Mega Thread 2025 Media & Miscellaneous Thread

[Tonga Bob]

Back by popular demand. However...

There has been some aggro from publishers of articles in recent months about sites that copypasta their content onto other sites, particularly the paywalled ones, which could lead to fines and whanot for those that do it. Apparently there are copywrite laws for these things. As a result we can no longer have full articles reposted here, so if you come across something then please refrain from nabbing the whole thing and just post the link. Quoting a paragraph or two and linking the source is fine however, just don't get greedy.

Here's the updated site-wide rule: https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/please-read-re-copyright-posting-newspaper-articles.1389553/

Here's an example of what you can do:

"If West Coast was the gold standard for how to operate, then Fremantle's arrival into the AFL in 1995 could be viewed as a series of cautionary tales.

Despite eight wins in that debut season, a series of poor recruiting choices meant they didn't play their first final until 2003."

If they believe that us not making finals until 2003 was solely due to "a series of poor recruiting choices" then I have a bridge to sell them.

Can 'perennial underachievers' Fremantle become WA's biggest footy club?

For 38 years the West Coast Eagles have been WA footy's alpha male, but in the midst of their worst ever on-field run, is the balance of power shifting towards their bitter rivals Fremantle?

www.abc.net.au

Thanks for your understanding.

 

[malpaso]

Always like to hear what Duff has to say, especially about Fremantle.
No trajectory.. I query thast. It was , what five years ago that the club and players set a trajectory a vision for the club.The club set it our, the players all voiced their inness into to vision .
I know I was proud to hear the club and players launch an attack on the achievement set by them.
But, it seemed that every one , other than those tied to the club ridiculed the club for having a vision for the clubs future.The local rags almost laughed. Our members, supporters, ridiculed them
I know many here attacked the club as stupid for having a vision.Another site I am on, a Dockers site, had a large number of poster ridiculing the club and players.
I do believe the club set out a vision , a vision that would have the club rise above what they had been in the past.
The vision has not worked, but at least it was worth a try.
Now, after one horrid game, we go back to square one.
I am not usually a knocker of coaches because I believe that the players need to take part of the blame for what happens.
At the moment, they are all feeling let down, Do they feel let down for their team mates that they failed to help. Are they down because someone else didn't block ot attack the ball.
I believe our team, our players, even after 30 years, plus a quarter of a season, have not realised just what HURT is all about. As Duff said, thya have been pampered , pampered by the lack of total dedication to the club, the team, everyone of their team mates.The old saying, you never know until you walk a mile in someones shoes.
I believe the players, maybe inadvertantly, think they are walking a harder path than we supporters. Come walk the miles in my worn out shoes and see and feel how I and all my fellow memebrs and supporters feel.
IF, the club are serious, they tell Longmuir, it is time.Time to bring out the axe. A few have to be make scape goats for all. But those that go, must realise that what they have dished up under pressure has not been good enough.
But, on the latter, I guess we shall see if we are going to get some more of the softly softly approach.

Longmuir may have an axe however there are no more trees to be planted.. Look at the list..

 

[freo1]

‘Biggest flop in the AFL’: Freo torn to shreds as big coaching names loom large in potential shake-up

‘Biggest flop in the AFL’ torn to shreds as big coaching names loom large in potential shake-up

www.foxsports.com.au

100% correct. Hate listening to it, but it’s right. We’re useless and flakey.

You know what, even a thumping win over Collingwood won’t help this weekend because you know we’ll embarrass ourselves the following week.

I’m so despondent now, as are most supporters. We’re just a weak, gutless club. We’ve only ever had 1 period of ruthlessness that gave us success and guess what we did! ? Sacked the poor guy because woke individuals at the club couldn’t handle the ruthlessness that achieves success.

Classic Fremantle. Born for a continual existence of mediocrity

 

[Outshined]

‘Biggest flop in the AFL’: Freo torn to shreds as big coaching names loom large in potential shake-up

‘Biggest flop in the AFL’ torn to shreds as big coaching names loom large in potential shake-up

www.foxsports.com.au

100% correct. Hate listening to it, but it’s right. We’re useless and flakey.

You know what, even a thumping win over Collingwood won’t help this weekend because you know we’ll embarrass ourselves the following week.

I’m so despondent now, as are most supporters. We’re just a weak, gutless club. We’ve only ever had 1 period of ruthlessness that gave us success and guess what we did! ? Sacked the poor guy because woke individuals at the club couldn’t handle the ruthlessness that achieves success.

Classic Fremantle. Born for a continual existence of mediocrity

No one has benefitted more from the purple tinted revisionist glasses than Ross Lyon. We were a shocking watch in the back half of 2019 but yep, it was being "woke" that did us in and kept the club from greatness.

I'll be elated when Longmuir's tenure finally ends but the constant fixation on a coach that left us 6 years ago is odd.

 

[freo1]

No one has benefitted more from the purple tinted revisionist glasses than Ross Lyon. We were a shocking watch in the back half of 2019 but yep, it was being "woke" that did us in and kept the club from greatness.

I'll be elated when Longmuir's tenure finally ends but the constant fixation on a coach that left us 6 years ago is odd.

Because Ross brought our the club the highest and only success we’ve ever had.

I’m not denying the team was poor when he left, but they were in rebuild mode, the natural pathway that has to happen. It’s disgusting the club didn’t let him finish his rebuild to reap the rewards. Also during a couple of his final years we had an injury list not dissimilar to what the eagles went through but people seem to forget that. If Ross was allowed to finish his contract I truly believe we’d be kicking ass now with this list. Instead people sooked about being burnt out by Ross. Well guess what, AFL footy is tough and demanding. Ross just asked for what is required.

Quite clearly the club has gone back to its soft ways, hence why we’re so up and down. Our clubs DNA is frail and fragile. Basically 30years of mediocrity with the only glimmer during Ross’s time.

When reflecting on the facts of our past, I find it hard to fathom people who are negative about Ross. I’d give anything to have him working with our current list.

And I find it hard to understand what youre saying about Ross benefiting from purple tinted glasses. He lost his job. He didn’t benefit at all.

 

[EastcoastDocker]

In hindsight I think Ross just needed a sabbatical. Players could have probably done with a different voice for a season. Would have been unprecedented and bold though.

I would love to see Serong and Young under Ross. Ross can bring out the best in a players strengths and use his footsoldiers to neutralize an opponent's. Lets be honest he's coached historically the 2 least successful clubs in the afl era and got them close. St Kilda is a farkin shambles of a club. Resource wise they are poor, culture wise wtf do they have compared to the other smaller Vic clubs.
.

 

[BStaff17]

Yep i said a few times ironically Ross is probably the coach we need right now.

 

[swanny1234]

No one has benefitted more from the purple tinted revisionist glasses than Ross Lyon. We were a shocking watch in the back half of 2019 but yep, it was being "woke" that did us in and kept the club from greatness.

I'll be elated when Longmuir's tenure finally ends but the constant fixation on a coach that left us 6 years ago is odd.

Ross being sacked was the right decision - I'm eternally grateful to him for our best period as a club, but it had gone stale.
The issue is after we sacked him, we didn't follow a proper process and replaced him with an absolute chump. If we'd gone through a legitmate process and found a Macrae or a Kingsley, we wouldn't be in this situation.

Ross isn't the answer, but another experienced coach, with a more attacking ideology probably is.

 

[MadMac]

There was definitely a fair bit of passion in Hase’s voice here. I know he had some questionable takes in his media gig but there’s no doubt that he cares about the club

 

[Outshined]

Because Ross brought our the club the highest and only success we’ve ever had.

I’m not denying the team was poor when he left, but they were in rebuild mode, the natural pathway that has to happen. It’s disgusting the club didn’t let him finish his rebuild to reap the rewards. Also during a couple of his final years we had an injury list not dissimilar to what the eagles went through but people seem to forget that. If Ross was allowed to finish his contract I truly believe we’d be kicking ass now with this list. Instead people sooked about being burnt out by Ross. Well guess what, AFL footy is tough and demanding. Ross just asked for what is required.

Quite clearly the club has gone back to its soft ways, hence why we’re so up and down. Our clubs DNA is frail and fragile. Basically 30years of mediocrity with the only glimmer during Ross’s time.

When reflecting on the facts of our past, I find it hard to fathom people who are negative about Ross. I’d give anything to have him working with our current list.

And I find it hard to understand what youre saying about Ross benefiting from purple tinted glasses. He lost his job. He didn’t benefit at all.

Ross was a great coach for a time, I'm not denying that. I understand his tenure is associated with that warm glow from 2012-15 but we were stagnating by 2018-19. It also wasn't a matter of players "sooking", Ross' preference for the contested, rolling maul style of footy was becoming more and more obscure and there weren't any signs he was able to effectively adapt, change or relinquish control when required. The jury's still out as to whether the period out of coaching has done him any good either.

And my point was the purple tinting on Ross's legacy. This board and the broader supporter base were generally pretty happy to see the back of him but that's largely been forgotten because we've not improved since. Longmuir being generally inept doesn't change the fact that the decision to part ways Lyon was justified. We couldn't score, were wildly inconsistent and shockingly, we were soft too. I'm in no way pretending those problems have been solved. In many ways we just appointed Lyon lite without the communication skills.

There's a funny tendency on this board to bemoan our lack of success and talk about the club and its supporters embracing mediocrity, while concurrently fixating on a 3 year period where we made and lost a single grand final, bowed out of finals in straight sets and lost a home prelim. I appreciate it's relative to our generally poor history, but it's time to look forward, not backwards.

Ross being sacked was the right decision - I'm eternally grateful to him for our best period as a club, but it had gone stale.
The issue is after we sacked him, we didn't follow a proper process and replaced him with an absolute chump. If we'd gone through a legitmate process and found a Macrae or a Kingsley, we wouldn't be in this situation.

Ross isn't the answer, but another experienced coach, with a more attacking ideology probably is.

This is where I sit. Ross was the best coach we've ever had by a long margin but it was time to move on.

 

[Wigarus]

Ross was a great coach for a time, I'm not denying that. I understand his tenure is associated with that warm glow from 2012-15 but we were stagnating by 2018-19. It also wasn't a matter of players "sooking", Ross' preference for the contested, rolling maul style of footy was becoming more and more obscure and there weren't any signs he was able to effectively adapt, change or relinquish control when required. The jury's still out as to whether the period out of coaching has done him any good either.

And my point was the purple tinting on Ross's legacy. This board and the broader supporter base were generally pretty happy to see the back of him but that's largely been forgotten because we've not improved since. Longmuir being generally inept doesn't change the fact that the decision to part ways Lyon was justified. We couldn't score, were wildly inconsistent and shockingly, we were soft too. I'm in no way pretending those problems have been solved. In many ways we just appointed Lyon lite without the communication skills.

There's a funny tendency on this board to bemoan our lack of success and talk about the club and its supporters embracing mediocrity, while concurrently fixating on a 3 year period where we made and lost a single grand final, bowed out of finals in straight sets and lost a home prelim. I appreciate it's relative to our generally poor history, but it's time to look forward, not backwards.



This is where I sit. Ross was the best coach we've ever had by a long margin but it was time to move on.

You know what other tendency there is on this board? Doubling down on a bad decision and ignoring the facts to make it palatable.

At round 15 of 2019, we were inside the 8. We had beaten 3 of the top 4 teams, 2 of them away from home. We were absolutely doing better in 2019 than we are this year.

If you want to look at the real reason we weren't coming on as fast as we all hoped, how about you look at the drafting from that period and the injury list? Ross has since proven that he can still coach by taking the Saints into the finals, and he's proven he's a better coach than Longmuir quite emphatically over the weekend.

I posted a few years ago that our drafting would have been better practically every year if we'd just taken the player Chris25 had us taking in the phantom drafts.

Almost all of the players traded out during Longmuir's reign are playing AFL and at a high enough level that they would improve our team if they were still here. Hogan is a Coleman medallist, and he's gone because our entire club has been neutered and conditioned to believe that what a player does off the field is more important than what they contribute on the field.

If the Dockers drafted a player like Toby Greene, he wouldn't be made captain, he'd be traded out after being put in the too-hard basket. That's the culture of the club nowadays and how you end up with a player like Alex Pearce as captain. Sure, he seems like a leader compared to the choirboys he plays with, but he looks totally out of place next to the other captains in the AFL.

But oh yeah, it must have been THE ONLY coach that has ever gotten us to finals 2 years in a row.

 

[Taylor]

Made finals 2022.
Lost: Valente, Mundy, Blakely, Western, Crowden to retirement and delisting.
Lost: Acres, Logue, Tucker, Lobb, Meek to trade.
Gain: Kuek, Jackson, O'Meara, Davies, Emmett, Knobel, Wagner, Reidy

Did not make finals 2023.
Lost: Wilson, Colyer, Benning to delisting.
Lost: Schultz, Henry to trade.
Gain: Stanley, Simpson, Murphy, Delean, Jones

Doesn't make for great reading.

 

[ubiquitous226]

Made finals 2022.
Lost: Valente, Mundy, Blakely, Western, Crowden to retirement and delisting.
Lost: Acres, Logue, Tucker, Lobb, Meek to trade.
Gain: Kuek, Jackson, O'Meara, Davies, Emmett, Knobel, Wagner, Reidy

Did not make finals 2023.
Lost: Wilson, Colyer, Benning to delisting.
Lost: Schultz, Henry to trade.
Gain: Stanley, Simpson, Murphy, Delean, Jones

Doesn't make for great reading.

Agreed, I think it's one of the key reasons we didn't perform as well as we should have last year, the loss of experience and depth.

While it still affects us this year, it's to a much lesser extent and it shouldn't be the reason why we can't perform this year.

 

[Outshined]

You know what other tendency there is on this board? Doubling down on a bad decision and ignoring the facts to make it palatable.

At round 15 of 2019, we were inside the 8. We had beaten 3 of the top 4 teams, 2 of them away from home. We were absolutely doing better in 2019 than we are this year.

If you want to look at the real reason we weren't coming on as fast as we all hoped, how about you look at the drafting from that period and the injury list? Ross has since proven that he can still coach by taking the Saints into the finals, and he's proven he's a better coach than Longmuir quite emphatically over the weekend.

I posted a few years ago that our drafting would have been better practically every year if we'd just taken the player Chris25 had us taking in the phantom drafts.

Almost all of the players traded out during Longmuir's reign are playing AFL and at a high enough level that they would improve our team if they were still here. Hogan is a Coleman medallist, and he's gone because our entire club has been neutered and conditioned to believe that what a player does off the field is more important than what they contribute on the field.

If the Dockers drafted a player like Toby Greene, he wouldn't be made captain, he'd be traded out after being put in the too-hard basket. That's the culture of the club nowadays and how you end up with a player like Alex Pearce as captain. Sure, he seems like a leader compared to the choirboys he plays with, but he looks totally out of place next to the other captains in the AFL.

But oh yeah, it must have been THE ONLY coach that has ever gotten us to finals 2 years in a row.

You do know that these events aren’t mutually exclusive? The decision to sack Lyon was justifiable but the club have also missed the mark several times over the subsequent years. I’m perfectly happy to critique the decision making since 2022 and absolutely want Longmuir gone for a fresh start. It doesn’t change how we view the preceding years.

Bell’s mismanagement of players like Acres is well-documented. I’m glad he’s gone too. That’s far removed from the 4 pretty insipid years we experienced after 2015.

One elimination finals loss where the Saints were again bottom 4 for scoring, followed by a 12th placed finished isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of Lyon’s second stint. Regardless, I think Lyon's a better coach than Longmuir too, but in the context of the 2019 season, we needed to part ways. Again, appointing Longmuir post-Lyon doesn't change the fact that Ross was struggling.

I’m curious what you mean by “a player like Pearce” also? Because he’s a bit alternative he can’t be a good leader? And for someone who clearly is a huge fan of Lyon, you love a hypothetical. No one's laying all of the blame for the club's failures squarely at Ross's feet.

 

[go_the_dockers]

You do know that these events aren’t mutually exclusive? The decision to sack Lyon was justifiable but the club have also missed the mark several times over the subsequent years. I’m perfectly happy to critique the decision making since 2022 and absolutely want Longmuir gone for a fresh start. It doesn’t change how we view the preceding years.

Bell’s mismanagement of players like Acres is well-documented. I’m glad he’s gone too. That’s far removed from the 4 pretty insipid years we experienced after 2015.

One elimination finals loss where the Saints were again bottom 4 for scoring, followed by a 12th placed finished isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of Lyon’s second stint. Regardless, I think Lyon's a better coach than Longmuir too, but in the context of the 2019 season, we needed to part ways. Again, appointing Longmuir post-Lyon doesn't change the fact that Ross was struggling.

I’m curious what you mean by “a player like Pearce” also? Because he’s a bit alternative he can’t be a good leader? And for someone who clearly is a huge fan of Lyon, you love a hypothetical. No one's laying all of the blame for the club's failures squarely at Ross's feet.

I think a bigger issue is the failure of the club to get an experience coach directly under JL.

Who knows what would have happened, if he had Ratten directly under him. Simpson was available this year, but the club didnt try to get him.

 

[Big Animal]

In hindsight I think Ross just needed a sabbatical. Players could have probably done with a different voice for a season. Would have been unprecedented and bold though.

I would love to see Serong and Young under Ross. Ross can bring out the best in a players strengths and use his footsoldiers to neutralize an opponent's. Lets be honest he's coached historically the 2 least successful clubs in the afl era and got them close. St Kilda is a farkin shambles of a club. Resource wise they are poor, culture wise wtf do they have compared to the other smaller Vic clubs.
.

I know one of the coaches under Ross. He said Ross was collectively hated by the staff. He drove such relentlessy high standards that it eventually drove everyone into the ground. It just isn't sustainable. It works while you are winning because it is well know in elite sports men feel good when winning (i.e. the emotion comes as a result of the result), but when they start losing (e.g. us end 2015) the wheels fall off very quickly and the culture internally is shocking with no chance of digging out of that hole. Players don't seem too fussed being in the rehab group.

I can see why JLo was selected as an antithesis to that to rebuild the club culture (and the players obviously love him for that), but IMO JLo is too far the other way and obviously doesn't drive high enough expectations and standards on the field that they can regularly put up that rubbish we saw against Geelong, Saints and Melbourne, and somehow over the course of 2h of football, at no point do the players collectively change into another gear. There's just acceptance of failure - 'oh well, get paid anyway and noone will come down hard on me, and my spot's not at risk.' Need some level of fear or shame to counter putting that rubbish out in a game. Hard though in a club without a culture of success.

 

[mightymouse75]

Ross was brilliant while it lasted.
But as stated many times he burnt the group out & should have been moved on 2 years earlier.
I will always look back with Ross coloured glasses.
JL is just too soft & doesn't have a tactical or more importantly flexible mind.
We need accountability, as under Ross, from tip to toe.

 

[EastcoastDocker]

fair call on the ross burnout. Hes a bit like mourinho, theres definitely a shelf life there hence why a sabbatical may have been good. Though realistically was never going to happen.

On the couch went whack as expected, but my goodness Jordan Lewis

Jordan Lewis

Age

40

Ht

186cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D

23.5

5star

K

12.1

4star

HB

11.5

5star

M

5.5

5star

T

2.7

4star

MG

310.5

4star

No current season stats available

D

15.0

4star

K

6.8

3star

HB

8.2

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

2.8

5star

goes after andy brayshaws 2 way running and says he hasnt been doing that all year.. wtf?? Tell me you dont watch freo without tell me you dont watch freo

 

[Big Animal]

I asked ChatGPT to produce a picture of a typical-looking serial killer. It just gave me a picture of Jordan Lewis

Jordan Lewis

Age

40

Ht

186cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D

23.5

5star

K

12.1

4star

HB

11.5

5star

M

5.5

5star

T

2.7

4star

MG

310.5

4star

No current season stats available

D

15.0

4star

K

6.8

3star

HB

8.2

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

2.8

5star

 

[nurries]

I asked ChatGPT to produce a picture of a typical-looking serial killer. It just gave me a picture of Jordan Lewis

I can see that

 

[Dale147]

 

[DeanoDocker]

fair call on the ross burnout. Hes a bit like mourinho, theres definitely a shelf life there hence why a sabbatical may have been good. Though realistically was never going to happen.

On the couch went whack as expected, but my goodness Jordan Lewis goes after andy brayshaws 2 way running and says he hasnt been doing that all year.. wtf?? Tell me you dont watch freo without tell me you dont watch freo

I hear you, I nearly spat out my dinner - its one thing to pick out a piece of vision of Andy from a match all played under par. Its another to double down and say "Yes" to has been doing it all season when Nathan queried. I just switched off - I will give Jack his due - he has improved as weeks go past in the role - Jordan just focuses too much Melbourne teams. He would never make those ill informed comments on Andy if he had watched our games

 

[Cam Payne]

View attachment 2307252View attachment 2307255

Any chance the players could stop talking to the media for a bit? It might help foster a belief they're not all talk and no action.

 

[Big Animal]

I can see that

 

[Purple Suit]

View attachment 2307298

Prescription Aviators, Psycho

 

[oldgoat]

The results in our home games are entirely irrelevant. We could win every home game for the rest of the season and my opinion wouldn't change. The only thing that could even possibly change things is if we got on a bit of a run away from home.
Right now we are entirely non competitive every time we get on a plane.

Our games outside Perth for the rest of the season are:
GWS - Engie
Gold Coast - Metricon
Sydney - SCG
Pies - MCG
Port - AO
Doggies - Marvel

We aren't winning a single one of those - genuinely likely our only win outside WA this season will be Richmond at a neutral venue in the Barossa...

you very funny Nostradamus