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Can Fremantle lift again in 2015?

Roar Guru
25th February, 2015
30

When Ross Lyon took over the reigns of the Fremantle Dockers, there wasn’t any great expectation. Instead, the footy world was still reeling over Ross stabbing his good mate Mark Harvey in the back.

We all knew what Ross Lyon would bring to the table. He cares about the here and the now, not what’s going to happen in five years’ time.

In 2012 the Dockers had a slow start to the season. Getting used to Ross’ game plan isn’t easy for any individual or team. In the second half of that year the Dockers started to get onto a roll, and beating the best teams in the competition at home seemed easy.

And so the Dockers managed to stick around for the finals series, and they came up against an ageing Geelong Cats side who were having an ordinary year. Many thought the Cats would win because of the fact it was at the MCG, but that didn’t eventuate. Fremantle easily beat them in their own backyard.

In 2013 it was the year of the Dockers, who made the top four for the first time in a long time, getting the purple army up and about. They were again underdogs in the qualifying final against the same team they beat the year before – the Cats. And it was the same scenario as the Dockers pipped Geelong in a thriller.

All their older players were standing up to the finals type pressure. In the preliminary final of 2013 it was the best footy I have ever seen from Fremantle. The Dockers pummelled the Swans on their way to charging towards the first grand final in their history, only to be easily beaten by a Hawks dynasty.

This year is a different story. That was two years ago and now the Ross Lyon style of only coaching for the here and now may cause them issues. Most of their stars are ageing, Luke McPharlin (33), Matthew Pavlich (33), David Mundy (29), Aaron Sandilands (32), Michael Johnson (30) Paul Duffield (30), Ryan Crowley (30) and Zac Dawson (29).

In my view they are relying too much on a small bunch of players, such as Nathan Fyfe, Michael Barlow, Hayden Ballantyne, Michael Walters and Lachie Neale, as well as other ageing players who are no longer stars. They are not going to win you a premiership, and probably won’t even let you contend for one.

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Prediction: Freo to miss finals this year.

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