It’s nearly impossible to forget that frantic evening in September 2011.
No, I’m not talking about that phenomenal preliminary final between Collingwood and Hawthorn, or grand final eve.
I’m talking about Fremantle’s recruitment of Ross Lyon.
On a Thursday night in the middle of September, news broke of Lyon’s shock departure from St Kilda, who was on his way to replace a sacked Mark Harvey as coach of Fremantle.
The news was confirmed the following day by the club, who unveiled the new senior coach they hoped would lead them out of the darkness into the light.
Lyon, who had coached St Kilda to three successive grand finals (one in 2009 and two in 2010 when the draw was replayed), was announced as the coach of Fremantle just four days after his Saints finished sixth in 2011 and lost the elimination final to Sydney at Etihad Stadium.
It was bold, it was brave.
And it was brilliant.
In Lyon’s second season, he led Fremantle to their first ever grand final appearance.
Two years later, the club finished one game clear on top of the AFL ladder.
And four years after that, ahead of the final home-and-away game of the season, Ross Lyon was sacked.
The Dockers’ fourth season without a finals appearance spelt the end for Lyon, even with a year to run on his contract.
President Dale Alcock told 3AW’s Sunday Sport that the club couldn’t see Lyon at the club beyond 2020 and therefore decided it was best to cut ties now.
“Imagine if we had gone forward with a coach who we weren’t extending beyond 2020, the noise and the distraction would have been too much,” he said.
“Our view was to act, and act now.”
(AAP Image/Tony McDonough)
What stings the most for the departed Fremantle coach is that most wouldn’t have predicted this outcome ten weeks ago.
At the end of Round 13, the Dockers were sitting in sixth spot on the ladder, fresh off a scintillating month of football.
Three wins in a row against an on-the-rise Brisbane (fourth at the time of the game), Collingwood (second at the time of game) and Port Adelaide (eighth at the time of the game) had the entire football world talking.
They had praise flying in from all angles, none higher than from AFL legend Jonathan Brown.
“I was really impressed seeing (Freo) live and first-hand,” he told On The Couch at the time.
“They’ve had good away wins against GWS and Collingwood at the MCG. They’re the best last-quarter team in the competition, they’ve got a world-class midfield, I think Jesse Hogan’s getting back into form.
“They’re heading in the right direction.”
Sadly for Ross Lyon and his men, that’s where the feel-good story ended.
Winning just two of their next nine games, Lyon was shown the door.
So what went wrong?
It wasn’t a sudden stop of goals because Ross Lyon’s sides aren’t known for high scores.
They’re simply not getting their hands on the football enough and not working hard enough.
At the end of the home-and-away season, Freo sit 17th in marks and tackles per game, as well as 16th in points per game and efficiency inside 50.
You also don’t know which Fremantle outfit is going to turn up from week to week.
The Dockers defeated five of the top eight in 2019.
They knocked off Geelong, Brisbane and the Bulldogs in Perth, plus GWS in Sydney and Collingwood at the MCG.
But in the same season, fell to four of the bottom five sides, with their only victory by one point against Sydney.
There are clearly elements of Fremantle’s game plan that need re-working.
But their depth (or lack thereof) requires the most attention.
We’ve all heard about Collingwood and Essendon’s injury woes, but it seems that a many turned a blind eye to players dropping like flies at Freo .
You may not know Alex Pearce, but you should.
The key defender looked a lock for All Australian selection midway through the season before suffering a season-ending ankle injury.
(Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
He was joined on the sidelines by fellow big men Rory Lobb, Matt Taberner, Brennan Cox and Sean Darcy at different times throughout the year.
Luke Ryan, who has enjoyed a break out season the Dockers, missed the final four games of the season with a hamstring injury.
Star recruit Jesse Hogan also failed to fire in his first year for Fremantle with a foot injury restricting him to just 12 games for the year.
And then there’s Harley Bennell, who was restricted to another game-less season due to injury.
Fremantle confirmed in mid-July that they would part ways with the former No.2 draft pick at the end of the season.
Who stepped up in the absence of these players?
No one.
And that’s where it all came tumbling down.
The injuries came and then the losses followed.
Freo’s fast start of 2019 was completely unwound by the end of the season.
And that meant the end of Ross Lyon.
It makes you wonder what could’ve been for Fremantle in 2019 if they’d had a healthy list.
As displayed earlier in the season, a healthy Dockers team is clearly on the path to becoming a strong side once again.
But now former coach Ross Lyon and former CEO Steve Rosich won’t be leading them on that search for success.
And ironically, the sacking of Mark Harvey followed a similar path in 2011.
Following a finals berth in 2010, his Dockers were 9-6 and in the eight before losing their final seven games of the season by an average margin of 50 points and finishing the home-and-away season in 11th spot on the ladder.
But what happens on field is just one part of the story, and the only part we may ever hear.
So it wasn’t to be for Mark Harvey and eight years later, it wasn’t to be for the man who replaced him.
I’m not sure if sacking Ross Lyon was the right move. One more year seemed logical to me.
The team was clearly heading in the right direction and 2020 could’ve been the chance for Lyon and his men – without all the injuries – to once again be part of something special.
Despite the good signs, the club’s ladder position suggests a side that has had another ordinary year and in Fremantle’s eyes now appeared to be the right time to let Lyon go.
It’s a debate that will be revisited in time.
Where are Fremantle going and who is leading the charge?
Well, they’ve got a pretty handy leader in Peter Bell, whether he remains in his current role or steps up to the CEO post over the summer.
On field, Nat Fyfe is as committed as ever to lead his team-mates for another year.
And the fans?
They’d better strap themselves in for 2020 and beyond.
Gerry
Roar Rookie
Ok WA has exceptional talented footballers. Take a look at the quality players over East. Franklin, Kelly, Coniglio, Cripps, Stack etc. So more than enough to choose from to make up two very very good teams, In fact most definitely enough for a 3rd team. Freo has no excuses really. Nearly 25 years of nether comp and 1 GF appearance from the talented pool of players we have in this state. That does not add up. Lyon has had more than enough time. Freo need a brand and marketing and membership as strong as the Eagles. Victoria supports 10 teams. Surely we can have two very competitive top sides from this state. The same with SA. Adelaide and Port have both won flags. No more excuses for Freo get it done.
Gerry
Roar Rookie
Well it certainly felt like he was his excuse for missing finals over the last few years.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
You never really get the point of threads do you? You can have injury crises for a game of two...or for seasons. Massive, long term injury in Freo's last 4 seasons have been the story. Their 9 wins in 2011 are an indication they were not long term (apart from a few). When you have to go back to 2011 to mount an argument about a contemporary issue, you have a problem. With what faced Freo this year Ross has been one of the 4 top coaches of 2019, getting Freo that far in those circumstances. (Fagan, Scott, Beveridge, Ross)
RT
Roar Rookie
Here is a good article for you to refresh your memory. It only took me 2 minutes to find it. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-22/dockers-wave-white-flag/2850648 Dockers going in to a round with 25 fit players to choose from. As bad as anything this year.
RT
Roar Rookie
One way is that the website failed to notify me of his replies. I forgot about this article and only just revisited.
RT
Roar Rookie
For someone who carries on about injuries so often I am surprised you don't remember the injury crisis under Harvey.
Goalsonly
Roar Rookie
Is it ironic that the toxic environment created by Western Australian media contributes to players leaving and boards making poor decisions? Ross Lyon knew it all, saw the writing on the wall and even then the ride was worth the fall. You see over here in the East we know the media are largely full of it and more and more even the most 'authoritative' experts are having a bit of a chuckle at themselves. More and more that chuckle is what is selling. Except Caroline Wilson talking about a Cats home games but even she will have to lighten eventually.
anon
Roar Pro
Fremantle lost with a full strength squad in round 2 to the Suns. 4, 8, 8, 9 wins isn't improvement. Fagan going from 5 wins to 16 wins in one season is improvement.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
So you have covered every year but those he missed. Do you deny climate change as well?
1DER
Guest
For the record, Fyfe played 18 games in 2010 and 21 games in 2011. Played as a midfielder in 2011 averaging 25 possessions per game.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
The point is proven with the mcPharlin numbers. Would have loved to have had him available in the GF. You don't remember Fyfe's broken leg? You don't remember him running around in a final despite that? You don't know that 15 games is 7 short of a season? Fyfe played his first season only under Harvey (on a half forward flank). And then Sandi missed over 30 games for Ross. 30 is more than 11. When NicNat broke his ribs and puntured his lungs, he was leading the AFL for hit outs and 2nd in contested marks. Fancy that! Thanks for the numbers. You and anon are serving me well today.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Union activity (she was vice president of my union for quite some time) is not a footy quality. The learned comments, Wayne Carey, Tim Watson, Gerard Healy...are all aware of how much Freo had improved before injury hit big time. That a board can't see it but bows to 6PR talk radio is staggering.
dontknowmuchaboutfootball
Guest
No definitive statement from Alcock / the board, I don't think, so in that sense it's conjecture.
1DER
Guest
McPharlin played 68 games under Ross and 75 games under Harvey in the four years that both were coaches for a full season. Fyfe played 21 games in 2017, 15 in 2018, and 20 in 2019. Where is the missing year and half? Fyfe and Hill commenced their careers under Harvey and completed two and three seasons respectively under his tenure. Sandilands missed 9 crucial games in 2011 under Harvey and was coming off a career best year in 2010. Pearce played his first game in round 6 season 2015, a bit hard for Harvey to have him missing for two years? Played in 8 consecutive losses at the commencement of seasons 2016 before long-term injury rest of 2016 and season 2017.
Downsey
Roar Pro
DF has disagreed with me on this point before, and I guess it really needs the insight of a sports scientist, but I have seriously begun to wonder whether it's Lyon's preferred play style that increases the likelihood of injury. Is effort over skill more physically taxing? Does it lead to more battered and bruised players? As for Fyfe, I think the players jumped the gun on him. He needed another year or two to mature. I have a bugbear with people being promoted into positions where they're afforded the opportunity to develop skills and qualities they should already have had. Now, before you lump me in with the Freo fans who are actually non-Freo fans, he has proven me wrong at times. Also, I am an absolute Sonny fanatic and I would simply have loved to have seen him in this role. Talk of trading Fyfe though... utter, utter, utter rubbish :thumbdown:
Downsey
Roar Pro
Does anyone know why there wasn't a chance that he'd be re-signed after next season regardless of how we performed? Or is that conjecture?
Downsey
Roar Pro
What do you mean by "footy history"? They have to have played competitively? I don't know a great deal about Colleen Hayward, but I heard her speak after The Final Quarter premiere and she was brilliant. She hasn't played but obviously her family has footy history. She gets my vote to stay. I've always had reservations about Bell. Promotion through sentiment rather than suitability. I support him in his current role, but I don't think he's qualified for CEO.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Which 22 do you refer to? I'll bet you will name players that weren't even on the list then.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Not so. They had way less than Freo. Richmond, in particular only had a 5 week stretch where they were affected. Other than that, only 2 keys have been out for more than half the season.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Are you aware of how many games Brad Hill missed last year? How many Fyfe has missed? Sunny also missed stacks last season. You mention 4 players. It is the players we missed that we missed. Every time you make a post you strengthen my comments. You know so little about Freo. Anyone would think you don't follow the game but just read score sheets.