Top two finish awaits!

Apr 22, 2010
534
763
Martin
AFL Club
Fremantle
It would be awesome to get to the tassie game unscathed and a few games clear so we could send our Peel team down there, take the loss but gain the rest. It's a pipe dream at this stage though.
 

clogged

Brownlow Medallist
10k Posts
Apr 4, 2013
13,670
16,890
AFL Club
Fremantle
It would be awesome to get to the tassie game unscathed and a few games clear so we could send our Peel team down there, take the loss but gain the rest. It's a pipe dream at this stage though.
Much prefer to see Freo go full throttle up until the Carlton match in round 16, when player management can then become a consideration.

It may prove to be unrealistic, but if the side can go undefeated until the Hawthorn match, and then beat Hawthorn, it puts the Hawks five games from Freo and in a very difficult spot to make top four. After that Freo only needs to win the remaining home games to secure top two, with the most difficult game being either the Derby or the last round against Port.
 
Sep 22, 2011
29,795
29,042
Perth
AFL Club
Fremantle
Other Teams
Liverpool FC, Washington Wizards
It would be awesome to get to the tassie game unscathed and a few games clear so we could send our Peel team down there, take the loss but gain the rest. It's a pipe dream at this stage though.
No way. I'd rather test the team, see where we have improved and state our claim. It's in their territory and nothing like a win to get the wind in our sails. After Geelong 2013, the team/club changed from that day.
 

poshman

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 13, 2006
6,412
7,802
Perth
AFL Club
Fremantle
What we've seen since then is a Fremantle unlike any that's come before it, and all of the contenders dropping games they really shouldn't have. I don't think it was unreasonable to suggest it was too early to start making bold predictions.

We should make top 2 now (famous last words) - although you never know what could happen over the last 2/3 of the season.

I hope WCE keeps winning - as much for the laughs as anything else. Having the hawks and sydney having to scrap the way home works out nicely

Yes Freo have been better through the middle than we've ever seen. But it wasn't as though we were surprising everyone by being up or near the top. We have been a top team for a few seasons now. It was simple analysis. We had beaten Sydney - port - wce and Melbourne and our main rivals were two games back.

When I posted the thread I asked who we would lose too and apart from irrational fear no one could answer.

If we don't finish top now we would have done something wrong. If we don't finish top two the season from here would be a failure.

Yes agree loving watching wce win. Even GWS and Collingwood etc doing us favours. Hawks have some serious work to do from here.
 

Clems Knee

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 15, 2009
8,391
15,664
Perth
AFL Club
Fremantle
Much prefer to see Freo go full throttle up until the Carlton match in round 16, when player management can then become a consideration.

It may prove to be unrealistic, but if the side can go undefeated until the Hawthorn match, and then beat Hawthorn, it puts the Hawks five games from Freo and in a very difficult spot to make top four. After that Freo only needs to win the remaining home games to secure top two, with the most difficult game being either the Derby or the last round against Port.

I think player management has already become a consideration. Pavlich's red vest, Duffield's sub, McPharlin's niggle, Dawson's conservative comeback, the changing around of positions in the last quarter.
 

poshman

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 13, 2006
6,412
7,802
Perth
AFL Club
Fremantle
Good post. But what makes you think we'll rest players against the Hawks? I'd have thought Ross would want the best available team to try to get the 4 points and to test ourselves against the best.

I'm not sure we will. I just think it's a possibility if we are 14-0 that a couple of key guys could be rested. Having said that we will have come off a bye and two home games in a row in the preceding weeks.

Sorry Grape Bear, but there is no way we will gift a psychological advantage to a rival as good as Hawthorn so close to finals. That would be really, really dumb and Ross is anything but dumb :)

As a club we have rested players before. I hope we go a crush them. Having said that if sandi - pav - Mundy and another were sore and could use the rest to freshen up would you think it was dumb to give them a rest from such a long trip?
 

poshman

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 13, 2006
6,412
7,802
Perth
AFL Club
Fremantle
Good post. But what makes you think we'll rest players against the Hawks? I'd have thought Ross would want the best available team to try to get the 4 points and to test ourselves against the best.

I'm not sure we will. I just think it's a possibility if we are 14-0 that a couple of key guys could be rested. Having said that we will have come off a bye and two home games in a row in the preceding weeks.

Sorry Grape Bear, but there is no way we will gift a psychological advantage to a rival as good as Hawthorn so close to finals. That would be really, really dumb and Ross is anything but dumb :)

As a club we have rested players before. I hope we go a crush them. Having said that if sandi - pav - Mundy and another were sore and could use the rest to freshen up would you think it was dumb to give them a rest from such a long trip?
 
May 5, 2006
62,726
70,017
AFL Club
West Coast
Must be a weirdly satisfying feeling sitting top having beaten 2nd so easily. The Port/Sydney wins were great, the rest pretty comfortable.

Cards are falling nicely for Freo with the other top 4 contenders all dropping games. I still reckon Sydney and Hawthorn are the biggest challengers. Not sure what's going on with Port but they're going to struggle from 3-5. You'll wipe the floor with GWS, Collingwood or (sadly) us.
 

beetz

Norm Smith Medallist
Apr 30, 2014
5,030
6,122
AFL Club
Fremantle
Ok so now I am confident of finishing top 2 which will set up the final series in the best possible way. Home final and all going to plan, home prelim final.

Whilst Hawks, and to a lesser extent Sydney, are not playing their best footy they cannot be discounted come finals time - I still think they'll both finish 2nd and 3rd with 4th spot down to quite a few.
 

TheMcManusNose

Premiership Player
Apr 21, 2014
3,801
6,544
AFL Club
Fremantle
Other Teams
Vancouver Canucks
I reckon we need to test out our gameplan against them for finals.

Reckon this will be the consideration for Ross. Will we go full tilt and try to pick apart their response, or will bring over Peel or play with the structures to try and screw with Clarko?
 
Reckon this will be the consideration for Ross. Will we go full tilt and try to pick apart their response, or will bring over Peel or play with the structures to try and screw with Clarko?

The problem with picking apart their response is that they can pick apart ours. I'm not sure that their gameplan has changed as much as ours has, so they have more to gain in playing us from a research perspective.
 

poshman

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 13, 2006
6,412
7,802
Perth
AFL Club
Fremantle
The problem with picking apart their response is that they can pick apart ours. I'm not sure that their gameplan has changed as much as ours has, so they have more to gain in playing us from a research perspective.

Different than say a final series. We could get just the one shot at them in the finals and we want to steamroll them through the middle. Having said that if a win by us knocks them from top four contention lets go all out!

However this is the first time with our mids that I think we can match hawthorn all over the ground. The only worry for me would be rioli having a day out.

Hawks four games back now... wonder what the odds on that at the start of the season would have been? The season will be a long grind for them from here on in.

Weagles will lose two of the next three... possibly all three. Finish top six.

Syd will keep on rolling - and should beat the hawks later in the year.

GWS - where do we think they will finish? They have a soft draw, and all the contenders will be stealing wins from each other through the 4th to 10th placings. 4-6th finish for mine. Bulldogs this week.... dogs have fallen fast, would love to watch this game with all the pace, skill and goals that will be on show.

Port - Will they go on a tear and finish 5th? Will they beat melbourne this week?

Richmond - who flipping knows with richmond. Bombers this week - us next. Could easily lose both... they seem to play well against us though.

Collingwood - will win enough for the eight.

Geelong - horrid percentage but starting to put the wins together.

After our 6 goal win this week we enter the softest portion of our draw. Fred Ziffel predicted a 12-0 start this year... looking more and more a reasoned prediction rather than hopeful optimism everyday!

Syd and Hawks to have huge wins this weekend. All the news will be about them and the dogs vs gws game. Or if geelong beat the eagles it will be about their premiership hopes being alive... lol
 

Belnakor

Brownlow Medallist
Apr 10, 2005
26,274
18,834
Perth
AFL Club
Fremantle
GWS - where do we think they will finish? They have a soft draw, and all the contenders will be stealing wins from each other through the 4th to 10th placings. 4-6th finish for mine. Bulldogs this week.... dogs have fallen fast, would love to watch this game with all the pace, skill and goals that will be on show.

GC started like a house on fire last year and dropped off a cliff after that. People are getting a bit ahead of themselves with GWS.
 
Back