Which club is West Coast's biggest rival?

West Coast's biggest rival?


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MrWoollie

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They have tended to come and go.
Early on it was Essendon. They were the first to identify us as a coming threat to dominance, and reacted accordingly, with dirty tactics and games like tying up the windsock, cold showers, no access to ground to train on etc.
Then it was probably Geelong, then Sydney,
then it was Hawks as the best team.
Collingwood has always been a great finals rival, right from the start.

The one constant has been Freo. Though it's been more of a 'pimple on the end of your dick' kind of rivalry (once you've checked it's not a blister and is only a pimple it can be safely ignored) due to their constant failures and only caring about the derby.
Freo should be a better rivalry than it is. It's a bit hard to treat something so useless seriously.
 

King Cold

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The one constant has been Freo. Though it's been more of a 'pimple on the end of your dick' kind of rivalry (once you've checked it's not a blister and is only a pimple it can be safely ignored) due to their constant failures and only caring about the derby.
Freo should be a better rivalry than it is. It's a bit hard to treat something so useless seriously.

West Coast-Fremantle used to be compared to Adelaide-Port Adelaide.

I still remember the yearly Derby vs Showdown debates.

However, these days the Derby doesn't come close to the Showdown.

Sydney-GWS rivalry has gone past West Coast-Fremantle.

Adelaide-Port Adelaide games and Sydney-GWS games are always classic spectacles, and there's genuine heat between both sides.

West Coast-Fremantle feels more like Brisbane-Gold Coast these days.
 

Eastcoasteagle

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They have tended to come and go.
Early on it was Essendon. They were the first to identify us as a coming threat to dominance, and reacted accordingly, with dirty tactics and games like tying up the windsock, cold showers, no access to ground to train on etc.
Then it was probably Geelong, then Sydney,
then it was Hawks as the best team.
Collingwood has always been a great finals rival, right from the start.

The one constant has been Freo. Though it's been more of a 'pimple on the end of your dick' kind of rivalry (once you've checked it's not a blister and is only a pimple it can be safely ignored) due to their constant failures and only caring about the derby.
Freo should be a better rivalry than it is. It's a bit hard to treat something so useless seriously.
Well said, couldn't agree more.
 
Essendone.

The jacket waving is for real. I hate, hate, hate losing to Essendon.

I also have a problem with Hawthorn for beating us in 2 GF. I hope I live to see the day where we get one back on them in the big dance.

Yep me too.

I'd take a loss to Freo over Essendon anytime.
 
Sep 23, 2007
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As a fan living vicariously through the club, it has to be Freo.

If we lose to any other club, I don’t read the paper that week and it’s as if it never happened. Lose to Freo, however rarely it occurs, and I have a bevy of idiots reminding me of it for 12 rounds.

Winning of course allows me to to smugly nod and chuckle at any suggestion they’re “improving”.
 

WCE_phil

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Having spent significant time in Melbourne in 2001-2003 in the military when Collingwood were doing well and we were s**t I have a special hate for them. The game I think it was 2003 i was in the piss bar and we kicked the first 8 of 9 goals or something, Collingwood came back and we eventually won was one of my biggest highlights as a supporter. Being based in cerberus which is a big collingwood area was hell. Copped stick about us from every collingwood supporter but basically none from anyone else.

So for me it's a real toss up between Freo and Collingwood. Regular season it's freo but come Finals it's Collingwood I tend to hate most.
 

Havoc

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Apart from West Coast... do Fremantle even have any rivalries? West Coast have rivalries with Collingwood, Essendon, Geelong, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Sydney to go with their rivalry with Fremantle! I'm surprised people in here are saying Richmond are a rival before Port Adelaide... truth is there is no Richmond/West Coast rivalry (yet), mainly due to our two clubs having never played each other in a final! Along with our clubs only ever playing each other once in a season while we rarely square off twice in a season.. thanks to the shonky FIXture!
 

WCE_phil

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Apart from West Coast... do Fremantle even have any rivalries? West Coast have rivalries with Collingwood, Essendon, Geelong, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Sydney to go with their rivalry with Fremantle! I'm surprised people in here are saying Richmond are a rival before Port Adelaide... truth is there is no Richmond/West Coast rivalry (yet), mainly due to our two clubs having never played each other in a final! Along with our clubs only ever playing each other once in a season while we rarely square off twice in a season.. thanks to the shonky FIXture!

I think it comes more from our supporters definitely thinking we were the best side of 2018 but never got to play you in Melbourne so it's an unresolved what it. I don't really consider Richmond a west coast rival. There's only been the one season in 96 where you guys were good and we got shafted by the AFL finals setup so couldn't meet then and your only other times in the finals we just haven't got to each other prior to Richmond's period of dominance. Our team matched up very well to Richmond's with our gamestyle that year but things were much tighter with our old foe Collingwood. I do however think Richmond were deserving of at least making the Grand Final in 2018 and just got a bit of a choke in the prelim combined with Cox pulling out one of his bullshit games.
 

Havoc

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I think it comes more from our supporters definitely thinking we were the best side of 2018 but never got to play you in Melbourne so it's an unresolved what it. I don't really consider Richmond a west coast rival. There's only been the one season in 96 where you guys were good and we got shafted by the AFL finals setup so couldn't meet then and your only other times in the finals we just haven't got to each other prior to Richmond's period of dominance. Our team matched up very well to Richmond's with our gamestyle that year but things were much tighter with our old foe Collingwood. I do however think Richmond were deserving of at least making the Grand Final in 2018 and just got a bit of a choke in the prelim combined with Cox pulling out one of his bullshit games.

West Coast have played Collingwood in nine finals matches in their 35 seasons of competing in the AFL... that's once every four years!

Which club out of Crows/Power do you guys consider more of a rival to West Coast? I know Power supporters definitely see a Power/Eagles rivalry... while Crows supporters don't really see an Eagles/Crows rivalry at all. In fact, apart from the Bulldogs.. I don't think Adelaide have any rivalries besides the Power/Crows rivalry!
 

WCE_phil

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West Coast have played Collingwood in nine finals matches in their 35 seasons of competing in the AFL... that's once every four years!

Which club out of Crows/Power do you guys consider more of a rival to West Coast? I know Power supporters definitely see a Power/Eagles rivalry... while Crows supporters don't really see an Eagles/Crows rivalry at all. In fact, apart from the Bulldogs.. I don't think Adelaide have any rivalries besides the Power/Crows rivalry!

West Coast and the Crows have a lot of respect for each other. I don't really see the rivalry there at all. If they had of won one of the 05-06 prelims it may be a different story. But the Crows really have been to the SA market what West Coast are to the WA one.
 

Havoc

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West Coast and the Crows have a lot of respect for each other. I don't really see the rivalry there at all. If they had of won one of the 05-06 prelims it may be a different story. But the Crows really have been to the SA market what West Coast are to the WA one.

True.. perhaps the Power/Eagles have a rivalry due to playing two classic, cut throat finals.. both of which were decided by less than a goal... and the Power/Eagles splitting those matches 1-1.

The Crows.. on the other hand, have never beaten West Coast in a final, and despite there not being much difference between the Crows/Power in terms of overall AFL success... the Crows don't really have any rivalries outside of the rivalry with the Power...... while on the other hand.. the Power have rivalries with Brisbane, Collingwood, Geelong and West Coast.
 

WCE_phil

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True.. perhaps the Power/Eagles have a rivalry due to playing two classic, cut throat finals.. both of which were decided by less than a goal... and the Power/Eagles splitting those matches 1-1.

The Crows.. on the other hand, have never beaten West Coast in a final, and despite there not being much difference between the Crows/Power in terms of overall AFL success... the Crows don't really have any rivalries outside of the rivalry with the Power...... while on the other hand.. the Power have rivalries with Brisbane, Collingwood, Geelong and West Coast.

There's other parts to the Power story too. We were the Bunnies for quite a few years when they first came into the competition and they played rough and a lot of the time over the line football. Then lastly discounting the 07 Final which was really lost due to injuries to our mids we had 3 successive matches (one preseason) where we beat them with a goal in the last minute or after the siren.

A lot of west coast supporters also see the power as like the Freo of SA and with them having more success and us matching up in many memorable games it means a fair bit.
 

Havoc

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There's other parts to the Power story too. We were the Bunnies for quite a few years when they first came into the competition and they played rough and a lot of the time over the line football. Then lastly discounting the 07 Final which was really lost due to injuries to our mids we had 3 successive matches (one preseason) where we beat them with a goal in the last minute or after the siren.

A lot of west coast supporters also see the power as like the Freo of SA and with them having more success and us matching up in many memorable games it means a fair bit.

It's ironic how WA and SA fans tend to see the Eagles/Crows and Dockers/Power being each state's equivalent club... yet when it comes to rivalries, the Eagles/Power tend to have rivalries with several clubs other than their cross town rivals. Crows/Dockers.. on the other hand, don't really have any rivalries aside from their cross town ones.

I'd say this is due to overall lack of success in Fremantle's case.... while in Adelaide's case, I'd put it down to the club's DNA being SANFL vs Port Adelaide, hence the Crows only hate the Power and therefore don't have any other rivals... Bulldogs/Crows is definitely the closest thing Adelaide have in terms of another rivalry.. and even then, there's not much passion/hate between the Bulldogs and Crows fanbases!
 

ioppolo

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Would you consider Collingwood, Essendon, Geelong, Hawthorn and Sydney... to be rivals of West Coast?
Collingwood yes, Essendon yes (before my time but based on early fan's recollections), Geelong not really (before my time again), Hawthorn no, Sydney yes (mainly 2005-2009).
 
Jun 30, 2009
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Nah, I don't think Freo is much of a rival at all. They just arent a threat, never really succeeding at anything. Add in the fact that a lot of middle age people and casual supporters go for both teams ("I go for the WA teams"), I don't think is much of a rivalry at all.

I agree with others who say our rivals are those who compete with us for biggest and most successful. Hawthorn is number one - we just can't handle them in finals. Collingwood has given us a very close finals rivalry (two full time draws, several finals decided by small margins and an all time classic GF). If Richmond stay successful, then I see them becoming one as well.

Geelong would be up there if they could win more GF. We've also got a 50/50 finals record against them.
small dorky wannabees arent a rival

Rival :

a person who is competing for the same object or goal as another, or who tries to equal or outdo another; competitor.
a person or thing that is in a position to dispute another's preeminence or superiority:

we compete for flags - how on earth could they be considered as rivals?
 

MrWoollie

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It's ironic how WA and SA fans tend to see the Eagles/Crows and Dockers/Power being each state's equivalent club... yet when it comes to rivalries, the Eagles/Power tend to have rivalries with several clubs other than their cross town rivals. Crows/Dockers.. on the other hand, don't really have any rivalries aside from their cross town ones.
As you point out, I think it's more that Adelaide is seen as an equivalent club. First team in a state, first team to win premiership from WA/SA, most supported state club, did all the hard graft of establishing the national competition into the new zone etc.
Crows are more like cousins that you respect than rivals you hate.

Port have (excluding success) more in common with Freo than with WC. And that makes them more natural rivals. Latecomers to the competition, rode on the coattails of the existing setup, whinge that they are seen as the poor cousins, whinge that they were 'set up to fail' and so on.

And you are right to point out that WC/Richmond don't have a real rivalry other than just another club we/you have to beat to win it all. There's no hate like there was with Essendon in the early years, Freo from day one (and lesser so with Port), Sydney due to that classic run of games, Collingwood due to the finals battles and so on.
 
Apr 10, 2004
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Are the people playing down the Freo rivalry the same people that don't attend games?

On field, sure. Freo are no one's rival. No club truely respects them. Rightfully so, almost 3 decades now of nothing but repeated failure.

Off field, it's easily Freo. Their fans are bitter to the core about anything Eagles. Some truely need professional help, absolutely tapped in the head.
 
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