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The pop you heard during the last two rounds of football was the bursting of the Fremantle bubble. Maybe he was saturated with water as the Dockers have played their last two games in difficult conditions.
But, as the famous saying goes, when things get tough, the hard ones get started. The Fremantle players could smell victory in the air.
A 7-1 start has become 7-3, which is about to become 7-4 and probably 7-5 with Melbourne and Brisbane next. They’ve played most of their gimme games this season and it’s not a good thing to do all eight.
What’s interesting is that the Dockers have lost their two wet games in similar but different ways.
In the putrid defeats against Gold Coast and Collingwood, none of which will play the final remotely this year, they dominated the undisputed number of possessions. Excess football outside is often not a winning strategy when the rain has fallen and is slippery underfoot.
Against the Suns, Fremantle at least pushed football forward, and often. They spawned 65 in the 1950s, but were unable to penetrate the Gold Coast flood defense through the use of lazy ball, lack of skill, and lack of imagination or patience. Scoring two goals in three and a half quarters before a couple of charities late on was a bad reflection for the coach and the players.
As is often the case in these situations (remember that Sydney won the flag in 2012 by playing shooter football), the Suns were able to throw enough times, and Mabior Chol and Levi Casboult enjoyed a front line. open to throw a winning marker.
Docker’s senior supporters Alex Pearce, Brennan Cox and Griffin Logue were overtaken by official footballers. He leaves questions about his individual abilities when the final football arrives.
(Photo by Russell Freeman / AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Against Collingwood, Freo once again dominated the undisputed possession (+43 after being +56 against Gold Coast), but this time he did nothing. Perhaps over-correcting after finding no gain in throwing the ball forward the previous week, this time they were only able to generate 46 in 50 with almost 400 possessions.
This time the result has been three goals in three quarters with some consolation in the last.
It was again scoring forwards that showed the difference despite the bad conditions. Ollie Henry, Will Hoskin-Elliott and Brody Mihocek combined to get 75 percent of Pies’ score, leaving Pearce, Cox and Logue unoccupied once again.
Meanwhile, the Dockers pulled off two marks within the 50 for the game. Two. From 400 eliminations and 46 within the 50s. The previous week they took three. There are five marks within his 50 front in 240 minutes of football and 111 innings.
This must be a combination of system and talent, regardless of the conditions.
Should we blame these results in the rain and erase them? Or are they talking about bigger issues that are only now being addressed? Maybe it’s a lack of intelligence or adaptability. Maybe they just need the game on their terms and have no resistance when it isn’t. Is it coaching? Is it execution?
It’s starting to look like Fremantle’s good start to the year was just a case of getting the right equipment at the right time. An unimpressive victory against Adelaide. Overcoming people like West Coast, GWS, Essendon, North Melbourne. Catch Carlton on a day off and a complacent Geelong at the Cattery.
Of course, it could be that there is only one good team this year, with a handful of mid and half bad side competition. Perhaps it is very Fremantle to oscillate between the last two groups.
All in all, this season is a staple for the Dockers, and that’s fine. But if you see the words “Fremantle” and “contenders” in the same sentence in the future, as was ridiculous a few weeks ago, you have absolute permission to spit out your cornflakes all over the table.