- Joined
- May 20, 2013
- Posts
- 909
- Likes
- 2,920
- Location
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- AFL Club
- Fremantle
- Other Teams
- New York Mets
Thread starter
#1
How can the same team we so dearly love, which just eight months ago was a straight kick away from the lead midway through the third quarter of the Grand Final, now be 4-4 after eight games in an ensuing season that started at dominant 2-0?
Yesterday Coach Ross Lyon nailed it on the head after the deflating, dispiriting 18-point loss to an incredibly energized Port side -- whose recent meteoric rise mirrors Freo's own -- when he said, "we are a mediocre team at the moment."
So why don't we all take a turn now, playing armchair footy coaches and write our own report cards on the boys?
Here's mine:
Hayden Ballantyne C+ Dangerous against both Collingwood and WCE, but has lacked consistency and discipline. The suspension he copped in the Sydney game, with our forward line depleted? Inexcusable.
Zac Dawson B Has done well in the backline, coming off a Grand Final in which Jack Gunston took him to school. Still an elite spoiler, but he too had a brain cramp getting rubbed out by tripping an opponent.
Danyle Pearce B+ Definitely improved over a very good season last year. His pace has been essential this year, as has his precision passing. Needs to improve overall composure and sprays shots on goal.
Nat Fyfe A Only a questionable suspension keeps him from Brownlow consideration. Elite ball-winner and team's best marker. Team must consider moving him forward or keeping him in the middle.
Matt DeBoer C Teammate's recent injury saved him banishment to Peel. Must be more than one-dimensional defensive forward. Has shown signs of life the last two games.
Tendai Mzungu A- Continues to improve with every game. Great tank, reliable set-shot and very handy in defense.
Ryan Crowley B Hasn't had nearly the same degree of shutdown influence he had last year, as on-ball opponents are breaking free of his chain -- see Boomer Harvey's run in the loss to North Melbourne.
David Mundy A Elite midfielder who has had an All-Australian first third of the season. Would you trust anyone more than him at a center bounce for a clearance? Where would Freo be without him?
Hayden Crozier F Missing in action since given the massive opportunity to shine, with Michael Walters injury. Has to be on the chopping block this week.
Luke McPharlin A Has returned to his customary excellent form in the backline. Could've used some second half help defending against Buddy Franklin in the Sydney loss.
Michael Barlow A Has been his creative, courageous best this season in the middle and resting forward and his four-week loss to injury definitely was felt.
Chris Mayne C What's happened to the third tall, sharpshooting set-shot and forward pressure machine? Severely deflated confidence? Lingering injury? Both? Starting to see faint, hopeful signs.
Lachie Neale B Slow start, but massive gain in form the last two weeks, which saw him win the Glendinning Medal. Need him to be the go-to stoppage specialist he became last year.
Matthew Pavlich A- Admirably carries entire forward line load on his back every week, while blanketed and bruised by the opposition's best defender and loose man. Desperately needs a tag-team partner.
Zac Clarke B Enormously talented, maddeningly inconsistent. Needs to build on great form the last two weeks to overcome earlier quiet weeks.
Aaron Sandilands A Dominant in the ruck and handy when pinch-hitting in the backline. Definitely improved his taps and plays best when displaying some mongrel. Will challenge Fyfe for Doig Medal.
Stephen Hill B+ His elite run and carry makes him essential, but Barlow's absence made him more taggable. Has shown more toughness this year and really impressed in the Hawthorn debacle.
Cameron Sutcliffe B- Not as clean with the ball this year and hasn't yet provided the spark he did last year as the sub.
Lee Spurr C+ Has elevated to leadership group, but downward escalated in form. Has been pantsed by some of the competition's best smalls, which last year was rare.
Michael Johnson A Hard to find any other defender more composed with the ball, under pressure and has excelled in backline. Can count the number of skill errors/turnovers this season on one hand.
Paul Duffield B- Seems to have dropped in form. Port game was Exhibit A: his bump on Chad Wingard is sure to get him rubbed out and kicking out on the full late, directly led to a costly conceded goal.
Incompletes: Garrick Ibbotson, Nick Suban, Michael Walters, Tom Sheridan, Josh Simpson, Matt Taberner, Alex Silvagni, Jack Hannath, Clancee Pearce.
Best team performance: Rd 1, Collingwood. Total demolition job showed Freo at its best.
Worst team performance: Rd 3, Hawthorn. Humiliation from the opening bounce.
Freo is cursed because...After a two-year recruiting effort to snare a top-flight power forward to complement Matthew Pavlich, which included Travis Cloke, Jack Riewoldt, Harry Taylor, Aaron Black, Jesse White and James Podsiadly, it nabs Scott Gumbleton for a low draft pick. Gumbleton returns to WA fully fit with a great attitude, never misses one pre-season training...only to (again!) tear a hamstring in a pre-season game, forcing him to miss the season's first half.
Freo is blessed because...After doing a knee for the third time and missing three seasons, Anthony Morabito is now tantalizingly close to returning to action.
Best reasons for dread: Freo have failed to beat top-tier teams Port, Hawthorn and Sydney and copped a home loss to North and show little ability to beat them in rematches, potential and actual. Big recruits Gumbleton and Colin Sylvia have yet to play a minute, the forward line issues appear no closer to being resolved than at the end of last year, Walters is gone for the season and maybe second-tier teams will catch up to us.
Best reasons for hope: Between games v Geelong in Rd 9 and Rd 20, there's a bye week followed by nine straight VERY winnable games, including Brisbane, St. Kilda, Melbourne and Carlton. Even with a loss to Geelong in Rd 9, coming up winners in those nine games would leave Freo with a 13-5 record, with four games left, including another against Brisbane. Potentially getting back a healthy Gumbleton and Morabito, a rejuvenated Colin Sylvia and a precocious big man in Michael Apeness would be tremendous, as would a miraculous return of Walters. Freo must again face Hawthorn and Port, but this time at home.
Yesterday Coach Ross Lyon nailed it on the head after the deflating, dispiriting 18-point loss to an incredibly energized Port side -- whose recent meteoric rise mirrors Freo's own -- when he said, "we are a mediocre team at the moment."
So why don't we all take a turn now, playing armchair footy coaches and write our own report cards on the boys?
Here's mine:
Hayden Ballantyne C+ Dangerous against both Collingwood and WCE, but has lacked consistency and discipline. The suspension he copped in the Sydney game, with our forward line depleted? Inexcusable.
Zac Dawson B Has done well in the backline, coming off a Grand Final in which Jack Gunston took him to school. Still an elite spoiler, but he too had a brain cramp getting rubbed out by tripping an opponent.
Danyle Pearce B+ Definitely improved over a very good season last year. His pace has been essential this year, as has his precision passing. Needs to improve overall composure and sprays shots on goal.
Nat Fyfe A Only a questionable suspension keeps him from Brownlow consideration. Elite ball-winner and team's best marker. Team must consider moving him forward or keeping him in the middle.
Matt DeBoer C Teammate's recent injury saved him banishment to Peel. Must be more than one-dimensional defensive forward. Has shown signs of life the last two games.
Tendai Mzungu A- Continues to improve with every game. Great tank, reliable set-shot and very handy in defense.
Ryan Crowley B Hasn't had nearly the same degree of shutdown influence he had last year, as on-ball opponents are breaking free of his chain -- see Boomer Harvey's run in the loss to North Melbourne.
David Mundy A Elite midfielder who has had an All-Australian first third of the season. Would you trust anyone more than him at a center bounce for a clearance? Where would Freo be without him?
Hayden Crozier F Missing in action since given the massive opportunity to shine, with Michael Walters injury. Has to be on the chopping block this week.
Luke McPharlin A Has returned to his customary excellent form in the backline. Could've used some second half help defending against Buddy Franklin in the Sydney loss.
Michael Barlow A Has been his creative, courageous best this season in the middle and resting forward and his four-week loss to injury definitely was felt.
Chris Mayne C What's happened to the third tall, sharpshooting set-shot and forward pressure machine? Severely deflated confidence? Lingering injury? Both? Starting to see faint, hopeful signs.
Lachie Neale B Slow start, but massive gain in form the last two weeks, which saw him win the Glendinning Medal. Need him to be the go-to stoppage specialist he became last year.
Matthew Pavlich A- Admirably carries entire forward line load on his back every week, while blanketed and bruised by the opposition's best defender and loose man. Desperately needs a tag-team partner.
Zac Clarke B Enormously talented, maddeningly inconsistent. Needs to build on great form the last two weeks to overcome earlier quiet weeks.
Aaron Sandilands A Dominant in the ruck and handy when pinch-hitting in the backline. Definitely improved his taps and plays best when displaying some mongrel. Will challenge Fyfe for Doig Medal.
Stephen Hill B+ His elite run and carry makes him essential, but Barlow's absence made him more taggable. Has shown more toughness this year and really impressed in the Hawthorn debacle.
Cameron Sutcliffe B- Not as clean with the ball this year and hasn't yet provided the spark he did last year as the sub.
Lee Spurr C+ Has elevated to leadership group, but downward escalated in form. Has been pantsed by some of the competition's best smalls, which last year was rare.
Michael Johnson A Hard to find any other defender more composed with the ball, under pressure and has excelled in backline. Can count the number of skill errors/turnovers this season on one hand.
Paul Duffield B- Seems to have dropped in form. Port game was Exhibit A: his bump on Chad Wingard is sure to get him rubbed out and kicking out on the full late, directly led to a costly conceded goal.
Incompletes: Garrick Ibbotson, Nick Suban, Michael Walters, Tom Sheridan, Josh Simpson, Matt Taberner, Alex Silvagni, Jack Hannath, Clancee Pearce.
Best team performance: Rd 1, Collingwood. Total demolition job showed Freo at its best.
Worst team performance: Rd 3, Hawthorn. Humiliation from the opening bounce.
Freo is cursed because...After a two-year recruiting effort to snare a top-flight power forward to complement Matthew Pavlich, which included Travis Cloke, Jack Riewoldt, Harry Taylor, Aaron Black, Jesse White and James Podsiadly, it nabs Scott Gumbleton for a low draft pick. Gumbleton returns to WA fully fit with a great attitude, never misses one pre-season training...only to (again!) tear a hamstring in a pre-season game, forcing him to miss the season's first half.
Freo is blessed because...After doing a knee for the third time and missing three seasons, Anthony Morabito is now tantalizingly close to returning to action.
Best reasons for dread: Freo have failed to beat top-tier teams Port, Hawthorn and Sydney and copped a home loss to North and show little ability to beat them in rematches, potential and actual. Big recruits Gumbleton and Colin Sylvia have yet to play a minute, the forward line issues appear no closer to being resolved than at the end of last year, Walters is gone for the season and maybe second-tier teams will catch up to us.
Best reasons for hope: Between games v Geelong in Rd 9 and Rd 20, there's a bye week followed by nine straight VERY winnable games, including Brisbane, St. Kilda, Melbourne and Carlton. Even with a loss to Geelong in Rd 9, coming up winners in those nine games would leave Freo with a 13-5 record, with four games left, including another against Brisbane. Potentially getting back a healthy Gumbleton and Morabito, a rejuvenated Colin Sylvia and a precocious big man in Michael Apeness would be tremendous, as would a miraculous return of Walters. Freo must again face Hawthorn and Port, but this time at home.

