The Dockers have had such a good start to the year.
Depleted with injuries during the pre-season, and with no expectations to do well, the first part of the year was very good. If not for some errant kicking against Geelong, Fremantle could be without loss, and entrenched in the top four.
Unfortunately we met our ‘bogey’ side this week….Richmond. For whatever reason, even when doing really well, and the Tigers not…they seem to match up well on the Dockers. And so it proved this week.
The disappointing part of the loss was the fact that for the first three quarters, the Dockers looked like taking a commanding lead. But we never capatilised on that. And to the Tigers credit, they kept coming. And when it mattered, they seemed to take their energy levels up a cog.
The way Freo capitulated towards the end of the fourth quarter was the most disappointing aspect of the game.
I remember the last time AFL fixturing included a bye that the teams coming off the bye generally did quite poorly. Which has also been the trend so far this year. It’s odd. You would think a week’s rest would be a benefit, but the week off seems to ruin the groove of most teams.
Collingwood had a bye this week, so let’s hope the theory holds for one more week…
The concern from your point of view would have to be that too many rely on too few: you’ve undoubtedly got some of the best players in the league, but Sandilands and Pavlich et al are only going to be able to win so many games off their own boot. Too many passengers on the night.
It was like I was watching a rerun or being back in the past… Fremantle where back to their old pre Harvey horrible days. Lets hope as a West Coast fan it continues for at least one more week 🙂
Agree with what Geoff says above – really thin in the midfield and what was with Matthew Pavlich? He could not hit the side of a barn with his kicking – horrible…