Critics say Hawks unbeatable, but here’s why Freo can win

Despite finishing on top of the ladder the Fremantle Dockers have had their critics and doubters since mid season when their early season dominance began to somewhat wane.

That chorus of critics has now reached a crescendo following Hawthorn’s demolition of Adelaide on Friday night at the MCG, setting up a Preliminary Final next Friday night between the 2013 Grand Finalists.

As the Hawks piled on the goals, chatter predictably turned to the Dockers, who according to their critics would be rocking in a corner in the foetal position in awe of Hawthorn’s fire power.

Aside from Fremantle supporters, few if any experts or supporters give the Dockers a realistic chance of defeating Hawthorn on Friday night.  But Fremantle’s prospects of making just their second ever Grand Final are strong, and here’s why.

Hawthorn’s Form is Overrated

It seems to have been quickly forgotten that just over a week ago Hawthorn was comprehensively beaten by West Coast in Perth in a Qualifying Final.  But the manner in which the Hawks dismantled the Crows has many convinced that the “real” Hawks are back, while dismissing some evidence to the contrary.

Freo coach Ross Lyon put the Hawks’ dominance against Adelaide into perspective at half time at the game, describing the contest as mere “circle work”, presumably missing only witches hats.  

While the Crows were brave and universally admired for achieving all they did in the most challenging circumstances imaginable this season, the defensive pressure they brought to Friday night’s contest bears no resemblance to the manic defensive mindset and approach that Fremantle will take into the Preliminary Final.

Freo’s Players are fresh and the Hawks are taking the hard road home

Most of Fremantle’s players have had a break from playing in two of the past four weeks, following mass resting of players in round 23 and as a reward for winning their Qualifying Final in week one of the finals. They are as fresh and injury free as they could possibly hope to be this far into September.

So the majority of Fremantle’s players haven’t travelled for a month given that most of their core group didn’t travel to Adelaide to play the Power in the final round.  For a team with such a heavy travel load, the positives that come from this respite for their battle weary bodies cannot be overstated.

In contrast, the Hawks, so often used to a deserved and well-earned dream run into the Grand Final, will have to win their spot in this year’s Grand Final via the long hard road, a most unfamiliar prospect for them.

For example, last year Hawthorn played the final five games of their season (including the Grand Final) at their home and fortress, the MCG.

In each of their previous two premiership seasons the Hawks have won their Qualifying Final at the MCG, had a week’s break and then booked their place in the Grand Final with a Preliminary Final win at the MCG.

Will this season’s challenging journey to the Grand Final with two trips to far flung Perth and no week’s break prove to be a spark for a Hawthorn side perhaps becoming a little too comfortable with winning or will it prove too much for a club used to taking a familiar, comfortable and easy route to ultimate game of the season?

This time Freo has the home ground advantage

Let’s face it, Hawthorn have been very hard to play against in recent seasons at their two homes, the MCG and Launceston.  In fact, Fremantle have been on the receiving end of some big losses to Hawthorn in recent years at both venues.

But, if there’s anywhere that the Dockers would want to play Hawthorn it’s on their own home turf of Subiaco. Hawthorn’s record at Domain Stadium since 2012 is mediocre, winning just two of their five games there against either West Australian side.

The Dockers have been almost impossible to beat at Domain stadium this season, winning ten out of eleven games where they have the home ground advantage (i.e excluding Western Derbies).

The Dockers brains trust would be quietly thrilled to be taking on Hawthorn on Freo’s home turf where the Hawks are vulnerable and where the Dockers know how to exploit the unique dimensions of the playing arena, rather than meeting them a week later at the MCG.

In fact, if a Western Derby Grand Final comes to fruition then the MCG is effectively a neutral venue for both sides, rather than Freo yet again playing Hawthorn for the premiership at the Hawks’ fortress.

Fremantle’s small forwards are firing

With livewire small forward Hayden Ballantyne having returned from a long injury lay off last week and teaming up with his partner in crime Michael Walters, the Fremantle forward unit looked lively, dangerous and quick.

Just as importantly, combined with Chris Mayne, their defensive pressure in the forward half was critical in getting the Dockers over the line against an impressive Swans outfit.  Ballantyne will only be better for the run and should be ready to go for the prelim.

Ruck dominance can be capitalised on

If Hawthorn have a weakness, and its hard to identify many, it’s their ruck division. Two of McEvoy, Ceglar and Hale pitted against the most dominant tap ruckman in the game, Aaron Sandilands, represents a big advantage for Freo that just has to be exploited.

Coach Lyon often states that the game is won and lost in the midfield. With Sandilands dominating ruck contests it needs to translate to hit outs to the advantage of Freo’s midfield guns Fyfe, Mundy, Neale and Barlow.

If Freo can take advantage of the ruck mismatch then they can also minimise Hawthorn’s forward fifty entries, which will be the key to stopping the Hawks’ imposing forward line comprising the likes of Roughead, Breust, and Gunston getting off the chain and racking up a big score.

Defensive game style holds up in finals

It has been debated extensively all season – can Fremantle kick enough goals to be a premiership threat and does the trademark Ross Lyon defence-first game style hold up against teams such as West Coast and Hawthorn who score more heavily and seemingly easily than the negating Dockers?

How will Fremantle contain the Hawks this week, they ask, given how easily they demolished the Crows? A lot of Hawthorn’s goals in that game were scored off Adelaide’s turnovers.  You can mark it down now that Fremantle will not surrender goals so easily on Friday night.  They’ll restrict Hawthorn’s avenues to goal, limit turnovers and thereby reduce Hawthorn’s ability to pick up easy and opportunistic scoring opportunities.  The Hawks will be made to earn their goals.

Of course, to win, Fremantle needs to score enough goals. If they can recreate the swift ball movement they displayed in the first half of the season, have their small forwards firing and kick accurately then there’s no reason they can’t score enough goals to win.

Remember, the Hawks scored just 77 points to beat Fremantle in the 2013 Grand Final – talk of needing to score 100 points or more to win a game is arbitrary and wrong.

Summary

The Dockers have been written off all season but they won’t be giving external perceptions much thought or credence. The moment of truth for the Dockers arrives on Friday night, a Preliminary Final under lights on the big stage at Domain Stadium.

There’s only one way this debate can be settled – the result of Friday night’s game.  Should Freo lose, the critics will be proven right.  Should the Dockers beat the Hawks … well, we’ll probably have yet another week of hearing about how and why they can’t win the Grand Final!

But with the enormous challenge ahead against an opponent who must be respected, this is a time that the old cliche of taking it one game at a time actually rings true.

But make no mistake, Fremantle are every chance to beat the Hawks this weekend.

Will the real Freo Dockers please stand up

Finally, after 22 games over a seemingly endless winter and with the minor premiership under their belt, Fremantle’s home and away season is complete and their finals campaign is about to ignite.

However, among both the AFL media and broader football community there is a pervasive perception that Fremantle are pretenders, not contenders for the 2015 premiership. 

Imposters, they say. The Dockers don’t score enough points, their forward line is dysfunctional, they don’t go on to thrash sides when they have a decent lead, and they can’t win a premiership with the ultra defensive style and mindset which is coach Ross Lyon’s trademark.

“Has there been a worse minor premier in recent history?”, they ask.

This is despite Fremantle finishing on top of the ladder with just five losses all year, one of which is irrelevant at best due to resting players en masse for the final round of the season, having secured top spot the previous week.

Yes, this is the same side that emphatically won their first nine games of the season and twelve of their first thirteen.  

This is a side that earned the right to rest battle weary players and ensure that they will have the freshest and fittest possible side available for the real deal, the finals series.

Fremantle have also earned the right to host a home Qualifying Final, providing a reward of both a home final and a double chance should a loss ensue.  

Now bear in mind this staggering statistic – every Qualifying Final winner from 2007 onward has gone on to play in that year’s Grand Final.

The Dockers will play at least two finals in the familiar surrounds of Subiaco. If they win the Qualifying Final, Freo will get yet another week off and then a home Preliminary Final.  For a West Australian based side whose travel schedule must take a heavy mental and physical toll on its players, the boost that this provides for Freo’s flag prospects cannot be overstated.

Make no mistake, the Fremantle Football Club has never been better placed for a tilt at winning their first ever premiership.

So then, why the Docker doubters? 

After starting with a flurry Freo have looked a shadow of their early season self.  Fremantle’s credentials began to be seriously questioned in July when they travelled to Launceston and were thrashed by premiers of the past two seasons, Hawthorn. The Dockers were then fortunate to steal a last gasp win against Richmond at the MCG a few weeks later and then dropped two consecutive late season matches to an in form West Coast and North Melbourne.

But what credence should be given to second half of the season form of a side that had all but locked in a top two finish by the bye?  

Had the Dockers’ form genuinely fallen away or was Ross Lyon already enacting a plan to have his charges fresh and firing come finals time, having heeded painful lessons learned the previous season when Freo was bundled out of the finals in straight sets with key players either out injured or playing and struggling?

Have the players been trained incredibly hard during the mid to late part of the season in order to peak in September?  Does Lyon have some surprise tactics and tricks up his sleeve that he hasn’t given Freo’s rivals a look at, to be deployed on the big stage of finals?

Well, only the Dockers inner sanctum can answer that question and I doubt they are going to let us, the general public, in on their strategy (and rightfully so).

So who’s right?  The Purple Army with their unwavering faith in the players to hit their straps when it really counts, or others who see Freo in decline and with deficiencies that render them little threat to the other premiership fancies?

The battle of football philosophies will play out before our eyes across the finals.  If Freo falter, many will take is as confirmation of the popular view that a defensive focused low scoring game plan cannot and will not prevail in the premiership stakes.  If the Dockers become premiers, Lyon’s strategy and methods will be vindicated.

Strap yourself in, as we are all about to find out over the next several weeks.

So, to paraphrase Slim Shady, will the real Freo Dockers please stand up.

One last roll of the dice? How the Dockers’ list shapes up in 2017

The conventional wisdom regarding the Fremantle Dockers is that 2015 is their last roll of the dice for now in winning an elusive inaugural AFL premiership.

So here at Docker on the Outer, we have taken a look at how we think the Dockers list will shape up two years from now.  And, despite the almost certain loss of several of Fremantle’s best and most experienced players, the good news is that the list still looks in strong shape to remain in premiership contention in 2017 and beyond.

For the purposes of this exercise we have had to make assumptions and best guesses about the future of some players.  Some of these calls could have gone either way and hopefully some of these predictions will be proven wrong over time.  See the possible Dockers best 2017 line up below.

Understandably, the focus on the possible Fremantle Dockers side in 2017 draws attention to those key players from our current squad who won’t be there in two years’ time.  With the age and associated injury profile of several of Freo’s current players, there will likely be an exodus of experience and talent over the next two seasons.

Club stalwarts Pavlich, McPharlin and Sandilands are unlikely to be part of the 2017 line up, although remarkably for a man of his stature, Sandilands is probably the one of the trio most likely to defy the odds.

For a variety of reasons, it is unlikely that Crowley, Morabito, Dawson and Duffield will be Dockers in 2017. Question marks linger over Dawson’s body holding up to the rigours of the AFL as he approaches 30, Duffield has slipped to the fringes of selection each week and would be 32 in 2017, while the wretched luck encountered by Morabito through injury is well documented.

On paper, the Fremantle 2017 side looks solid.  It’s hard to think that many other AFL sides could lose so much experience and talent to retirement in such a short period of time and remain in contention, but there’s no reason why the Dockers can’t.

A-graders Fyfe (who will be 25 in 2017), Walters (26) and Neale (23) will be in or approaching their prime.

The midfield seemingly remains a strength two years from now, with Fyfe, Neale, Hill, Mundy, Barlow and Sheridan being ably supported by Zac Clarke, who at 27, will have served a comprehensive apprenticeship to take the number one ruck mantle from his mentor Sandilands.

With Mundy and Barlow both around 30 years of age in 2017, Freo will be seeking to add youth into the midfield as part of their succession planning, as well as injecting some much needed pace.

The age profile of the Dockers in 2017 shows a good mix of experience and youth, with many players in the 23 to 29 year age group, but also freeing up opportunities for some of their current young and developing players to seize their opportunities in the side on a permanent basis (e.g. Sheridan, Crozier, Blakely).

However, there are some obvious holes in the 2017 list.  The jury is still out on Fremantle’s young key forwards who will be given the daunting challenge of filling the void left when Pavlich retires. Apeness showed a lot of promise in the WAFL as a key forward before having his 2015 ruined by injury, while Taberner is still gaining the experience necessary to play his role as a key forward who can impact a game.

While I’m sure most Dockers supporters would love to see either of young gun key forwards Cam McCarthy or Jesse Hogan return to their home town and play for Fremantle, it’s very hard to envisage their respective clubs agreeing to trade them out.

The key defender stocks also look somewhat threadbare. Alex Pearce has seemingly cemented his role down back for Fremantle this season and looks like he will do so for the side for many years to come.  Can Michael Johnson remain fit and firing for a few more seasons and if not, from where will Fremantle’s key defender depth emerge?

With two AFL drafts, trade periods and free agency periods to come before season 2017, Fremantle’s list manager Brad Lloyd is sure to have plans up his sleeve to address some of these gaps.

A handful of current Fremantle players have question marks over their medium term futures.  Mzungu, de Boer and Silvagni will be mid to late career by 2017, and all three are currently in and out of the side (granted injury has curtailed Silvagni’s opportunities). A decision will need be made as to whether or not each are retained as back up or role players or whether they ultimately make way to provide opportunities others.

So the next few seasons are going to be fascinating for Fremantle. This season represents a golden opportunity to win a premiership but concurrently, over the next few seasons, Fremantle will say goodbye to some of its greatest ever players and usher in a new era.

Last roll of the dice for the Dockers? I don’t think so.

Record start to season puts Freo in strong flag contention

Tags

Dockers, Fremantle, Freo

Having been dismissed by most experts as big sliders in 2015, Fremantle has defied the critics to emerge undefeated at the end of round four of the 2015 AFL season.  So what’s changed from last year and can the Dockers continue on their winning march all the way to an elusive first premiership?

In a pre-season blog post on this website we outlined why we believed that Fremantle could take home the 2015 premiership.

The article concluded “And as with last year, the first four weeks of this season will probably provide a clear indication of Freo’s flag prospects”.

So, with the first four matches of the season under their belt, let’s take stock of where Fremantle is at.

For the first time in their history, the Dockers remain undefeated at the end of round four (along side only the Adelaide Crows).  But the biggest sign that the Dockers have improved significantly on last season is both the quality of the teams that it has defeated and the emphatic manner in which their opponents have been dispatched.

With wins over Sydney and Port Adelaide, the Dockers have defeated last year’s beaten Grand Final side and a team which missed the Grand Final by a kick, both of which are still considered by most experts to be two of this season’s top three contenders.

In round two Fremantle also easily accounted for Geelong at Simonds Stadium, a venue at which the Cats are still extremely hard to beat, even though they are not the powerful side they were several seasons ago.

Beating top sides and winning difficult games on the road are the key indicators that this Fremantle side are genuine premiership contenders.

Then there is the imposing and intimidating fashion in which the Dockers have dismantled their opponents. Over the past three weeks Fremantle have come out fast and firing, dominating Geelong in the second half and almost putting the result of their games against West Coast and Sydney beyond doubt by half time.

Of course in those two most recent clashes, the Dockers have allowed a massive lead to be whittled away by their opponents, perhaps perversely providing Ross Lyon with plenty of fodder for ensuring his players don’t get too far ahead of themselves after such dominant performances.

So, far from the premiership window closing, Ross Lyon has worked with his side over the summer to get them extremely fit, tweaked the game plan and the players have responded with a renewed hunger and vigour in the way they play as a team.

It is well documented that the Dockers did a lot of extra fitness work through the pre-season, and this is evident in the hard-running and spreading of the side and the sheer numbers that Freo gets to every contest.

On a related note, the Dockers’ ball movement seems to be swifter and easier than last season, and as a result they have looked more dangerous in attack.

Refreshingly, Freo have had a comparatively clean run with injuries so far this season, with Zac Dawson and Alex Silvagni the notable absentees to date.

While initially it seemed that the duo’s absence could leave the Dockers undermanned and under-sized in defence, Lyon has turned a problem into an opportunity, by having a back six with greater run and rebound out of defence.

McPharlin has consistently blanketed the opposition’s best key defender while Johnson and Ibbotson have defended ably as well as being key springboards out of the defensive fifty.  One wonders if there is room for Dawson in Freo’s best side upon his return from injury, given how well the defence is operating as a unit.

For a coach who so frequently peddles the line “the game will be won or lost in the midfield”, Lyon must be quietly thrilled with the output of his midfield. With Sandilands fit and providing first use of the ball to his midfielders and Fyfe taking his game to even greater heights than last year, the Dockers’ midfield has a swagger and dominance that has set up the team in its wins so far this season.

With its tall and big-bodied midfielders of Mundy, Barlow and Fyfe winning plenty of clearances and contested possessions, Lachie Neale accumulating possessions seemingly at will, and the outside run of Hill and the under-rated Danyle Pearce, this Fremantle midfield has class written all over it (but with a “blue collar” work ethic that Lyon likes to remind us all of).

Meanwhile the Dockers’ forward line has seemingly finally clicked into gear in 2015. Freo have played with three effective tall forward targets with Taberner and Clarke playing their roles and taking some of the pressure off Pavlich, who no longer needs to carry the team on his back and he looks fresher for it.

A fit Michael Walters has been dangerous as a small forward and the Dockers can look forward to the return from suspension next week of his partner in crime Hayden Ballantyne.

Most importantly, this Fremantle side is playing, as Lyon so aptly described, “dog hungry”.  They seem to sense that 2015 is a season where things are coming together for Fremantle.  This is their chance to win that premiership and it seems the players and club are doing everything to have the best possible chance of attaining the ultimate prize.

Yes it’s only the end of round four and it is April.  The Grand Final is in October.  There is a really long way to go in the season and anything can happen.  But make no mistake, this Dockers side have lifted sharply from last season and even their grand final year of 2013.

Or, as Ross would say “we bank the four points and we move on”.

Why Freo Can Win the 2015 Flag

With the start of the 2015 AFL season a mere two and a half weeks away, one of the most intriguing questions is just how will the Fremantle Dockers fare this year?

Many experts and fans have tipped Freo to be sliders this year, with few rating them genuine premiership contenders.

The Hawks are a strong chance to make history by winning a third consecutive premiership, the Swans are a strong side with plenty to play for after last season’s grand final capitulation, and the young hard-running Port Adelaide outfit may be emerging as a force for years to come.

Fremantle supporters rightly held high hopes for their side before the 2014 season got under way, following their 15 point grand final loss to a star-studded Hawthorn the previous season.

But the Dockers got off to a slow start (with 4 wins and 4 losses after 8 rounds), and despite a run of 8 consecutive wins later in the season they never quite looked the imposing and efficient machine of the season prior.

Instructively, those four early season losses were to Hawthorn, Sydney, North Melbourne and the Power, the eventual 2014 preliminary finalists. So the signs were there very early in the season that the Dockers were slightly off the pace of the best sides.

Convential footy wisdom is that a side wins a premiership by building its list and gradually working its way up the ladder over a number of seasons, and gaining valuable finals experience before winning a flag.  Inevitably a side then slides down the ladder as its stars age and retire, and often with a dearth of young players ready to step up, having been starved of opportunities in such a successful side.

So having made a grand final in 2013 and then having been eliminated in straight sets in last year’s finals, and with the apparent burden of ageing key players like Pavlich, McPharlin and Sandilands, surely Freo is on a downward trajectory?

Well, no. On closer examination Fremantle are primed for another premiership tilt, and here’s why.

On paper, Fremantle has a side as strong as any of this season’s main contenders. It has an age and games played profile that sits right in the sweet spot for winning a premiership (see my best side below).

Critically, our list has a lot of depth, the importance of which was highlighted in last year’s finals series as our key defensive stocks were ravaged by injury. This area still remains a concern should Dawson, McPharlin and Johnson all go down again at the same time.

Many people believe that the key to the Dockers winning the premiership this year is the fitness of our veterans.  Relying on, no, hoping, for 32 and 33 year olds to stay fit for most of the season would be a very risky strategy. Of course the club will do everything to have Pav, Sandi and McPharlin all on the park come September, but they can’t count on it.

No, the key to Fremantle’s season is the emergence of and improvement in our mid-tier and younger players.

Already a star, Nat Fyfe is just 24 years of age this season and, mind bogglingly, should have further upside to his game.

Lachie Neale, at 21, is a ball magnet who finished last season as one of our best midfielders.

Cam Sutcliffe is an unsung linchpin of Freo’s defensive unit and with fewer than 50 games under his belt should step up another notch this season.

And it goes without saying that all Freo supporters’ eyes will be on young key forward Matt Taberner.  Skipper Pavlich has battled double and triple teaming defenders stoically for years as the sole rock of Freo’s forward line. The ability of Taberner, and if not, Apeness, to provide a second key forward option is critical to the improvement of the team’s fortunes this season.

And finally, Michael Walters, arguably the premier small forward of the competition, played just eight games last season. A fit and firing Walters partnering with Hayden Ballantyne up forward is going to trouble even the best drilled defences.

A statistic that would surprise many is that the Dockers have played the fourth most players under 24 years of age over the past two seasons. They have been regenerating without bottoming out.

Preparation-wise Fremantle has had a longer pre-season this year than at the end of 2013. This can only help in maximising the availability and fitness of key players and has provided extra time to work on improving players’ skills and making refinements to the game plan.

A key component of the skills improvement must be a higher conversion rate when kicking for goal.  Poor kicking cost Fremantle dearly in several games last season, not least of which being the semi final loss to the Power, in which Freo kicked 11.17.

Coach Lyon will be keen to have his side get off to a flying start, with a tough start to the season comprising games against the Power, Geelong (away), a Western Derby, and then the Swans.

It’s an exciting season ahead for Fremantle and its supporters. 2015 may be Freo’s best shot yet at claiming their inaugural AFL premiership.

And as with last year, the first four weeks of this season will probably provide a clear indication of Freo’s flag prospects.

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Where to from here for the Dockers? Season Wrap Up

Tags

AFL, Dockers, Fremantle, Freo

 

” … we’re not guaranteed to get there … it’s going to take a huge amount of hard work to get back into this position we found ourselves this year” – Matthew Pavlich

These were the words of skipper Matthew Pavlich in the days after Fremantle’s Grand Final loss to Hawthorn last year, which now have a prophetic ring to them following his side’s straight sets exit from the 2014 AFL finals series.

“You have to lose a Grand Final to win one”, were the words with which many Dockers supporters were consoled following the heartbreak of coming so close yet so far in 2013.

Most Fremantle supporters, me included, believed there would be a natural improvement in 2014 for a side which fell just three kicks short of an illusive inaugural AFL premiership the previous season.

This was a reasonable assumption given it would be the third year under coach Ross Lyon and therefore a chance for Fremantle’s players to consolidate and really master his game plan, the benefit of experience from our finals campaign the previous season, and a natural progression from our emerging talent.

There was also a sense that 2014 had to be the year for the Dockers to win the flag given that many of our A grade players such as Pavlich, McPharlin and Sandilands were at the tail end of their careers and the expected emergence of new powerhouses over the coming seasons in expansion clubs Gold Coast and GWS, rendering it even more difficult to win a flag in the future.

But unfortunately, the fairytale of winning the premiership in the twentieth year of the Fremantle Football Club didn’t come to fruition.

While the Dockers’ season started off in promising fashion with a Round 1 demolition of Collingwood at Etihad Stadium, the warning signs emerged early on that Fremantle was slightly off the pace of the very best teams.

In round 3, on the big stage of Friday night football at the MCG, the Dockers were thumped by almost ten goals by the reigning premiers. Two rounds later, Fremantle were dismantled by the Swans, who to that point had struggled with three losses from their first four matches. The Dockers then lost the following week at Subiaco to North Melbourne.

It was around this point that questions were rightly being asked about Fremantle’s premiership credentials. Were the Dockers just slow starters who were meticulously building to peak in September as well as being hampered by injuries and suspensions, or was something amiss in their 2014 campaign?

But if there was a single game that stands out as the proverbial canary in the coal mine moment for Fremantle’s season, it was the shock loss to last placed St Kilda in Round 18. Try as many of us Dockers supporters might to have written off the loss as an aberration, the fact is that genuine premiership contending sides just don’t lose matches like that and in the manner that Fremantle did.

Fremantle’s record against the other teams which finished in the top six was probably an accurate reflection of their season – Fremantle had three wins and seven losses against those top six sides from ten encounters. Alarmingly for a side built on the team mantra of “anywhere, any time” the Dockers lost all five of their interstate games against top six teams.

While not a huge factor in their 2014 on-field performances, Fremantle’s off-season wheeling and dealing to bring experienced players into the side to aid the premiership tilt didn’t work. Colin Sylvia, acquired as a free agent, played just six games and had little impact. Scott Gumbleton was traded from the Bombers for draft pick 55, but had retired due to injury before the season had ended without playing a single game for his new club.

While not an excuse, most impartial observers would concede that Fremantle’s season was cruelled by injuries, especially at the business end of the season.

Injuries exposed the depth of Fremantle’s squad, with a dearth of key position talls to support Pavlich up forward, Freo’s key defensive posts stretched to the limit with the loss of McPharlin, Johnson and then Silvagni, and question marks over our bottom five or six players each week compared with say Sydney and Hawthorn.

Despite the disappointment of an early exit there were many positives to emerge from Fremantle’s season. Stalwarts and critical players Pavlich and Sandilands played most of the season and were influential, which was a bonus and perhaps a surprise after their injury interrupted 2013 seasons.

Nat Fyfe took his midfield brilliance to new heights, leading the core of a midfield the envy of many other sides. The AFLPA’s Most Valuable Player of 2014 formed a great partnership with Mundy, Barlow, Hill and Crowley, while Lachie Neale emerged in the latter part of the season as a midfield gun who accumulates plenty of possessions.

Yet despite this strong midfield core aided by Sandilands’ ruck dominance, the Dockers too often failed to win the midfield battles in key games. Ross Lyon frequently talks about games being won and lost in the midfield, and in order to improve, the Dockers need to add to and improve this strong midfield group to go to the next level.

Other positives for the Dockers were Michael Walters (after his return from a long absence due to injury) and Hayden Ballantyne forming a dangerous and formidable partnership up forward and mid-tier or less-heralded players such as Sutcliffe, Spurr, Ibbotson, Mzungu and Silvagni stepping up and playing their roles.

Crozier and Taberner also showed signs of progress to being regular and effective contributors in the forward line and will look to make an even bigger impact in games in 2015.  And Zac Dawson was resolute in defence week in week out, often playing a lone hand/fist in a depleted defensive structure.

Conversely, several key players from last season fell out of favour with the selectors and/or dropped off in form – with the likes of De Boer, Mayne, Suban, Clancee Pearce, and Clarke needing to lift if Fremantle is to challenge again next season.

So the question now lingers – can Fremantle regroup, improve and have a genuine shot at the premiership in 2015 or has the premiership window closed for a few years while the club ushers in the new generation of players and manages the exits of hard to replace stalwarts?

Ross Lyon firmly believes the former. “We’re not disappearing … in fact, I’m really confident we’ll come again”, the coach said after the semi-final loss to Port Adelaide. *

“There are plenty of mechanisms to attract talent. We’ll draft, we’ll look at free agency, we’ll trade and we’ll improve”.  No doubt, key position talls will be high on the list of trade and free agent targets – watch this space!

Lyon also spoke of the tyranny of travel taking its toll on the team and the time taken up on recovery, and the need to work more on their football aspects during the season including improved goal kicking, which cost the side so dearly against the Power.

So, in the days after the semi-final loss, the disappointment has hit home hard.  The Dockers weren’t that far off the pace all season, but there was always a feeling of just waiting for that turning point in the season where Fremantle found their form, it all clicked into gear and they played with the intensity that so characterised season 2013. What could have been, didn’t happen for Freo.

The effort of the players and the club in general can’t be questioned. The AFL is a brutal competition – which is why finals wins and premierships mean so much.

I’m proud of the club, its players and loyal supporters who make this club really mean something special. I can’t wait to see the purple and white run out together again in round 1 next year as the Fremantle Football Club redoubles its efforts to win a premiership.

What were your highlights of Freo’s season? What do they need to do to improve for next season?

* Source of quotes: www.fremantlefc.com.au

 

Eight Reasons to Love a Freo Supporter Road Trip

Tags

Dockers, Fremantle, Freo, road trip

I just got back this morning from a road trip to support Freo in their Qualifying Final clash with Sydney. Hundreds of Fremantle supporters trekked to Sydney from diverse parts of the country and each with their own motivation for doing so.

Here, in no particular order, is a list of my top reasons to love a Freo supporter road trip, whether that trip is by air, road, rail etc.

1. Going to a stadium for the first time
There’s nothing like going to a stadium for the first time. Sure, you’ve seen these grounds on TV plenty of times but you never truly get a feel for a stadium until you have been there. Each has its own quirks and unique features in terms of the playing surface, the stadium itself and its location.

2. Optimism
On a road trip, you invariably start out incredibly optimistic about the Dockers’ prospects of winning. It’s the mental creation of a fairytale. Surely, with all the time, effort and money personally invested to be at the game there could only be a happy ending? The feeling after a win or a loss on your Freo road trip seems more intense when compared with a typical game closer to home.

3. The Purple Haze
When you think of the Dockers, you think purple. When Fremantle plays away from home, especially for critical games and/or finals, the purple haze becomes a beacon around the town and provides both a sense of familiarity on foreign turf as well as a means of Freo fans gravitating to each other before, during and after the game.

4. The Camaraderie
When you’re on the footy road trip for a Freo game there’s a mentality of “us against them” and a feeling that for those of us dressed in purple, we’re all in it together.

That sense of belonging and knowing what it means to be a Freo person is hard to describe to others, but you feel proud to be part of it and representing the club on the road.

And because of that, on a road trip you chat to other Freo supporters who are otherwise strangers, whereas in your usual footy routine at home you’re more likely to stick with who and what you know.

5. Meeting the Freo Faithful
On Freo road trips I’ve meet some of the most incredible Fremantle supporters. Diehards from all corners of Australia (and sometimes beyond). They each have their own story and I love hearing about why and how they came to be Dockers people.

On a single train carriage on the way to ANZ Stadium yesterday the Freo supporters chatted excitedly about the game ahead and our premiership prospects. One couple had flown into Sydney from their home in Karratha, another couple from Brisbane, a mother and son who actually live in Fremantle, while me and my mate had come up from Melbourne. I’ve learnt over the past few years that there’s a lot more to Freo supporters than just people living in or formerly of Perth.

One thing is for sure – there are some seriously devoted Dockers fans out there.

6. Bonding
A road trip for a Freo game is always a bonding experience. Whether it’s you and your kid/partner/mate, the shared experiences are bonding.

I took my seven year old (who isn’t even a Dockers supporter) on a road trip for the Freo versus Cats game in Geelong earlier this year (a couple of hours drive from where we live in Melbourne), including an overnight stay there. On the drive home I asked him if he enjoyed the weekend – he said he loved it, especially because it was just the two of us and rated it 100 out of 100 (his scale, not mine!). A weekend very well spent.

7. The Freeeeo Chant
Sure, the Dockers’ fans’ main chant is not hard to learn, but when the Freeeeeeo chant goes up in an away game at which the Freo clan comprises just a small minority of the crowd, it never fails to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. In some respects, it’s the Freo fans’ way of letting the players know that even in the hostile environment they are not out there on their own, we’re right behind them.

8. The Game
Last but not least, one of the top reasons to love a Freo supporter road trip is of course the game. It’s all about the game. When else can you spend so much time focusing on the game, including the build up and the post-mortem? In the day-to-day distractions of home life you don’t get the chance to give the game such an intense focus, but on the road trip you savour every minute of it. Big games haven’t been a part of the Dockers history until fairly recently, so attending them is a privilege and really special, especially on the road.

These are my top eight reasons to love a Freo supporter road trip. Sure, it’s a romanticised view, but that’s the essence of a road trip.

What are your reasons for loving a Dockers road trip, what’s been your best one, and what’s next on your bucket list?

The Dockers’ moment of truth has arrived

It’s taken until Round 20, but Fremantle’s moment of truth in the 2014 season has finally arrived.  The Dockers’ clash with Geelong at the Cats’ hostile home ground will provide them with their toughest test and most telling indication of their premiership prospects to date. And it’s probably exactly what’s needed to get Freo firing.

There has been much debate over the course of the season as to whether Fremantle are genuine flag contenders or if they have fallen away from their formidable 2013 form.  Are the Dockers building slowly in order to peak at the right time or have their prospects declined as key players’ bodies weary and the team struggles to maintain the intensity in their style of play that was so imposing last season?  Who knows?

Fremantle’s draw has made this debate difficult to settle conclusively. After a mixed start to the season the Dockers then reeled off eight consecutive wins and it looked like the juggernaut was again building.  However, a shock loss before the bye to last placed St Kilda and a get out of jail win at home against Carlton following the break has left some lingering doubts over Fremantle’s credentials.

In a staggering quirk of the AFL fixture, Fremantle has not played a current top eight side since Round 9, which coincidentally was (a win) against Geelong.  There was always a sense from Freo supporters that following that game the Dockers would begin an easy run that would see them, to use a Ross-ism, “bank the four points” each week.  Which is precisely what happened.  And it felt, even as a supporter, that we were just going through the motions somewhat week after week until the critical matches commenced.

Well that moment arrives on Saturday night. A match of huge importance to Fremantle’s premiership prospects and almost equally so for its opponents.

You can almost feel the fire in the belly of the Dockers players. A road trip for a big game that should see the team galvanising and their intensity and resolve increasing given that so much is at stake and that their form over the past few weeks has been down on their usual high standards.  

Win, and Fremantle remain on track for a crucial top four finish. Lose, and they risk finishing fifth and having to play on the road and win every week of the finals (except week 1 where they would play at home).

As supporters, we can only imagine the emotion that will sparked for the Dockers’ players as they return to Simonds Stadium for the first time since their historic triumph against the odds in last season’s Qualifying Final. Hopefully that memory triggers confidence, belief and a shared sense of purpose for the daunting task ahead at a venue where the Cats have won 19 of their past 20 matches.

While much of the pre-game chatter will focus on the so-called rivalry and ill-feeling between the two sides, we can be assured that such peripheral matters will be the furthest thing from the minds of this Ross Lyon coached outfit.  Tough contested football, defensive pressure and hard running will be the key to a Freo victory.

If ever there was a time for Fremantle to live its “Own the moment” creed it’s this weekend. The stage is set for the Dockers to be masters of their premiership destiny – and the Freo faithful can’t wait to see how they respond.

What the loss to St Kilda means for Fremantle’s premiership hopes

“I didn’t see that coming”, dead-panned St Kilda coach Alan Richardson after his bottom placed side stunningly thrashed second placed Fremantle at Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening.

You and the rest of the football world Alan, perhaps none more so than Dockers supporters, many of whom were left shell shocked, confused and angry at the result.

So what does a loss of this nature mean for the Dockers’ premiership aspirations? Is it a badly needed wake up call that will ultimately be the catalyst for a focus that leads Freo to the flag? Is it an aberration that is best ignored and from which the club should just move on and focus on the next game against Carlton after the bye? Or, is it a clear signal that the Dockers are in strife?

Let’s first address the aberration argument. Every game in a season provides a learning opportunity for a side to get better – this is therefore a huge opportunity! To ignore a loss of this magnitude would be negligent. Coach Ross Lyon will be analysing the game and the team’s build up to it to identify what went so badly wrong and why, and to put in place measures to prevent it from happening again. We can feel assured that some full and frank conversations will be taking place at Fremantle Oval during the week.

Was complacency a factor? Prior to the game it had all the hallmarks of a lopsided mismatch in the mould of a Harlem Globetrotters vs Washington Generals clash. The imposing Dockers were coming off eight consecutive wins and were taking on a hapless St Kilda with a form line of eleven straight losses.

Did the ease of Fremantle’s wins in that streak work against them and contribute to bringing a lower intensity than required against the Saints? Also looming was a bye the following week in what has been a gruelling season, perhaps sub-consciously impacting the players’ mindset. This result should provide a valuable wake up call.

But taking a closer look at Fremantle’s season they have some deeper issues to resolve if they are to be credible premiership contenders.

Firstly, Freo’s record away from the comfort of Subiaco is a concern – of their five losses this season, four have been on the road. This is counter to the Dockers’ creed of being an “any team, anywhere, any time” club. Premierships aren’t won at Patersons Stadium.

Secondly, apart from the Saints, Fremantle’s losses this season have been to the top teams: Sydney (currently in 1st place), Hawthorn (3rd), Port Adelaide (5th) and North Melbourne (6th). Geelong is the only team of the current top six which Freo has beaten – that win was at home and a real test will come in two rounds time when the Dockers play them at the fortress that is Simonds Stadium (the scene of a famous finals win by Fremantle last season).

Also, Fremantle’s avenue to goal is still a problem. The incredibly important Michael Walters has been sidelined with injury most of the season, Chris Mayne’s output is down on last season, Ballantyne was missing yesterday due to ill-discipline the week before, and captain Pavlich is seemingly playing a lone hand as a key forward target. Taberner and Apeness (in particular) are promising, but like all key forwards, need more time to have an impact on games. There is, after all, only one Matthew Pavlich!

It is also becoming increasingly apparent that Fremantle’s week to week depth is a concern. While Freo’s overall depth is good, the specific problem area seems to be the quality of players 18 to 22 in our selected side each week, given that several key players are out injured each week to date. Experienced players who seem to be struggling to make the grade at the moment include Demons recruit Colin Sylvia, De Boer, and Morabito.

Morabito has achieved so much in coming back from prolonged and severe injury but perhaps supporters’ expectations of him (including my own) have been unrealistically high so early on. He is not yet the player that many think he could or should be, or perhaps that we are willing him to be because of our respect for his tenacity and commitment to the club. In all fairness, season 2015 should see his best football played.

The challenge in filling those four final spots in our side each week highlights the massive gulf between playing high quality football in the WAFL for Peel and being a contributor in the cut and thrust of the AFL. While relative youngsters Sheridan and Crozier regularly star for the Thunder, they have so far found it difficult to bridge the gap for the Dockers.

So where does this leave the Dockers’ season? At the crossroads, and it’s exciting!

The loss to St Kilda could be very damaging in hindsight should Freo just miss out on a crucial top four finish, or the now much less likely top two place.

However, by the end of round 23 we will have a much better idea of Fremantle’s premiership credentials. The bye could not have come at a better time. It provides a chance for players with injuries or niggles to recover and for all players to freshen up mentally for the huge challenges ahead.

Then with matches against Carlton (coming off an upset win over North), Geelong away, premiers Hawthorn, and Brisbane away, Freo’s final round clash with Port Adelaide will likely be critical as to where the Dockers finish on the ladder.

Fremantle are still strong contenders. They need to heed the lessons from yesterday’s damaging loss and re-set for a tough run home to the finals. As with last season, Freo will probably have their close to their best 22 on the park in and around finals time – so there’s improvement to come.

The reality is that if Freo continues its poor 2014 record against top six teams over the next several weeks they probably aren’t going to win the flag – but beating the best teams would set Fremantle up for a real tilt. Can they do it? Yes. But the players, the club and supporters need to pull together.

As Ross Lyon said last night “It’s certainly not panic stations … our guys have done a lot right for a long time”. The big stage is ahead and it’s Freo’s time to ‘own the moment’. I can’t wait for the ride!

Freo – we have a discipline problem

Tags

AFL, Dockers, Fremantle Dockers, Freo

Fremantle, we have a problem. It seems that nobody is really talking about it, and I’m not sure why.

In season 2014, the Dockers have a discipline problem. Poor discipline has hurt Fremantle already this season and if we don’t change our ways quickly it could well come back to bite us at the business end of the season.

How is this for a rap sheet so far in season 2014?

Incidents prior to the season that impacted availability
Nick Suban – misses round 1 after being suspended for misconduct in the 2013 Grand Final.

Zac Clarke – injures his knee while attending a music festival in early 2014 and misses much of the pre-season and several home and away matches.

Players missing games due to suspension
Nathan Fyfe – Round 2 – suspended for two weeks for rough conduct – no early plea available due to his previous record.

Zac Dawson – Round 2 – suspended for one week for tripping.

Hayden Ballantyne – Round 5 – suspended for one match for two incidents for which he took an early plea – striking and misconduct.

Colin Sylvia – in April playing for Peel in the WAFL he was suspended for two weeks for rough conduct.

Players who took an early plea and received a reprimand
Michael Johnson – Round 6 – Misconduct.

David Mundy – Round 7 – Rough conduct.

Paul Duffield – Round 8 – Rough conduct.

Zac Clarke – Round 9 – Striking.

Jack Hannath – WAFL in April – Striking.

In addition to the above of course, Josh Simpson infamously was a no-show for Freo’s flight to Sydney when he was named as emergency for their crucial clash with the Swans.

Points to Note
Many people would argue that Nathan Fyfe should not have been suspended for his Round 2 bump, so let’s take him out the equation for now.

Players who took an early plea to receive a reprimand may not have missed a game, but they are now in dangerous territory due to having carry over points against their name. Should they be suspended later in the season, dare I suggest even in the finals series, they will almost certainly miss a game. So they are now skating on very thin ice each time they play. Does this also impact their mindset during a match?

Colin Sylvia was considered to be on the cusp of selection for Fremantle when suspended playing in the WAFL. The two games that Sylvia potentially missed were our losses against Sydney and North Melbourne. And apart from letting his undermanned Dockers teammates down he also set himself back a long way in terms of match fitness and conditioning by missing those two weeks. Sylvia is still yet to play a game for the Dockers.

I won’t delve into the Simpson situation given that the full facts probably aren’t known publicly.

Again, the details of Zac Clarke’s injury at a music festival earlier this year haven’t been elaborated on by the club. And while Clarke is entitled to live his life outside football, the injury wasn’t a good look and had a big impact on the start to our season given the crucial role he plays as a second ruck/key forward.

Sides who win premierships are disciplined in all facets of the game – including both on and off the field. There are a lot of factors that football clubs can’t control over the course of a season, such as injury, that impact their chances of winning a flag, but losing players to suspension due to undisciplined acts just shouldn’t happen – certainly not to the extent that Fremantle players have transgressed already this season.

The impact of ill-discipline was personified by Hayden Ballantyne on the weekend. How good did the Dockers look with a team-oriented, hard running, chasing and tackling effort from him that really sparked the entire team in their win over the Cats? If Ballantyne is sitting idle on match day due to suspension he is a huge loss.

If Freo is to have a genuine shot at the premiership this season it needs all its best players out on the park and playing for each other as a strong unit. Players who get reported for striking and rough conduct are letting the team down. They are reacting to ego in that moment, rather than pushing their ego to the side and putting their team mates first. The Dockers lost a Grand Final by just 15 points last season – every small action can have a big consequence in the overall context of our season.

The bye is a great chance for the Freo players to rule a line under the first nine weeks of the season and start again on the discipline front. A fresh start, except of course for those bringing the carry-over points with them …