Fremantle's Back.

[StingBitten]

It can be argued that what we experience is collective pain management.

I was 7 years old when Fremantle played their first game, my parents were fresh off the ship from South Africa and my Dad was mercilessly abused in his first job by West Coast supporters for being from a different country. On (partially) that principle our newly emigrated family began supporting the highly alternative Fremantle Dockers. I remember my Dad taking to me to some of those early games at the WACA (and Subi) and watched them get soundly thumped by whichever Victorian side it was that decided to feast on our flesh that day. When we did experience the rare win it felt so special I had to gloat to my primary grade classmates all of the following week (all of whom were mini-West Coasters).

I'm sure many of you have similar stories; some of you might be a tad older and have far superior stories to mine (in fact I'd love to hear every one of them).

It's times like tonight when you feel closer than ever to your brothers. Hemmed in from all sides, attacked, beaten, and (ultimately) ignored it can feel a little like Apartheid. You are that weird loser that everybody tries to make excuses for..

Except for tonight. I haven't believed in 2014 since Round 2 this year. I though we were cooked, found out, exhausted, manipulated... and expected to lose (albeit respectfully) tonight.

What I didn't expect, was to find this enraged team I haven't seen since sometime September 2013 in the face of injustice. This team that somehow found its mojo back, and decided they realised they knew how to turn on the pressure after all, and take it right up to a First Class Private School, and show the entire Football community that despite their holiest prayers, we are not yet ****ing done.

This IS NOT yet again the year of the Hawk, the Swan or God Forbid the Mother****ing Cat. The Docker hasn't been drop punted off the Fremantle Shipyard yet, and our story hasn't been written yet. We will not wait until our Great-Grandchildren are born before we sniff success, this Season just got a different musk about it, and I believe Fremantle's Back. Top 2 is over but Top 4 isn't, time to go east and claim some revenge.

Whose with me?

 

[DardySingh360]

Hell yeah we are!

The way I see it we've got a mini 3 week period of experimentation with no real pressure heading into the finals, I think we're a lock for fourth, we won't finish top 4 but we've got no real pressure coming from below us, the Port game is the only one that really matters now.

Bring it on!

 

[Reginald Perrin]

You speak Fremantle very well for a blow in.

Hell yeah we are!

The way I see it we've got a mini 3 week period of experimentation with no real pressure heading into the finals, I think we're a lock for fourth, we won't finish top 4 but we've got no real pressure coming from below us, the Port game is the only one that really matters now.

Bring it on!

 

[mike91]

Hell yeah we are!

The way I see it we've got a mini 3 week period of experimentation with no real pressure heading into the finals, I think we're a lock for fourth, we won't finish top 4 but we've got no real pressure coming from below us, the Port game is the only one that really matters now.

Bring it on!

Ummm wtf?

 

[mike91]

Hell yeah we are!

The way I see it we've got a mini 3 week period of experimentation with no real pressure heading into the finals, I think we're a lock for fourth, we won't finish top 4 but we've got no real pressure coming from below us, the Port game is the only one that really matters now.

Bring it on!

 

[DardySingh360]

LOL! I meant we're a lock for top 4 but we won't finish top 2.

One too many tonight I think.

 

[Darcy 2 Fyfe]

This could really galvanise us. I now think a trip to Sydney in the first week of the finals is a real 50/50. That would mean the Hawks would play and I expect beat Geelong which would give us a prelim at Subi again them provided they win in their 3rd week. Delicious scenario.

 

[GilG]

At the start of the fourth quarter, I Tweeted that it would take an extraordinary effort to overcome the 24-pt deficit.

I asked in the same Tweet if we were an extraordinary team.

I had no doubt we'd come back. None. And I thought for all the world Mundy would nail the match-winner. Just as I had hopes Pav's shot with two minutes left was going to go through.

When Mundy lined up, I quashed all negative thoughts. Like you all, I've been on the losing side of these nerve-wracking sporting contests more than I'd like.

This goal was gonna make up for the horrific umpiring that resulted in the bumper crop of free kicks paid against us (the umpires paid Geelong 25 free kicks in the first half, compared to the 16 that team averages over the course of entire games). It was going to assuage our rage for the umps not even reporting Steve Johnson for kicking Lachie Neale in the head like an agitated mule. It was going to give us a head of steam like we couldn't believe, heading into a home match against Hawthorn, our biggest tormentor the last five years.

But what's our one great, painful Achilles heel?

Yeah, you guessed it -- accuracy.

Yes, Mundy's shot wasn't going to be easy -- a 50-50 at best. But what about earlier in the match? Aaron Sandilands, despite the strong wind, surely should've nailed his set shot and when Hayden Ballantyne was kicking to the same posts in the third, his rushing the kick was bewildering. Pav had an absolutely shocking shank shooting at the same end. When it mattered, the Cats converted at the same end. A fellow American and footy watcher -- and Geelong supporter -- Tweeted an expression last night that makes sense: "kick enough behinds and you get your behind kicked."

As much as I'd love to completely take heart in last night's grandstand finish, we have to confront these painful realities:

*Even though we have Hawthorn at home next week, there's a five-year hoodoo persisting. The Hawks aren't showing any signs of vulnerability and they're not on top of the ladder by accident. They remain the standard for the rest of the competition to emulate.

*Much as we love Luke McPharlin and don't want him to be done for the season or his career, he may be, on both fronts. Another calf injury, to go with ailments earlier in the season, to our key back, is not a good look.

*Dare I say as much about Matthew Pavlich? Love him to death, but if he'd marked Danyle Pearce's chaos ball pass with :55 left, directly in front of goal, we'd today be celebrating one of the most famous wins in club history.

*The lack of potency up forward. Haven't seen a backman be best on ground as Harry Taylor was last night, since the Hawks' Brian Lake in last year's Grand Final. When Taylor wasn't intercept marking every ball we kicked into to the forward 50, Tom Lonergan blanketed Pav. We just had no other option to kick to and too often, if there are no crumbs to scrape off the deck, we can't score.

*Fyfe must go forward. Yes, the AFL's website ran a telling stat about how he leads the competition in taking hit-outs to advantage from the center, but honestly, can you name anyone else you'd want in a marking contest? Yes, it'd be robbing Peter to pay Paul to move Fyfe up the ground, but someone's just gonna have to play the part of Peter, because Paul ain't gettin' enough of the ball. Colin Sylvia was supposed to help in that area, but his season, from pre-season to now -- even for the most optimistic of us about his signing and even apologists for him now must admit -- has been a complete and unmitigated disaster. At least fellow new recruit Scott Gumbleton trained the house down before the season and then during his rehab process before his services were ultimately rendered useless because if his wretched injury run. The sum of what the Dockers have reaped from these two signings? Six games and one goal. Through 19 games, that's about 37 fewer goals than what Coach Lyon and company targeted when the team made these two signings.

*Fyfe's shoulder is damaged. Hopefully not badly enough to keep him from missing time, but really, where would we be this year without him?

*Bad hangover -- statistically, in terms of win-loss record, we've backslid from last year. That in itself is disheartening. We looked for all the world like a Top 2 team after we crushed Collingwood in the opener and looked like we were playing not just angry, but outraged, at losing the Grand Final. Envisioning more than the 16.5 wins from 2013 looked not just plausible, but likely. But here we are, albeit still in the Top 4, with six losses, with three games remaining.

Still, there were some encouraging signs, such as Fyfe being Fyfe, Michael Barlow playing such a big role, Max Duffy providing a big-time spark in his debut and Hayden Crozier playing his best footy this season. Son-Son brings his X Factor back to Patersons next week.

Fremantle indeed was back last night -- at least for the last quarter.

But what are we back to?

Back to being the team that last year stormed its way into a Grand Final?

And even that, like Mundy's valiant shot on goal at the siren, ultimately was just slightly off-target.

Back is nice, but what about up front, literally and figuratively?

The Freo boys must prove there's even better, match-winning footy in them ahead and dig deeper than they've ever imagined possible, to conjure a flag this year.

 

[Outshined]

I sincerely hope this represents a real shift into top gear for the rest of the season, even if we didn't walk away with the four points. My fear is that performance was a product of the intense rivalry built up against Geelong over the past few years, and that we play Hawthorn (aka our kryptonite) next week.

 

[Righteo]

Despite the result I thought the same thing, we win our last 3, finish top 4 and go into the finals chock full of belief again. Tonight hurt but at least we saw a recall to our pressure of last year; that last quarter was the most pressure filled quarter I've seen all year from any side.

 

[GilG]

Despite the result I thought the same thing, we win our last 3, finish top 4 and go into the finals chock full of belief again.

Riteo, I REALLY hope you're right, but winning our last three right now is a HUGE ask -- especially with that brown-and-gold bird of death staring us in the face that we haven't managed to beat in the last five years and even grab a lead against in our last three meetings. The St. Kilda travesty taught us that no team is an easybeat and then we have to come back home to play a club as desperate as we are to make the Top 4.

And what's happened this year when we've played other sides in the top 4? We're 1-3. Teams in the top 5? We're 1-4.

Coach Lyon is partially right when he says "past results count for nothing." But positive results can inspire belief, which can inspire greater performance.

Belief is great, mate, but positive results are greater.

 

[_007_]

Riteo, I hope you're right, but winning our last three right now is a HUGE ask -- especially with that brown-and-gold bird of death staring us in the face that we haven't managed to beat in the last five years and even grab a lead against in our last three meetings. The St. Kilda travesty taught us that no team is an easybeat and then we have to come back home to play a club as desperate as we are to make the Top 4.

Belief is great, mate, but results are greater.

Interesting fact, if we beat Hawthorn it will drastically increase our odds of meeting them in a prelim.

Alternatively it could give us a chance to go a bit softer at Port in rd. 23 (ie rest up and probably lose) so we get a more favourable finals draw.

 

[Righteo]

Riteo, I hope you're right, but winning our last three right now is a HUGE ask -- especially with that brown-and-gold bird of death staring us in the face that we haven't managed to beat in the last five years and even grab a lead against in our last three meetings. The St. Kilda travesty taught us that no team is an easybeat and then we have to come back home to play a club as desperate as we are to make the Top 4.

Belief is great, mate, but results are greater.

I have every reason to be pessimistic tonight, not least of which being the Dcokers lost on my birthday again! I just think we saw a return of the pressure we produced last year, was really impressed by some of our ball movement tonight and thought we looked really sharp at times. You're right of course but this could just be one of those intangibles, just the "vibe" I got from last tonight inspires belief within me.

Also worth mentioning that the Hawks could face us next week without some players who have proved to be serious thorns in recent times, definitely without Gunston and Rioli and now possibly RoughY. Then it's Brissy away and Port at home who look gone for the year, IMO the optimism isn't completely unwarranted.

Whether the performance was down to us lifting for Geelong or a genuine resurgence will be something we find out next week!

 

[GilG]

I have every reason to be pessimistic tonight, not least of which being the Dcokers lost on my birthday again! I just think we saw a return of the pressure we produced last year, was really impressed by some of our ball movement tonight and thought we looked really sharp at times. You're right of course but this could just be one of those intangibles, just the "vibe" I got from last tonight inspires belief within me.

Also worth mentioning that the Hawks could face us next week without some players who have proved to be serious thorns in recent times, definitely without Gunston and Rioli and now possibly RoughY. Then it's Brissy away and Port at home who look gone for the year, IMO the optimism isn't completely unwarranted.

Whether the performance was down to us lifting for Geelong or a genuine resurgence will be something we find out next week!

First, a very happy birthday to you, Riteo! Fortunately for me, neither the Dockers nor the Mets will ever lose a game on my birthday, as it's in December. By the way, the Dockers' founding date was actually a day later than my birthday, with the time difference -- and five years before I was initiated into footy, making my becoming a Freo fan destiny and it being the greatest birthday present a stranger has ever given to me.

Personally, I hate it when other team's stars don't come up against ours. I want to beat the best. And I hate when fans of other teams, when they do lose to mine, say the only reason we won is that their best players were hurt or suspended. I also don't like the idea of a soft draw.

Here's how much I've had it, of losing to Hawthorn all these years (cover the kiddies' ears!):



This year's draw has been harder, no doubt. But only the strongest teams get that kind of draw and I want us to be the strongest. Come on, would it really be satisfying to fight our way to a flag by escaping the neighborhood bullies, or standing up to them and taking them down?

I'd like some payback before all is said and done this year, on Hawthorn, Port, Sydney and North Melbourne.

 

[Righteo]

First, a very happy birthday to you, Riteo! Fortunately for me, neither the Dockers nor the Mets will ever lose a game on my birthday, as it's in December. By the way, the Dockers' founding date was actually a day later than my birthday, with the time difference -- and five years before I was initiated into footy, making my becoming a Freo fan destiny and it being the greatest birthday present a stranger has ever given to me.

Personally, I hate it when other team's stars don't come up against ours. I want to beat the best. And I hate when fans of other teams, when they do lose to mine, say the only reason we won is that their best players were hurt or suspended. I also don't like the idea of a soft draw.

Here's how much I've had it, of losing to Hawthorn all these years (cover the kiddies' ears!):



This year's draw has been harder, no doubt. But only the strongest teams get that kind of draw and I want us to be the strongest. Come on, would it really be satisfying to fight our way to a flag by escaping the neighborhood bullies, or standing up to them and taking them down?

I'd like some payback before all is said and done this year, on Hawthorn, Port, Sydney and North Melbourne.

Good post but, I have to say, Hawthorn have such a mental hold over us that yes, I'd still be more than content beating them with their forwardline absent. I agree that ideally you'd like to beat the best at their best but I'm also enough of a realist to say that as we are NOW we aren't capable of beating a full strength Hawthorn. We may end up facing them with our best 22 on the park (assuming Walters comes in, apologies to Ibbo who I don't consider a vital player) but that doesn't necessarily mean it's truly our best 22 if you take form and fitness into account.

Definitely our best chance in 4 years of beating them, let's just overlook the fact it's been the same number of years since they played us in Perth last shall we?

 

[Outshined]

I want us to beat every mother****ing team that comes between us and that mother****ing premiership cup, from now on until mother****ing September 27.

Hopefully the players feel the same.

(mother****er)

 

[Righteo]

I want us to beat every mother******* team that comes between us and that mother******* premiership cup, from now on until mother******* September 27.

Hopefully the players feel the same.

(mothergoose)

Mate we should have motivation and hunger coming out the yin yang. If we aren't the hungriest team now then we're a joke.

 

[GilG]

Good post but, I have to say, Hawthorn have such a mental hold over us that yes, I'd still be more than content beating them with their forwardline absent. I agree that ideally you'd like to beat the best at their best but I'm also enough of a realist to say that as we are NOW we aren't capable of beating a full strength Hawthorn. We may end up facing them with our best 22 on the park (assuming Walters comes in, apologies to Ibbo who I don't consider a vital player) but that doesn't necessarily mean it's truly our best 22 if you take form and fitness into account.

Definitely our best chance in 4 years of beating them, let's just overlook the fact it's been the same number of years since they played us in Perth last shall we?

Then the question becomes, would we be deserving premiers if, as you say, "we aren't capable of beating a full strength Hawthorn," yet ended up winning the flag?

 

[Outshined]

Mate we should have motivation and hunger coming out the yin yang. If we aren't the hungriest team now then we're a joke.

I hope so. It's tempting to write 2014 off having thrown away top 2, but something tells me there might be a late charge.

 

[Righteo]

Then the question becomes, would we be deserving premiers if, as you say, "we aren't capable of beating a full strength Hawthorn," yet ended up winning the flag?

I think every premiership side ever has had a bogey team. Are we going to examine whether every premiership side was able to defeat their bogey side in their premiership year? Probably not, just have to look at West Coast 2006 for a painful reminder. I think this year in particular will see a pretty deserving premier, very strong field this year.

 

[Righteo]

I hope so. It's tempting to write 2014 off having thrown away top 2, but something tells me there might be a late charge.

I like to hope so, I like to think Ross is timing everything to perfection and that every bump in the road is ironed out and accounted for with clinical precision. As awesome as a top 2 spot would be (two home finals and then the Granny, the most ideal lead up) I get the feeling Ross is happy enough to finish anywhere in the top 4 this year and let the "anytime, anywhere" ideology play out again.

 

[Simmofreo]

LOL! I meant we're a lock for top 4 but we won't finish top 2.

One too many tonight I think.

Nice

 

[BananaOnTheRun]

Before the game I said that how we play this match will give us a gauge on what amount of hope we have for the rest of the season.
I've been reassured now that we're not just going to make up the numbers. We're still going to have to do something about giving Pav some help, and I would also love to how we go with Walters, Croz, Duffy and Ballas in the side next week. They may be a temporary solution to our forward problem.

 

[Fyfetheknife]

Right now I'm feeling the same thing I felt the morning after last years grand final. I can't describe it but I can feel it. It's the feeling of dissapointment but also of better things to come, bigger and better things. I remember early September last year hearing about us having to go to geelong to play the QF not to the MCG. I was angry, yet I knew that if we were going to be a premiership team we had to overcome every single obstacle in our way. Going to the prelim final a fortnight later I had tears in my eyes as the siren sounded. This team is the reason I love footy. Let's be honest, we all know we got flogged by the umps in the first half, and in the third, even though the whistles stopped, we weren't at our best, we weren't taking risks because we knew we'd get penalised. Yet in that final quarter, I was reminded of the team that travelled to Geelong a year ago, and the team that finally got a crack at success after 20 years of pain. Sure we didn't kick straight in the GF, just like last night in the fourth. But, a few things go the other way and we're 14-5 and third. The team I saw last night in the 4th is a premiership team, and any team that says otherwise can **** off.

 

[freoextra]

Before the game I said that how we play this match will give us a gauge on what amount of hope we have for the rest of the season.
I've been reassured now that we're not just going to make up the numbers. We're still going to have to do something about giving Pav some help, and I would also love to how we go with Walters, Croz, Duffy and Ballas in the side next week. They may be a temporary solution to our forward problem.

It is possible though using the interchange and wings (they can all play further up the ground). We want forward line goal scoring pressure, well I just saw the best version of it last night, we now just need some talls capable of clunking a mark or bringing the ball down, between Pav, Mayne, Clarke, Silvangni and Kep we should be able to have two in the forward line.