinely after the thoughts of Freo fans and interested in feedback, as well as what the realistic aims for the season from you guys are.
I've posted the whole thing here, sans images, to comply with the BigFooty anti-spamming protocols; hopefully that's okay for the mods. I'll let the author know I've posted it here so he can respectively engage, and if you want to see the version on the site you can by clicking here.
2015 season preview: Fremantle
By Mark O’Connor
LAST CAMPAIGN
Fremantle entered season 2014 with more motivation than any other club, after a gut-wrenching grand final loss the previous year. The Dockers had a shaky start to the season, with losses to premiership rivals Hawthorn, Sydney, North Melbourne and Port Adelaide leaving them 4-4 and mid-table.
From there, Fremantle won twelve of its remaining fourteen regular season games and earned a top-four spot.
Then the season went sour. The Dockers were outclassed by Sydney in the first week of finals, and then dominated the first half of their semi final against Port Adelaide, but wasted numerous opportunities to put the game out of the Power’s reach. Port stormed home to eliminate Freo, who became only the fourth team to exit the finals in straight sets under the current top eight system.
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
Very much “as you were” for Fremantle, with no significant departures or retirements, and no big names coming in. Scott Gumbleton’s Anchor Adventures ended without a single senior game, and Kepler Bradley retired before someone retired him. The Dockers drafted for midfield depth, scoring some good future prospects with Lachie Weller and Connor Blakely, but strangely left their shallow key position stocks unreplenished.
The big off-season news for Freo came very late in the piece, when it was belatedly revealed high-profile stopper Ryan Crowley tested positive to a banned substance late last season, and had been sitting out from club training under provisional suspension. With no tribunal date yet set, it is not known whether Crowley will be considered for selection in Round 1 as he, and Fremantle, await news of his official sanction.
THE CHALLENGE
Simply, a premiership. They were agonisingly close two years ago, and in the mix again last year with late-season wins over Hawthorn and Port Adelaide. They have not moved to top up or to step back and reset as ageing stars approach the end of the line. The clear message from Fremantle is that they’re in this to win it.
It must happen soon, you fancy. Club legend Matthew Pavlich is surely approaching the end of his brilliant career, champion ruckman Aaron Sandilands can’t have too many seasons left in him and star defender Luke McPharlin is 33 and starting to rack up a lengthy injury history. David Mundy, Michael Johnson and Paul Duffield will all tick over the thirty-year mark during the season and Ryan Crowley, if he plays, will also be in the 30+ brigade. That’s not only a substantial list of veterans, but a large proportion of the team’s best and most important players.
So the challenge is to harness the last best efforts of this doughty core, and combine it with the star power of the rest of the list to have one last crack at September glory before it’s time to knock some barnacles off the Freo ship.
THE COACH
Ross Lyon remains a polarising figure in the game for supporters and media alike. His relentless focus on constricting opponents to losing scores, often at the expense of his own team’s offensive output, is grudgingly respected but rarely celebrated.
On the other hand, there’s no arguing with Lyon’s results out west. In 17 seasons before his arrival, the club had played in just three finals series for two September wins. In Lyon’s three campaigns, they’ve been in the top eight each time and won three finals. You can quibble with his methods, but it’s hard to knock his record.
Of course, the one glaring gap on his impressive coaching record is the biggest prize of all, and there are many who will tell you that you can’t win grand finals playing the Ross Lyon way. It’s his job to prove those critics wrong.
THE STAR
Nat Fyfe seems destined to be the next biggest star in the game. Already a performer in the top echelon, he has every imaginable football skill: he can find the footy inside or out, is excellent in the air for his size and kicks goals from midfield.
Only 23 and with less than under 100 games under his belt, he can still improve and become the pre-eminent player in the competition over the remainder of this decade.
ONE TO WATCH
Michael Walters had a breakout 2013 with 46 goals, but a serious ankle injury meant he was restricted to just eight games last season. He transforms the Fremantle forward line from steady to sensational when on song, as he can take a big mark or snare a crumbing goal out of half-chances and haphazard delivery.
Fully fit, he presents a nightmare match up for opposition defences, and his average of over two goals per game in finals shows that he’s also a big-game player.
IN THE GUN
Chris Mayne played all bar one game last campaign, essentially as a permanent forward, but managed more than one goal just once all year; his season tally fell from 39 and 37 in the previous two years to just 13 in 2014.
Of course, he offers more than merely majors, but in most categories Mayne fell away last year, including tackles, inside 50s and goal assists. The Dockers haven’t sought a replacement centre half forward, so it’s down to Mayne to recapture his bullocking best to help keep the ball in the Freo forward line and manage to jag a goal more than once every two weeks.
BEST 22
B: Lee Spurr – Zac Dawson – Michael Johnson
HB: Paul Duffield – Luke McPharlin – Cam Sutcliffe
C: Tendai Mzungu – Michael Barlow – Stephen Hill
HF: Danyle Pearce – Chris Mayne – Nathan Fyfe
F: Hayden Ballantyne – Matthew Pavlich – Michael Walters
FOLL: Aaron Sandilands – David Mundy – Ryan Crowley
INT: Lachie Neale – Nick Suban – Garrick Ibbotson – Zac Clarke
THE VERDICT
Everyone seems to have their eyes on the Dockers’ prize, that being their top-four spot from last year. As things stand, however, it remains Fremantle’s spot to lose. They will bowl up this year as they have in the last three – hard, uncompromising and very difficult to beat at home.
The Dockers get no favours in the first month, with three of last year’s top six and a derby, but with three of those four at home, they need to be at least 2-2 for a par start to the season. Return games against West Coast, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide and Richmond mean they have the chance to dent top four challengers’ hopes while bolstering their own.
Freo’s best is still very, very good. A decent run with injuries and another reliable avenue to goal would make them not merely a top-four candidate, but a premiership contender. But time is running out on this group – they have to grab this chance, because it might be their last.
OUR PREDICTION
We have the Dockers finishing sixth after the home and away season, but a top-four berth could see them challenge for the flag.
Genuinely after the thoughts of Freo fans and interested in feedback, as well as what the realistic aims for the season from you guys are.
I've posted the whole thing here, sans images, to comply with the BigFooty anti-spamming protocols; hopefully that's okay for the mods. I'll let the author know I've posted it here so he can respectively engage, and if you want to see the version on the site you can by clicking here.
2015 season preview: Fremantle
By Mark O’Connor
LAST CAMPAIGN
Fremantle entered season 2014 with more motivation than any other club, after a gut-wrenching grand final loss the previous year. The Dockers had a shaky start to the season, with losses to premiership rivals Hawthorn, Sydney, North Melbourne and Port Adelaide leaving them 4-4 and mid-table.
From there, Fremantle won twelve of its remaining fourteen regular season games and earned a top-four spot.
Then the season went sour. The Dockers were outclassed by Sydney in the first week of finals, and then dominated the first half of their semi final against Port Adelaide, but wasted numerous opportunities to put the game out of the Power’s reach. Port stormed home to eliminate Freo, who became only the fourth team to exit the finals in straight sets under the current top eight system.
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
Very much “as you were” for Fremantle, with no significant departures or retirements, and no big names coming in. Scott Gumbleton’s Anchor Adventures ended without a single senior game, and Kepler Bradley retired before someone retired him. The Dockers drafted for midfield depth, scoring some good future prospects with Lachie Weller and Connor Blakely, but strangely left their shallow key position stocks unreplenished.
The big off-season news for Freo came very late in the piece, when it was belatedly revealed high-profile stopper Ryan Crowley tested positive to a banned substance late last season, and had been sitting out from club training under provisional suspension. With no tribunal date yet set, it is not known whether Crowley will be considered for selection in Round 1 as he, and Fremantle, await news of his official sanction.
THE CHALLENGE
Simply, a premiership. They were agonisingly close two years ago, and in the mix again last year with late-season wins over Hawthorn and Port Adelaide. They have not moved to top up or to step back and reset as ageing stars approach the end of the line. The clear message from Fremantle is that they’re in this to win it.
It must happen soon, you fancy. Club legend Matthew Pavlich is surely approaching the end of his brilliant career, champion ruckman Aaron Sandilands can’t have too many seasons left in him and star defender Luke McPharlin is 33 and starting to rack up a lengthy injury history. David Mundy, Michael Johnson and Paul Duffield will all tick over the thirty-year mark during the season and Ryan Crowley, if he plays, will also be in the 30+ brigade. That’s not only a substantial list of veterans, but a large proportion of the team’s best and most important players.
So the challenge is to harness the last best efforts of this doughty core, and combine it with the star power of the rest of the list to have one last crack at September glory before it’s time to knock some barnacles off the Freo ship.
THE COACH
Ross Lyon remains a polarising figure in the game for supporters and media alike. His relentless focus on constricting opponents to losing scores, often at the expense of his own team’s offensive output, is grudgingly respected but rarely celebrated.
On the other hand, there’s no arguing with Lyon’s results out west. In 17 seasons before his arrival, the club had played in just three finals series for two September wins. In Lyon’s three campaigns, they’ve been in the top eight each time and won three finals. You can quibble with his methods, but it’s hard to knock his record.
Of course, the one glaring gap on his impressive coaching record is the biggest prize of all, and there are many who will tell you that you can’t win grand finals playing the Ross Lyon way. It’s his job to prove those critics wrong.
THE STAR
Nat Fyfe seems destined to be the next biggest star in the game. Already a performer in the top echelon, he has every imaginable football skill: he can find the footy inside or out, is excellent in the air for his size and kicks goals from midfield.
Only 23 and with less than under 100 games under his belt, he can still improve and become the pre-eminent player in the competition over the remainder of this decade.
ONE TO WATCH
Michael Walters had a breakout 2013 with 46 goals, but a serious ankle injury meant he was restricted to just eight games last season. He transforms the Fremantle forward line from steady to sensational when on song, as he can take a big mark or snare a crumbing goal out of half-chances and haphazard delivery.
Fully fit, he presents a nightmare match up for opposition defences, and his average of over two goals per game in finals shows that he’s also a big-game player.
IN THE GUN
Chris Mayne played all bar one game last campaign, essentially as a permanent forward, but managed more than one goal just once all year; his season tally fell from 39 and 37 in the previous two years to just 13 in 2014.
Of course, he offers more than merely majors, but in most categories Mayne fell away last year, including tackles, inside 50s and goal assists. The Dockers haven’t sought a replacement centre half forward, so it’s down to Mayne to recapture his bullocking best to help keep the ball in the Freo forward line and manage to jag a goal more than once every two weeks.
BEST 22
B: Lee Spurr – Zac Dawson – Michael Johnson
HB: Paul Duffield – Luke McPharlin – Cam Sutcliffe
C: Tendai Mzungu – Michael Barlow – Stephen Hill
HF: Danyle Pearce – Chris Mayne – Nathan Fyfe
F: Hayden Ballantyne – Matthew Pavlich – Michael Walters
FOLL: Aaron Sandilands – David Mundy – Ryan Crowley
INT: Lachie Neale – Nick Suban – Garrick Ibbotson – Zac Clarke
THE VERDICT
Everyone seems to have their eyes on the Dockers’ prize, that being their top-four spot from last year. As things stand, however, it remains Fremantle’s spot to lose. They will bowl up this year as they have in the last three – hard, uncompromising and very difficult to beat at home.
The Dockers get no favours in the first month, with three of last year’s top six and a derby, but with three of those four at home, they need to be at least 2-2 for a par start to the season. Return games against West Coast, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide and Richmond mean they have the chance to dent top four challengers’ hopes while bolstering their own.
Freo’s best is still very, very good. A decent run with injuries and another reliable avenue to goal would make them not merely a top-four candidate, but a premiership contender. But time is running out on this group – they have to grab this chance, because it might be their last.
OUR PREDICTION
We have the Dockers finishing sixth after the home and away season, but a top-four berth could see them challenge for the flag.
