Gathering thoughts and records by Les Everett
Freo slanted season diary 2026 (5)
• Adelaide with blue skies, come on Mr Premier. Photo by Les Everett
There’s lots to unpack* from a Fremantle perspective after the AFL’s Gather Round in Adelaide. But first some general thoughts.
1. Gather Round is good and SA is a good place for it. However I can’t understand how Premier Peter Malinauskis allowed the delivery of such terrible weather. We should expect better from “Australia’s best politician” – (quoting Mike Sheehan and Mark Ricciuto).
2. Apparently the AFL is thinking of having an Opening Round where every team plays. I know what you’re thinking. Wow! My guess is the idea came from a trip to America or something.
But we’re here to think about the Dockers who might have set two records.
1. Freo’s 7.3 (45) against Collingwood was the club’s lowest ever winning score.
2. Freo might have had two consecutive good Fridays for the first time in the club’s history. I haven’t researched that, but it was good anyway.
Pretty much every fellow Freo fan I’ve encountered since Friday has mentioned the TV commentators. First a note to supporters. Commentators do not influence games and, if they’re giving you the shits, you can turn them off. I have two strategies: 1. mute, with just my sensible and balanced occasional comments to break the silence. Or 2. play music, I just put the question out there, country or commentary?
I’ll give a recent muting example. It was during the Good Friday game. Jye Amiss got whacked in the head in a marking contest and was awarded a free kick. Ken Hinkley, who has actually been pretty good with expert comments, spent what seemed like a very long time questioning the decision. Enough time, in fact, for Amiss to kick the goal, go off the ground and be tested for concussion. Ken still didn’t think we should be paying free kicks for things like that. Mute.
One day the TV networks may offer a crowd-noise-only alternative telecast so it’s just like when you’re at the game – without the two blokes behind me who never shut up. Of course it would save them money to get rid of commentators altogether. Don’t worry I’m just suggesting an extra service – don’t want commentators losing their jobs and doing something dangerous, like leading a political party.
On Friday however the Kayo (Fox) commentary team seemed to have an agenda. They’d heard, maybe by interviewing the coach, that Collingwood had a plan to stifle’s Freo’s ball movement and slow the game down. “A classic ambush,” I think I heard one of them say. The Pies had been low on pressure all year but it suddenly it appeared on Friday and Fremantle couldn’t handle it and that’s why Collingwood won.
But then the Dockers won. The commentary team was nearly speechless. An early implementation of my plan?
The final two big plays in this game were highly significant. 1. The winning goal by Matthew Johnson because he’s been reluctant when goal scoring opportunities have presented during his short career. 2. Josh Treacy’s late mark in defence was incredible in the conditions but also completed in the knowledge that his last two efforts to help the defence haven’t worked. (If you haven’t already please make sure you see Michael Willson’s photo of the mark.)
It wasn’t just the late efforts, Luke Ryan was sensational in defence when the Pies were in control in the first half and Luke Jackson’s energy was a key ingredient in the second. Collingwood’s tactics worked and a couple of late missed shots for goal, one by an ex-Docker, were costly.
Some say you learn more from losses than wins but if you want to be a contender you’ve gotta have the wins.
* Sorry about that, next I’ll be saying we need to drill down into something or other.