Review Fremantle Shoot Down the Bombers by 41 Points

[eastfreo75]

Fyfe is probably finished but he's only been back for 1.5 games, veteran or rookie you usually need a little time to find touch.

Don’t disagree but let’s give 4 or 5 weeks before making a solid decision.

 

[jusjoshin]

Ergh is it too much to ask to flog a team that is objectively much worse than us for once

I think our game plan is built around us traveling every fortnight. Our players recover slower than teams that have 20% of the travel load, so we play a game where we switch modes from high-energy to energy conservation mode and back. We can obviously play the free-wheeling attacking footy (as we are doing it in short stints), but doing that for 4 quarters each game will lead to exhaustion over a long season.

For years we started seasons strong and then succumbed to injuries and faded late. I suspect this is one of the things holding Gold Coast back in the last few seasons as well.

 

[2big2strom]

**** me, you lot can be a negative bunch. I'm not sure if people realise it's not actually possible to beat every opponent every week by 10 goals, without any injuries, and it's also not possible for every single defensive effort to be amazing and every attacking play to be centimetre perfect.

this is not the final iteration of the 2025 Fremantle Dockers, the team are on the right trajectory, they are becoming a cohesive unit and understanding each other and ENJOYING themselves. and honestly, I'm bloody loving watching them!

let's think about Freo fans top complaints that have been addressed in the past month or so:
goal scoring, from the spectacular (Serong) to the routine (Treacy/Jackson). Freo have found many avenues to score. and we are averaging a fair bit higher than has been our usual for the past 7-8 years.
effort. bar from the Geelong game and Saints games, the effort has been there. our pressure is good, it can be sustained for long periods of time, the players reward each other for gut running/smothers/pressure acts/big tackles. the effort has been there for the last 6 weeks! which brings me to my next point...
consistency. 5 wins in a row + 1 close game against Pies - one of two real premiership favourites. people are bemoaning the team that they will drop games they shouldn't before the game even happens. So how many "should-win" games do freo need to win for people to be satisfied? they are gaining consistency, they control the game for larger patches at a time, they sustain the pressure for longer each quarter.
selection table. the selections have been GOOD. You can't say they have been routine or boring or playing favourites. We have debuted 2 gems and a club debut for narkle. We are returning veterans through the WAFL (Walters, JOM, Aish) - fyfe being an exception due to injuries we had at the time. The selection team is willing to make bold calls (2 rucks in torrential rain on the road, debuting Duds, backing in Coops) but also willing to back in the boys/team when they get the job done.
we are changing the game plan mid game. this was something we really lacked last year and also at the start of the year. it has been unclear to us as fans whether it was as a result of players not listening/understanding/executing their roles or if it has been coaches not making any decisions, unwilling to change things up. this has definitely been tidied up and we have shown across multiple games we can play fast, attacking football or we can also slow the tempo down to control the ball or we can also wither many many attacks when we can't get our hands on the ball. my point is we are choosing how to play! (rd4 coaching masterclass vs bulldogs anyone?)
the kids whipping boys are alright - Karl, Banners, Sharp, Darcy, Amiss, Freddy, Ras - they are performing their roles as they should. you may not like them, you may not understand them but at the end of the day, the team are getting shit done.
not boring. ARE YOU NOT ENTERAIIIINED?? come on guys - between big chest vossy, Bolton having the best and blurst of times, bone crunching tackles, Bruce and Duds, luke jackson

9

Luke Jackson

Age

24

Ht

199cm

Wt

102kg

Pos.

F/R

Career

Season

Last 5

D

8.3

2star

K

3.3

1star

HB

5.0

4star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.0

3star

G

0.3

3star

D

8.3

2star

K

3.3

1star

HB

5.0

3star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.0

2star

G

0.3

3star

D

8.3

3star

K

3.3

2star

HB

5.0

4star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.0

3star

G

0.3

3star

existing, you cannot say we are playing boring footy. it has been exciting and fun and sometimes Benny hill-like but definitely entertaining.

And lastly, I don't think we have hit our ceiling yet, not for this year. we still have room to grow (and I'm not just talking about Duds' stature). I really hope we get to see all these lessons come together and for us to absolutely dismantle the saints as they did to us - either way, my love for freo footy is as strong as ever.

 

[GingerDocker]

**** me, you lot can be a negative bunch. I'm not sure if people realise it's not actually possible to beat every opponent every week by 10 goals, without any injuries, and it's also not possible for every single defensive effort to be amazing and every attacking play to be centimetre perfect.

this is not the final iteration of the 2025 Fremantle Dockers, the team are on the right trajectory, they are becoming a cohesive unit and understanding each other and ENJOYING themselves. and honestly, I'm bloody loving watching them!

let's think about Freo fans top complaints that have been addressed in the past month or so:
goal scoring, from the spectacular (Serong) to the routine (Treacy/Jackson). Freo have found many avenues to score. and we are averaging a fair bit higher than has been our usual for the past 7-8 years.
effort. bar from the Geelong game and Saints games, the effort has been there. our pressure is good, it can be sustained for long periods of time, the players reward each other for gut running/smothers/pressure acts/big tackles. the effort has been there for the last 6 weeks! which brings me to my next point...
consistency. 5 wins in a row + 1 close game against Pies - one of two real premiership favourites. people are bemoaning the team that they will drop games they shouldn't before the game even happens. So how many "should-win" games do freo need to win for people to be satisfied? they are gaining consistency, they control the game for larger patches at a time, they sustain the pressure for longer each quarter.
selection table. the selections have been GOOD. You can't say they have been routine or boring or playing favourites. We have debuted 2 gems and a club debut for narkle. We are returning veterans through the WAFL (Walters, JOM, Aish) - fyfe being an exception due to injuries we had at the time. The selection team is willing to make bold calls (2 rucks in torrential rain on the road, debuting Duds, backing in Coops) but also willing to back in the boys/team when they get the job done.
we are changing the game plan mid game. this was something we really lacked last year and also at the start of the year. it has been unclear to us as fans whether it was as a result of players not listening/understanding/executing their roles or if it has been coaches not making any decisions, unwilling to change things up. this has definitely been tidied up and we have shown across multiple games we can play fast, attacking football or we can also slow the tempo down to control the ball or we can also wither many many attacks when we can't get our hands on the ball. my point is we are choosing how to play! (rd4 coaching masterclass vs bulldogs anyone?)
the kids whipping boys are alright - Karl, Banners, Sharp, Darcy, Amiss, Freddy, Ras - they are performing their roles as they should. you may not like them, you may not understand them but at the end of the day, the team are getting shit done.
not boring. ARE YOU NOT ENTERAIIIINED?? come on guys - between big chest vossy, Bolton having the best and blurst of times, bone crunching tackles, Bruce and Duds, luke jackson existing, you cannot say we are playing boring footy. it has been exciting and fun and sometimes Benny hill-like but definitely entertaining.

And lastly, I don't think we have hit our ceiling yet, not for this year. we still have room to grow (and I'm not just talking about Duds' stature). I really hope we get to see all these lessons come together and for us to absolutely dismantle the saints as they did to us - either way, my love for freo footy is as strong as ever.

Some good points made here.

I'm feeling a bit negative around some parts of last nights game (and the week before) but it can't be denied that there have been incremental improvements to important parts of our game over the last five weeks.

Keeping those going will be critical.

 

[Snuffaluphagus]

Ill rewatch but im not sure i have the same concerns on the kick / mark from yesterday either. We moved the ball pretty quickly whenever the option was there but Essendon were very scared of another drubbing and had 1 or 2 behind the ball for a long part of the night. That makes it hard to quickly move the ball as your inherently outnumbered and kick / mark movement is required.

 

[Spirit Level]

**** me, you lot can be a negative bunch. I'm not sure if people realise it's not actually possible to beat every opponent every week by 10 goals

Yeah i think we realise that. It'd be nice to do it at least once though

 

[Taylor]

Now, I love Voss but imagine if Walls had found a way to trade up for Caddy like he wanted...

Who would we have missed out on if he did I wonder

Would have cost our future picks that paid for Bolton and Reid I think

 

[Snuffaluphagus]

Would have cost our future picks that paid for Bolton and Reid I think

Depending on how they did it, could have just been missing this years first or missing on Reid you'd think.

 

[2big2strom]

Yeah i think we realise that. It'd be nice to do it at least once though

you know we have beaten a team by ten goals this season, right? or does that not count?

we absolutely outmuscled and outclassed the baby bombers last night and we are still extremely young ourselves. you don't have to hit an arbitrary ten goal lead for a game to be an absolute domination.

 

[MadMundy]

I don't see the reason people keep trying to compare Erasmus and Johnson and treat it like an either/or situation.

They're both good enough and they both can easily fit into the team, it's not a competition.

 

[VolgaBoatman]

Thought that Essendon started pretty well. Brad Scott is quite a good tactical coach, and does like to throw different things at an opposition, and it took a while for the team to adjust. Thought though from late in the first quarter, Freo pretty much got on top. The game did meander a bit after half time, but in general a 41 point is pretty solid.

Still a fair bit to work on, so pretty bad turnovers on occasion. Some forward fifty entries that could have been better.

Fyfe seems to be a bit gun shy at going full throttle - not surprising given his hamstring issues. Definitely looked a bit rusty - was easier for him to impact late in the last two games.

Would like to see Amiss used more than he is - he actually works up the ground really well - his contested marking is very good, and his kicking is excellent.

Good to see O'Driscoll back - will be better for the run.

Will be interesting to see how selection goes with players coming back - really hoping Hayden Young

26

Hayden Young

Age

24

Ht

189cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.0

3star

K

6.6

3star

HB

3.4

3star

M

3.2

3star

T

1.4

3star

CL

0.2

2star

D

10.0

3star

K

6.6

3star

HB

3.4

2star

M

3.2

3star

T

1.4

2star

CL

0.2

2star

D

10.0

3star

K

6.6

3star

HB

3.4

3star

M

3.2

4star

T

1.4

4star

CL

0.2

2star

can get back in the next few weeks - he will definitely push us to the next level, along with Pearce. Thought Cooper Simpson also showed a lot as well.

 

[Taylor]

Depending on how they did it, could have just been missing this years first or missing on Reid you'd think.

Nate was 2023 draft, same as Cooper Simpson where we didn't have a first and traded our second and future second for Port's first in 2024. Perhaps we would have needed to trade the Schultz first round pick and second round pick for him.

I'm not unhappy with Bolton and Reid. Caddy has grown a bit since draft too from what I see. Similar to Oscar Allen, unsized tall forward.

 

[Paracleet]

Caddy is a serious talent and has serious wheels. That one handed pick up on the lead without pausing after a shank but low and fast i50 kick from Gresham was a thing of beauty. Draper got beaten but wasn’t as bad as people are saying. Those occasions where Caddy got separation from Draper was on the lead. I think Draper reacted a bit slow on those occasions. Very good learning curve for him.

There were occasions where Draper was very good especially once the ball hit the ground. A couple of instances near the boundary where he had a win comes to mind.

As compared to previous two weeks Draper was much better against Essendon. He won’t get dropped after that effort. Posters thinking OMac would have done better on Caddy are dreaming. I have memories of him basically watching Tilthorpe in 2nd gear get separation on him.

Zero free kicks against was also a positive.

Yep Macdonald is finished as an AFL defender, he's lost too much athletism to compete. Would play him forward again if we were 1 ruck and 1 key down like we were though. Still has the smarts to impact the game when only matched up on the opposition 3rd tall.

We will be replayed for the extra investment in Draper now, while he's still a marginal pick, sooner and better.

 

[Purpletown]

Serong, Brayshaw, Treacy and Pearce offer plenty of on field leadership. I think Fyfe's presence on the field for his leadership is irrelevant and overrated.

 

[StingBitten]

How good is this? Waking up on a Friday with 5-straight wins under our belt, no injuries, a 10-day break and a Peel game stacked with talent and competition for spots.

Far better than the earlier start to the season.

A lot has already been said but we really need to celebrate what this club has been able to achieve with debutants/delistings - not in a million years would I have thought Wagner, Worner, Voss, Simpson, Reid and Dudley would be bonafide best 22 by the middle of the season.

I had a look at Draper against Sydney last year and he was miles quicker - he may be carrying a niggle or not at peak fitness.

Ryan had an excellent game and Cox is getting back to his better form.

I really wish Sturt was playing as he's the main competition for Frederick right now.

Erasmus we need to persevere with because Fyfe is cooked, O'Meara doesn't have long left and Brodie has been utterly forgotten. We'd need to draft in another big inside mid but we'll need to persevere with Ras for the time being.

Can't get Pearce and Young back quick enough, in the meantime Dudley, Walker and Switta will improve the side.

 

[s_wd6]

Ryan had one of his best games in a long time.

Kept him to one goal in the end but thought Cox was well beaten by Wright 1v1. Best matchup we could’ve gone with but really shows how much we miss Pearce.

 

[go_the_dockers]

Ryan had one of his best games in a long time.

Kept him to one goal in the end but thought Cox was well beaten by Wright 1v1. Best matchup we could’ve gone with but really shows how much we miss Pearce.

Ryan is still very sore.

Got one hit on the wing, and took a long time to get up.

 

[Schauermann]

not actually possible to beat every opponent every week by 10 goals

No problem with this. 12 and 20 goal victories are ok as well...

 

[Ge3ks]

O'Driscoll set shot on goal was a VERY lazy attempt.

But that hoof on the run from the right wing was awesome.

 

[Snuffaluphagus]

Ill rewatch but im not sure i have the same concerns on the kick / mark from yesterday either. We moved the ball pretty quickly whenever the option was there but Essendon were very scared of another drubbing and had 1 or 2 behind the ball for a long part of the night. That makes it hard to quickly move the ball as your inherently outnumbered and kick / mark movement is required.

I want to touch on this a bit more and my concerns on specific players. Given the volume Essendon had behind the ball, we did well to score 100+. The more concerning part is actually how much they scored and how much they could transition.

Its concerning because of how much North cut through us from the end of the 3rd to half way through the 4th. These concerns are entirely player driven IMO. Losing Switta means basically having more than one of midfield Jackson (meaning Darcy is also on), Fyfe, Ras and JOM on the field seems to make it EXTREMELY difficult to defend transition.

If they persist with Fyfe (who is absolutely the worst here), they need to extremely careful on who else they play.

 

[mattis117]

After rewatching, Johnson was a lot better than I thought live, he was actually quite influential. Also appreciate how much Essendon were playing the extra defender, which is why the game looked the way it did.

People conclude that because we didn't smash them like other top teams have, that we won't compete with those top teams, but that is false since that game would be played in a completely different style.

There are really only the three issues with the squad at the moment:
1. Pearce being out, Draper in.
2. Sharp on the outer wing.
3. Lack of quality second half back.

There is occasionally a lack of forward pressure as well. Everything else is in pretty good order.

If we swapped in Pearce, Young, Switta for Aish, Draper, and Sharp, I think we would be top four quality.

Any other positive changes are a bonus, such as Walker or Simpson for Banfield, and Darcy for a mid depending on opposition.

 

[gungho]

Ill rewatch but im not sure i have the same concerns on the kick / mark from yesterday either. We moved the ball pretty quickly whenever the option was there but Essendon were very scared of another drubbing and had 1 or 2 behind the ball for a long part of the night. That makes it hard to quickly move the ball as your inherently outnumbered and kick / mark movement is required.

Agree. I think Scott coached the bombers to not get beaten by a lot - rather than win. Particularly in the second half.

 

[_007_]

Fyfe has been cooked since about 2020. I am surprised at how many posties are saddened by his form.

 

[go_the_dockers]

Its concerning because of how much North cut through us from the end of the 3rd to half way through the 4th. These concerns are entirely player driven IMO. Losing Switta means basically having more than one of midfield Jackson (meaning Darcy is also on), Fyfe, Ras and JOM on the field seems to make it EXTREMELY difficult to defend transition.

Is JOM as bad as Fyfe and Erasmus. I don't remember him being as bad.

Fyfe could not get out of 2nd gear, and Erasmus jogs going back.

I feel Erasmus and JOM would be ok, and I would prefer that over Erasmus and Banfield.

 

[Retzlaff]

Good sign beating the Bombers by 40+ with Taberner quieter than usual