Last year, a miked-up Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich pumped up his teammates pre-game with the line, “Put on your Superman capes, it’s Wharfie Time.” No one quite knew what it meant at the time, but after Freo’s big start to 2010, perhaps we do now.
Freo’s 3-1 start – with a win over reigning premiers Geelong and a spirited road performance against St Kilda that did nothing to douse the hype – seems exactly what Pavlich was on about.
The Dockers have gone from perennial whipping boys to one of the buzz teams of the comp. And strangely enough, they seem genuine.
Some even dare suggest they can make the top four.
Many have put it down to smart recruiting or that it’s simply the “coming of age” for a rebuilding club. Whilst those certainly are factors, they clearly aren’t the only ones.
There’s a number of reasons why Freo are in the position they are now.
Investment in development
Here’s a little fun fact: Fremantle last year moved into the top four of biggest spenders on development. Oddly, they are the only bottom four side from 2009 in that category – the other three clubs are West Coast, Collingwood and Adelaide.
For a club that’s changed half its list since the end of the 2008 season – and with mostly youngsters filling that void – spending big on development makes too much sense. It’s one thing to recruit well or draft well, it’s another thing entirely to turn those players into elite footballers.
A new style of footy
It goes without saying that Freo are playing in a very different manner to the way they did last year. The most noticeable difference has been the constant pressure they’ve been able to apply in the early rounds. It will be interesting to see whether a side with a lot of youth can keep it up for an entire season.
The other noticeable shift has come in the form of what is proving to be a very effective zone. They aren’t leaving their opponents much space to work with, and it shows.
It’s almost as if Freo have taken the two biggest tactical innovations from the past two seasons – Hawthorn’s zone and St Kilda’s pressure – then combined them and put their own unique stamp on it all.
The A-graders
It’s easy to forget among several years of insipid performances that Freo have had all along two All Australian-calibre players in Matthew Pavlich and Aaron Sandilands. The problem is they haven’t been able to take advantage of these guns being in the side.
The midfield has struggled to capitalise on Sandilands’ dominance in the ruck, for example. Pavlich, too, has spent lengthy spells up the ground to better allocate his talents.
Both have been on fire in the early rounds and are thriving in an in-form side. Sandilands’ continual improvement has been rewarded and Pavlich has played the roles of captain and most potent scorer brilliantly, especially in the last two weeks.
The return of experienced players
Last year was an injury-ravaged year for the Dockers. The return of experienced heads like Ryan Crowley (six games last year), Roger Hayden (eight games) and Michael Johnson (ten games) have had a noticeable effect.
Johnson, in particular, has slotted into the role of being that second key forward alongside Pavlich and, when needed, a back-up ruckman to Sandilands. And with him being the second tall up forward, Luke McPharlin has been able to shift back to defence, his preferred position.
Additionally, dangerous forward Chris Mayne was another who missed most of last year and perhaps the most awaited returnee of them all, Rhys Palmer, is yet to come back but could return any week now.
Mature-age recruits and use of the rookie list
You have to wonder if the mature-age recruit would be so in vogue right now if it wasn’t for what Fremantle have been able to do. Last year Greg Broughton, at 22, and Hayden Ballantyne, at 21, were plucked from the WAFL. This year the star recruits have been former VFL players Michael Barlow and Alex Silvagni, both 22.
All four slotted straight into the side once given an opportunity.
Then there’s the rookie list, which, unlike at a lot of other clubs, is practically bursting at the seams with players worthy of senior selection. This year, along with Barlow and Silvagni, there’s guys like Matt DeBoer, Clancee Pearce and Jay Van Berlo.
How recruiter Brad Lloyd finds them all is a tad mystifying, to be honest.
The ‘brat pack’
We can praise the recruiting, and the development, but a fair amount of kudos has to go to the young players themselves – the group coach Mark Harvey has supposedly dubbed the “brat pack”.
When you look at guys like Stephen Hill and Anthony Morabito running around, it’s an apt description. They’re hungry, they’ve got pace, they’re exciting. They’re not overawed by their opponents.
And they are an important part of what is happening now.
The right mentality
As noted in Ben Somerford’s piece on The Roar last week, Freo aren’t getting ahead of themselves. There’s no talk of finals, or too much back-patting.
They’ve buried the demons of a lengthy losing streak in Melbourne and, more specifically, at Etihad Stadium. They’ve also run out games better than last year and appear more resilient. The mindset appears to be exactly where it should be.
It still remains to be seen how far this purple patch will last, of course.
The number of games they have at Subiaco will be a real bonus in the race towards September. Their new-found ability to win on the road will edge them closer, too.
However they are also Fremantle. And that sentence alone provides reason enough to be cautious right now.
But one thing’s for sure. For the time being at least, they’ve got their Superman capes on.
There’s no disputing that Cam Guthrie will be important against Melbourne, given Patrick Dangerfield is set to miss due to injury.
Multicultural round was changed in 2018 showing that the AFL have not been as committed to multiculturalism as they should be.
Collingwood led by a point with minutes to go, Kyle Langford had the chance to be the hero with a set shot, however, he missed, and we saw the first draw of the season.
The MRO handed the Bulldogs player a one-game suspension for rough conduct after his shepherd on Fremantle opponent Brandon Walker.
It was a special night for the Freo debutant who not only got the win but his first career goal - and dozens made…
We’re taking a look at one player from each team that needs to make a difference this week, starting with the ANZAC Day games.
