After The Game v Gold Coast Suns - With Snaps Truly

You may be aware …

The AFL, noting Fremantle’s deserved status as a football superpower – paid us the mighty compliment of scheduling a late Friday afternoon blockbuster against Gold Coast at the Norwood Football Club, airing at such an odd time that just about no one in Perth could watch it live.

That said, more than ten thousand people turned up in Norwood. There is, I guess, only so much to do in Adelaide once you’ve been to the markets. Try the eggplant dip though, it is delicious.

Yes friends … it was welcome to Round Five, the Gather Round round, with all games being played in South Australia for really good reasons that haven’t yet been explained.

It did mean that all of James Aish’s family got to see him wearing the new Freo Dockers “Stealth” guernsey – that to be fair, was doing as intended; making our players invisible to the naked eye.

Not stealthy enough to get the ball and keep it. Oh no. Freo continued where Freo left off last week. Playing without conviction. Second to the ball, but vying to be third.

Forward entries were rare. And only Michael Walters and Luke Jackson seemed willing and able to engage.

Up the other end the precocious Jack Lukosius was bombing torps from outside the fifty and David Swallow – who goes by the nickname “Is He Still Playing” had already kicked three goals at the half.

We were 23 points down to Gold Coast.

Matt Taberner was playing as well as possible. (Checks notes: deletes remark as unnecessary.)

(Reinserts remark.)

And our brave backline was showing both frustration and fatigue; filled with soldiers who looked to have spent too long in the trenches repelling enemy fire and without respite.

Even that brilliant kid Hayden Young seemed shellshocked and exhausted and looking more like a forty-two-year-old with an odd part in his hair.

The worst thing? If the limp capitulation was to continue, it would validate the opinions of everyone I do not like. It would make the carrot grower Peter Sumich appear astute rather than just embittered. And it would provide undeserving West Coast Eagles fans with a moment of schadenfreude flavoured succour.

Having observed at the long break that we were about as exciting to experience as a flat bottle of lemonade, one keen eyed reader reminded me that flat lemonade is just what you need when you are feeling poorly.

And yes, in the second half, things changed.

It was Caleb Serong who did much of the heavy lifting. He compiled a career high 37 disposals including 14 in the last quarter.

Michael Walters continued to be dangerous and he kicked four goals; the first time in three years. Jye Amiss chipped in with two and so did the improving Luke Jackson.

When a late stoppage goal from Bailey Banfield stretched the lead to ten points with a couple of minutes to play, Freo dug deep and managed to hold on.

It wasn’t outstanding or perhaps very convincing, but the second half was a whole lot better than the first and yes, there was some fizz in the lemonade by the end.

Footnote: It also means you and I are now free to breathe a little easier and again consider Peter Sumich an embittered carrot farmer and the West Coast Eagles, a bunch of has beens and never wills – for a few days at least.

* By our new, multi-talented and amazingly insightful footy scribe, SNAPS TRULY. Snaps has seen and done it all. He may or may not have been a fringe player at Fremantle. Who knows? Don’t miss Snaps’ report after each Freo Dockers match throughout the season.

** In case you missed SNAPS’ other match reports, here they are.

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