Mega Thread 2026 Media & Miscellaneous Thread

[go_the_dockers]

Duffield is still the goat and the only podcast or tv program I need to hear apart from Freo ones. Cannot watch the various VFL programs as we all know where their interest lies and Freo will get 30 seconds at the end of the program if they are lucky.

I like hard ball gets. Worth a look. Not as serious as some shows, but stays mostly on target.

 

[Troy Cooked It]

Fremantle’s game style is fundamentally built around control. The coaching strategy is not about flashy ball movement or maximising attacking chaos — it’s about reducing volatility and backing the team’s superior talent to win critical moments.


By relying heavily on long down the line (LDL), Fremantle simultaneously protects itself from dangerous turnover and limits the opposition’s ability to counterattack. It naturally slows the game down, compresses territory, and forces contests in structurally advantageous positions. The trade-off is obvious: it can also stifle our own attacking flow. But that compromise is intentional.


Earlier in the list build, this manifested as an elite defensive side with a weak offence. Now, with the development of the playing group and the sheer growth in talent, Fremantle has evolved into a team that remains arguably the best defensive side in the competition while also sitting seventh for scoring. That is not evidence of a flawed system being carried by talent — it is evidence of the system maturing alongside the list.


A lot of supporters criticise the coaching and say we rely on talent to get by. I think that completely misunderstands what is happening. The reliance on talent in key moments is part of the design. The system creates a controlled environment where elite players can decide games.


It reminds me of Moneyball: traditional football thinking often struggles to recognise mathematical or probabilistic approaches to sport. Fremantle are effectively playing the percentages. In a game where true control is incredibly difficult to achieve, they are maximising the things they can control — territory, structure, turnover risk, and defensive setup.


The philosophy is simple: drag opponents into the type of game where Fremantle is strongest.


When Freo goes long down the line, the opposition’s rebound options become heavily constrained. Usually the result is one of three things:

• a spoil over the boundary line leading to another contest,
• a slow rebound from a static position,
• or Fremantle winning the contest and launching forward from its LDL structure.

That is not poor coaching. It is highly sophisticated coaching with complete buy-in from the players. The results support it: four losses in twelve months.


Chris Scott said last year that Fremantle are “easy to scout,” but meant it as a compliment. The reason is that everyone knows what Fremantle wants to do, yet stopping it is incredibly difficult. That is the hallmark of a powerful system.


There are also layers within the approach. Fremantle has added the ability to shift gears offensively and overwhelm teams in bursts when required. At the other end, they have become arguably the best team in the league at shutting games down late.


Josh Treacy is probably the most important piece in all of this. As Dermott Brereton has pointed out, his combination of physical presence, contest work, and football intelligence is central to making the LDL system function effectively.


The clearest way to disrupt Fremantle is through centre bounce dominance, because that attacks the team before it can establish its defensive structure. We saw glimpses of this against Hawthorn when they generated early clearance scores. Set plays from kick-ins can also expose us.


That’s why the pre-season emphasis on getting physically stronger mattered so much. Improving stoppage strength reduces the likelihood of conceding quick scores before the system is set.


As for criticism that Freo does not score enough directly from LDL, that misses the broader point of the strategy. The priority is defence first. If opponents are overcommitting to shutting down our LDL launch, then they are also sacrificing aggression in their own offensive transition. Either way, the maths favour control.


Football is a constant trade-off between attack and defensive security. Fremantle’s approach forces opponents to decide how aggressive they want to be in countering the system — and that hesitation alone creates value for us.

While I appreciate the thoughts, if I’m grading your paper it’s failed for use of ai.
Don’t dwindle your own personal opinion with ai slop! Prefer to hear the thoughts of our fans from the heart not from some water sapping data centre!

 

[mattis117]

While I appreciate the thoughts, if I’m grading your paper it’s failed for use of ai.
Don’t dwindle your own personal opinion with ai slop! Prefer to hear the thoughts of our fans from the heart not from some water sapping data centre!

I actually wrote it but it was a bit all over the shop so got the AI to fix it up. I can provide you the original if you like . I was getting tired and wrote it all on my phone so it was going to take too long to manually edit when it was already 10pm.

 

[fatty sings]

Back page of the West

 

[Cam Payne]

Back page of the West

Got a screenshot? I only exclusively use a religious newspaper to line my budgie cage nowadays.

 

[Deveraux]

I actually wrote it but it was a bit all over the shop so got the AI to fix it up. I can provide you the original if you like . I was getting tired and wrote it all on my phone so it was going to take too long to manually edit when it was already 10pm.

the elongated hyphens are always the dead give away mate

 

[BarbieITFC]

I actually wrote it but it was a bit all over the shop so got the AI to fix it up. I can provide you the original if you like . I was getting tired and wrote it all on my phone so it was going to take too long to manually edit when it was already 10pm.

I personally have no issue with using AI to put the finishing touches to something - it’s not like you’re sitting an exam.

As for your analysis I just wanted to say bravo and to add a couple of things which reinforce something I’ve been slowly realising over the last 18 months.

First of all, it’s really clear we went away from this approach in the first half against the Hawks. We got sucked into the fast play, lost control of the corridor and found our defenders isolated one on one inside 50. It wasn’t a radical switch at half time that changed things, we just went back to our method, were able to assert ourselves and slowly built momentum for that final burst.

Secondly, if you watch the David King analysis in The First Crack on Sunday he focused on how undisciplined the Bombers were in most of the early contests, players getting sucked into the ball, losing shape on the outside etc. But what he barely mentioned (because it was a segment roasting the Bombers) was just how well structured we were around every contest and at centre bounce. Add to that Dermie’s short piece on Monday that’s doing the rounds on Treacy - especially the bit where Josh reversed where he was running and headed away from the ball to the goal square, thereby ensuring Amiss had space to lead into but also giving us an option if the ball wasn’t marked. These are just two examples of how well coached and how well setup we are.

And there are many other examples from shows over this year, whether that’s another one this week with a compilation of Brayshaw’s (legal) blocking off the ball, one earlier this year about our three tall forwards playing the Chicago Bulls triangle with all our running patterns…and so on.

Which says to me that not only are we seeing our list build reach that tipping point of age and experience, but we’re also seeing our gameplan and JLs coaching experience reach maturity at the same time, and we’re seeing ourselves week in week out (for the last 24 months) with the smallest injury list.

Dare I say that this isn’t just a list rebuild it’s a meticulous and planned club rebuild with the list, game plan, coaching and S&C all coming of age at about the same time.

 

[David Bubb]

Wouldn't have picked this. Over Bruce especially. Look how many more kicks inside 50 he has had than all the others too

 

[mattis117]

the elongated hyphens are always the dead give away mate

Incredibly handy for me to clean up my text at 10pm when I need to go to sleep .

100% my own ideas and thinking.

 

[Silencer83]

Wouldn't have picked this. Over Bruce especially. Look how many more kicks inside 50 he has had than all the others too

Not sure how they got their stats. Wheelo seems to indicate with their parameters that it would Dogga. Also Shai as 10% lower retention than what they have quoted.

AFL Player Statistics

AFL player statistics.

www.wheeloratings.com

 

[Snuffaluphagus]

Honestly, you are going to have to make peace with AI. Its progressing at the speed of light and is going to have as big or bigger impact on society as the internet.

I actually dont know if there is an apt comparison for the change this is going to bring in.

Speaking as someone in finance, do not let your kid get into accounting or finance...

 

[ilikepotatoes]

Not sure how they got their stats. Wheelo seems to indicate with their parameters that it would Dogga. Also Shai as 10% lower retention than what they have quoted.

AFL Player Statistics

AFL player statistics.

www.wheeloratings.com

Minimum 20 kicks inside 50.

 

[Silencer83]

Minimum 20 kicks inside 50.

Thanks I did have it at 10 for some reason, still doesn't match though.


These made me chuckle:

 

[Scatter]

https://www.afl.com.au/news/1523232

Is it just me or will this be horrible for those on the cusp that miss out in the main draft, and have wait 3 days to see if they get taken in the rookie draft?

 

[Silencer83]

https://www.afl.com.au/news/1523232

Is it just me or will this be horrible for those on the cusp that miss out in the main draft, and have wait 3 days to see if they get taken in the rookie draft?

I would think it would be more stressful for draftees. I would also it is being sold as clubs having more time to consider players who were overlooked in the national draft. However how much more can they learn in those 3 days that they hadn't learned in the months and years before the draft?

 

[go_the_dockers]

Honestly, you are going to have to make peace with AI. Its progressing at the speed of light and is going to have as big or bigger impact on society as the internet.

I actually dont know if there is an apt comparison for the change this is going to bring in.

Speaking as someone in finance, do not let your kid get into accounting or finance...

I think about AI, how people would have thought about the industrial revolution at the time. We will still do the same things, just how things are done will be a lot more automated.

It will also mean that 5 people can do the work of 50.

Not sure how many jobs will be safe, and I think a lot of graduate jobs will go in the short term.



In programming, it is moving so fast. (A friend, who is also a CIO said 6 months ago AI was about as good as a grad, now it is better than all developer at most tasks, we just need people to feed it those tasks in the correct way ).

Senior programmers who do some Business requirements work or just pure BA's will be in demand, but the days of the coder sitting in the corner not talking to anyone are well and truly gone.

 

[s_wd6]

Thanks I did have it at 10 for some reason, still doesn't match though.

View attachment 2616221
These made me chuckle:
View attachment 2616223

Disposals rather than kicks?

 

[freoextra]

I personally have no issue with using AI to put the finishing touches to something - it’s not like you’re sitting an exam.

As for your analysis I just wanted to say bravo and to add a couple of things which reinforce something I’ve been slowly realising over the last 18 months.

First of all, it’s really clear we went away from this approach in the first half against the Hawks. We got sucked into the fast play, lost control of the corridor and found our defenders isolated one on one inside 50. It wasn’t a radical switch at half time that changed things, we just went back to our method, were able to assert ourselves and slowly built momentum for that final burst.

Secondly, if you watch the David King analysis in The First Crack on Sunday he focused on how undisciplined the Bombers were in most of the early contests, players getting sucked into the ball, losing shape on the outside etc. But what he barely mentioned (because it was a segment roasting the Bombers) was just how well structured we were around every contest and at centre bounce. Add to that Dermie’s short piece on Monday that’s doing the rounds on Treacy - especially the bit where Josh reversed where he was running and headed away from the ball to the goal square, thereby ensuring Amiss had space to lead into but also giving us an option if the ball wasn’t marked. These are just two examples of how well coached and how well setup we are.

And there are many other examples from shows over this year, whether that’s another one this week with a compilation of Brayshaw’s (legal) blocking off the ball, one earlier this year about our three tall forwards playing the Chicago Bulls triangle with all our running patterns…and so on.

Which says to me that not only are we seeing our list build reach that tipping point of age and experience, but we’re also seeing our gameplan and JLs coaching experience reach maturity at the same time, and we’re seeing ourselves week in week out (for the last 24 months) with the smallest injury list.

Dare I say that this isn’t just a list rebuild it’s a meticulous and planned club rebuild with the list, game plan, coaching and S&C all coming of age at about the same time.

The “most” impressive part is the S&C considering they have only had control from this preseason, what a difference they have made.

 

[Taylor]

All jobs in western democracies will be safe from AI, even more so the public paid workers. Every politician is more scared of millions of people out of work than they are debt.

Especially progressive governments that people expect to look after them more. They'll either ban the practice, mandate human supervision, directly pay people AI welfare or wipe everyone out in a disaster.

So, relax. Politicians will always act in their best interests, even over the nation's best interests, and it's not in their interests for the 30% of people they employ to be out on the street blaming them and voting elsewhere.

 

[Silencer83]

Disposals rather than kicks?

It does say kick on the graphic, so that explains the higher disposal into 50 figures on Wheelo. However, the statistic is kick into 50% on the Wheelo graph so that discrepancy doesn't make sense.

 

[Nodgey]

I'm old enough to remember the computer revolution. How they were going to make things so much easier for us, how we wouldn't have to work as much, would have much more leisure time!

I guess like any program, computer or recipe - if you fill it with shit, your output will be shit. Maybe we'll see a spike in QA analysts?

 

[Minz]

I think about AI, how people would have thought about the industrial revolution at the time. We will still do the same things, just how things are done will be a lot more automated.

It will also mean that 5 people can do the work of 50.

Not sure how many jobs will be safe, and I think a lot of graduate jobs will go in the short term.



In programming, it is moving so fast. (A friend, who is also a CIO said 6 months ago AI was about as good as a grad, now it is better than all developer at most tasks, we just need people to feed it those tasks in the correct way ).

Senior programmers who do some Business requirements work or just pure BA's will be in demand, but the days of the coder sitting in the corner not talking to anyone are well and truly gone.

Thus far, it does a lot of complete sh**. And it's just a probability engine spitting out either the most likely response or what other users have responded positive to, not intelligent. 100% artificial tho, great. As the kids would say,

 

[go_the_dockers]

Thus far, it does a lot of complete sh**. And it's just a probability engine spitting out either the most likely response or what other users have responded positive to, not intelligent. 100% artificial tho, great. As the kids would say,

Not for Computer Programming.

Self driving cars are already a reality, and getting better and better

Tax Returns done by AI are not too far away (at least first draft)

Invoice matching etc etc

 

[Taylor]

AI feels like the first industrial revolution to create less jobs, which is why I think democracies will reject it.

 

[Snuffaluphagus]

Thus far, it does a lot of complete sh**. And it's just a probability engine spitting out either the most likely response or what other users have responded positive to, not intelligent. 100% artificial tho, great. As the kids would say,

The intelligence might be superficial but anyone that is actually using them in work everyday can see where it's going. My job in Finance is basically completely different to what it was two weeks ago. I'm telling you, it is terrifying for it to be so blatantly obvious what this is going to do to white collar professions very quickly.