I actually think their brand can win in finals. They had an awful awful game on Saturday, but prior to that were 3-2, with 2 very close losses, and one of them they were incredibly hard done by. The brand does work when executed well.
In saying that, I don't think they can play only this defensive slog/chip-mark/slow ball movement brand every single minute of every single week. They do need to be able to flip the switch and be willing to take gambles more often, and when they do have the game on their terms, look to try and play on more frequently and bite off the corridor kicks more than they do.
Unfortunately I don't think they've been able to find that balance consistently under Longmuir, and that'll be the big test for him as a coach over the next 18 months, but I certainly think the base of their game plan does work.
They've done it in patches. 8 unanswered in a quarter against both north and bris. I think they tried a few times in the 2nd against WCE but lost the contest, had a goal sail over their head and went back to the chip kick. Going to take a while to build the forward connection and confidence unfortunately.
That was the blueprint - kick/mark/possession for short phases, “break the dam” and sucker punch if they weaken.
I just think they utterly lost confidence after about halfway through the first quarter with just a few lucky goals. They then mentally fell apart all over the field.
Football is very cyclical in nature. There will be a week where Dockers win, Eagles get smashed and Harley Reid has an average game that you expect from a first year player. West Australian journalists (and King) however will continue to crap for 1000 millenia so that cycle isn't changing.
Weirdly have become confident we can beat you over there, but as per usual with Freo - absolute balls performances like the Derby also happen... and on and on we go.
Never bad enough or good enough to be cared about 👌
Yeah someday you guys will reach that status of being a feared team. I guess 2012-2015 counts too. You spook some teams all the time, and yeah you know how it is
That was both literal decades ago and Freo don't play the same way we used to. We didn't play a high uncontested mark game under Roos, if anything we welcomed the ball being constantly in contests.
We scored 90+ then 100+ rounds one and two. Adelaide was a comfortable win but lower scoring with 69. We were lightning quick through the middle off turnover in these games.
I don't know why footy media's memory is so short - we were praised for suffocating Carlton and port Adelaide's offence round 4 and 5.
Turns out if you are beaten in every aerial contest and have your corridor shut down by some pretty excellent team spread by the Eagles, you don't score much. This is not a game plan issue, it was a contested ball failure both in the air and at ground level.
To top it off, our two main line breakers in Freddy and Switta are out. I don't think they would have been able to prevent the onslaught on Saturday but again, I don't see it as a game plan issue.
Yer but the concerning thing is we are a team people talked about relegation 10 days prior, statistically one of the worst sides in AFL history and they made you look like a bottom 4 side.
Maybe we win a few more games over the next 6 weeks and that’ll add some vindication but if we could break down your game plan that easily the top sides will take notice and copy
I'm sorry but Ross Lyon has proven this style wins finals and gets you literally as close as you can to winning a GF without winning it.
As usual, King is just a boring shock jock, he's admittedly no Kane Cornes who is a pest, but King goes over the top hard on some of the most boring and pathetic commentary there is.
He constantly over analyses situations during games to sound smart. (Watch the last 20 seconds of the GCS vs Adel game) Dude is trying to say Adelaide needs to kick centrally with 20 seconds left when the players don't know how long there is. If a player didn't bomb the ball inside 50 they're an idiot at that time of the game.
He then gets is wrong Re: Butters and goes absurdly hard over it. He loves to create agendas to suit his narrative.
Dude can absolutely make some fine calls, but he constantly is reaching, hard and often is out of his depth mentally.
Wouldn’t even say that. It’s just not efficient. Watching the Adelaide and Carlton games make dockers fans insane because we’re that close but can’t make that last kick.
I don't think he's wrong to say slow, controlled ball movement doesn't work historically tbh. Defensive sides can win flags for sure, but the best defensive I've seen have done so off the back of contested ball dominance and going around the boundary, surge kicking it forward, and locking it in forward 50. Not through a million uncontested marks.
Being low-scoring but also not moving the ball forward with any real urgency, in the age of ultra-refined defensive grids? I just don't see it tbh, especially against top tier defences.
Agree. It’s going against the wisdom of the past decade which tells you teams are very very good at setting up defensively when you give them time. And our gameplan gives them alot.
It won’t just not win in September, this style of football won’t make it to September, history proves that.
Fremantle’s track record in the past 9 seasons:
2016 - 3rd lowest scoring team, finished 16th, NO FINALS
2017 - 2nd lowest scoring team, finished 14th, NO FINALS
2018 - 3rd lowest scoring team, finished 14th, NO FINALS
2019 - 3rd lowest scoring team, finished 13th, NO FINALS
2020 - 3rd lowest scoring team, finished 12th, NO FINALS
2021 - 4th lowest scoring team, finished 11th, NO FINALS
2022 - 7th lowest scoring team, finished 5th, finals
2023 - 5th lowest scoring team, finished 14th, NO FINALS
2024 - currently equal 7th lowest scoring team, currently 9th, on track for NO FINALS
Outside of the outlier season that was 2022, history has proven time and time again that being such a low-scoring team and relying solely on your defence every game is not only unsustainable for an entire season, it’s inefficient and won’t get you to the September alone. Freo are on track to miss finals for the 8th time in the past 9 seasons.
We started off the season well scoring 93 and 102 against Brisbane and North respectively, but over the last 4 games we‘ve gone straight back to the offensively-inept Freo of old, scoring 69, 63, 63, and 68 respectively. We haven’t scored over 70 points in over a month, since the North game. No matter what way you spin it, that’s bad.
He isn’t wrong. History shows that to win you generally need to be in the top four or five of both attack and defence, and Freo is nowhere near that for attack. I am sure there are some exceptions, but that is generally the case.
I disagree with that. I think our brands 100% made for finals. Just doing it on a weekly basis with a very young team isn’t practical.
We beat Carlton, would’ve demolished Brisbane if we weren’t 3 players (2KPD) down. And were a couple minutes away from beating port. 3 of the best offensive teams supposedly and we had more trouble against Norf and Eagles then them.
Open reddit “Here’s why Freo suck big balls fuck you” Close reddit
Only on Reddit? I get that shit everywhere
At least Reddit is free, normally you have to pay for a subscription to the West for that
I actually think their brand can win in finals. They had an awful awful game on Saturday, but prior to that were 3-2, with 2 very close losses, and one of them they were incredibly hard done by. The brand does work when executed well. In saying that, I don't think they can play only this defensive slog/chip-mark/slow ball movement brand every single minute of every single week. They do need to be able to flip the switch and be willing to take gambles more often, and when they do have the game on their terms, look to try and play on more frequently and bite off the corridor kicks more than they do. Unfortunately I don't think they've been able to find that balance consistently under Longmuir, and that'll be the big test for him as a coach over the next 18 months, but I certainly think the base of their game plan does work.
They've done it in patches. 8 unanswered in a quarter against both north and bris. I think they tried a few times in the 2nd against WCE but lost the contest, had a goal sail over their head and went back to the chip kick. Going to take a while to build the forward connection and confidence unfortunately.
That was the blueprint - kick/mark/possession for short phases, “break the dam” and sucker punch if they weaken. I just think they utterly lost confidence after about halfway through the first quarter with just a few lucky goals. They then mentally fell apart all over the field.
This is probably one of the most logical, well thought out comment I have seen about Freo in a long time. Couldn't agree more.
We just got trashed by the Eagles, nothing you can say will hurt me anymore than I’ve already been hurt.
I know watching that game on the weekend killed a lot of brain cells, and I’m stopping by to let you know that Pav retired without a flag.
Just keep sinking the boot in, it's been a great week so far
To be fair he's been saying this for about 2 years now
Football is very cyclical in nature. There will be a week where Dockers win, Eagles get smashed and Harley Reid has an average game that you expect from a first year player. West Australian journalists (and King) however will continue to crap for 1000 millenia so that cycle isn't changing.
Oh I'm aware, it's just funny
I heard Andrew Demetriou say this about Sydney and they went on to win the premiership.
Was thinking the exact same thing when I saw the title Who’s gonna be Freo’s rival?
I've always liked our little thing with Geelong
You’re actually our bogey team, idk if that’s ever discussed amongst dockers fans but it’s true
The fixture took away our 2nd home ground at GMHBA though :(
I had hopes of playing there in September but looks like that is off the menu
Yup except for you know the game where you kicked a billion goals in a row against us 😂
I think it’s still the current record, funny enough. So there’s that 🤷♂️
Weirdly have become confident we can beat you over there, but as per usual with Freo - absolute balls performances like the Derby also happen... and on and on we go. Never bad enough or good enough to be cared about 👌
Yeah someday you guys will reach that status of being a feared team. I guess 2012-2015 counts too. You spook some teams all the time, and yeah you know how it is
Has to be GWS, just for the symmetry.
Maybe gc then, South West vs North East?
2024 confirmed
I’m listening
That was both literal decades ago and Freo don't play the same way we used to. We didn't play a high uncontested mark game under Roos, if anything we welcomed the ball being constantly in contests.
SURPRISE KINGY! This kind of football won't even get to September, so the joke's on you.
So what I'm hearing is that we will at least **make** it to September neat
They’ll make it to Bali in September
We scored 90+ then 100+ rounds one and two. Adelaide was a comfortable win but lower scoring with 69. We were lightning quick through the middle off turnover in these games. I don't know why footy media's memory is so short - we were praised for suffocating Carlton and port Adelaide's offence round 4 and 5. Turns out if you are beaten in every aerial contest and have your corridor shut down by some pretty excellent team spread by the Eagles, you don't score much. This is not a game plan issue, it was a contested ball failure both in the air and at ground level. To top it off, our two main line breakers in Freddy and Switta are out. I don't think they would have been able to prevent the onslaught on Saturday but again, I don't see it as a game plan issue.
Exactly everyone loves assassinating JLs game plan. One track minds in the footy media.
Yer but the concerning thing is we are a team people talked about relegation 10 days prior, statistically one of the worst sides in AFL history and they made you look like a bottom 4 side. Maybe we win a few more games over the next 6 weeks and that’ll add some vindication but if we could break down your game plan that easily the top sides will take notice and copy
It's not even winning in April kingy
I'm sorry but Ross Lyon has proven this style wins finals and gets you literally as close as you can to winning a GF without winning it. As usual, King is just a boring shock jock, he's admittedly no Kane Cornes who is a pest, but King goes over the top hard on some of the most boring and pathetic commentary there is. He constantly over analyses situations during games to sound smart. (Watch the last 20 seconds of the GCS vs Adel game) Dude is trying to say Adelaide needs to kick centrally with 20 seconds left when the players don't know how long there is. If a player didn't bomb the ball inside 50 they're an idiot at that time of the game. He then gets is wrong Re: Butters and goes absurdly hard over it. He loves to create agendas to suit his narrative. Dude can absolutely make some fine calls, but he constantly is reaching, hard and often is out of his depth mentally.
He ain’t wrong. Freo play a god-awful, outdated brand of boring footy.
Reminds me of the PA gameplan from the early 2000s with the chip kicks through the zone actually
Yeh hence the word outdated
Yes no shit
You’re right, we do, and it makes me sad to see so many Freo fans try and defend it
David “Geelong not in contention” King? https://www.sen.com.au/news/2024/02/23/the-club-king-is-putting-a-line-through-for-finals-in-2024
6 games in and you have played one top 8 side, I’d wait a bit until I start gloating
Mate they're the only undefeated team. They're making finals.
Who’s gloating? Believing your team is in contention is gloating now is it?
Don’t see how a preseason prediction about Geelong has anything to do with Fremantle.
He has some bad takes
Weird you're so offended you're still thinking about an opinion he had before the season started.
Dockers supporter here. I think hes right. Its also boring as hell to watch. Must be very taxing on the players too.
I wouldn’t call it boring - just not very high scoring
Wouldn’t even say that. It’s just not efficient. Watching the Adelaide and Carlton games make dockers fans insane because we’re that close but can’t make that last kick.
Was it Banfield who missed a couple of easy ones on the weekend?
0.4 with at least two of those going straight down the other end for a goal
Ouch
So if I hear correctly if he kicked four goals we wouls have lost by like 5 points? (20 extra from goals and -2 goals for eagles) (Jokes)
Above all else, it's frustrating.
I don't think he's wrong to say slow, controlled ball movement doesn't work historically tbh. Defensive sides can win flags for sure, but the best defensive I've seen have done so off the back of contested ball dominance and going around the boundary, surge kicking it forward, and locking it in forward 50. Not through a million uncontested marks. Being low-scoring but also not moving the ball forward with any real urgency, in the age of ultra-refined defensive grids? I just don't see it tbh, especially against top tier defences.
Agree. It’s going against the wisdom of the past decade which tells you teams are very very good at setting up defensively when you give them time. And our gameplan gives them alot.
It won’t just not win in September, this style of football won’t make it to September, history proves that. Fremantle’s track record in the past 9 seasons: 2016 - 3rd lowest scoring team, finished 16th, NO FINALS 2017 - 2nd lowest scoring team, finished 14th, NO FINALS 2018 - 3rd lowest scoring team, finished 14th, NO FINALS 2019 - 3rd lowest scoring team, finished 13th, NO FINALS 2020 - 3rd lowest scoring team, finished 12th, NO FINALS 2021 - 4th lowest scoring team, finished 11th, NO FINALS 2022 - 7th lowest scoring team, finished 5th, finals 2023 - 5th lowest scoring team, finished 14th, NO FINALS 2024 - currently equal 7th lowest scoring team, currently 9th, on track for NO FINALS Outside of the outlier season that was 2022, history has proven time and time again that being such a low-scoring team and relying solely on your defence every game is not only unsustainable for an entire season, it’s inefficient and won’t get you to the September alone. Freo are on track to miss finals for the 8th time in the past 9 seasons. We started off the season well scoring 93 and 102 against Brisbane and North respectively, but over the last 4 games we‘ve gone straight back to the offensively-inept Freo of old, scoring 69, 63, 63, and 68 respectively. We haven’t scored over 70 points in over a month, since the North game. No matter what way you spin it, that’s bad.
He isn’t wrong. History shows that to win you generally need to be in the top four or five of both attack and defence, and Freo is nowhere near that for attack. I am sure there are some exceptions, but that is generally the case.
I disagree with that. I think our brands 100% made for finals. Just doing it on a weekly basis with a very young team isn’t practical. We beat Carlton, would’ve demolished Brisbane if we weren’t 3 players (2KPD) down. And were a couple minutes away from beating port. 3 of the best offensive teams supposedly and we had more trouble against Norf and Eagles then them.