Two close away losses to top 8 teams from last year. I'm actually feeling more optimistic than I was pre-season. Not necessarily optimistic for 2020, but for us bouncing back to finals.
From the starting 22 on Saturday if you swap out Duman, Banfield, Schultz, Colyer, Cox, Hughes, Darcy and Bewley for four Best 12 experienced players in Pearce, Hamling, Hogan and Acres plus four Top 30 picks from last two drafts in Sturt, Valente, Sarong and Henry (and I'm assuming Hill is cooked) then immediately that team is hugely improved. Won't happen immediately, given Pearce, Hamling and Henry are a few weeks off, but apparently Hogan, Sarong and Valente were the pick of the team in the scratchy on the weekend and Sturt was the Rising Star from Round 1. I hope by Round 5 our team is really beginning to take shape.
Doubt we will make finals this year, but this is a squad building for a push to finals in 21/22.
There is a nucleus there to build with Freo heading in the right direction