After The Game v Port Adelaide - With Grumbles

Snaps Truly has rung in again. Asked me to fill in again.

Sorry Mate, he said, but I’ve had another premonition. Can’t share. But it means flying to to Melbourne, getting to Marvel Stadium at least 30 minutes before a certain match on Sunday, and putting a big punt on a certain team to win by between 6 and 8 points. And as I say Grumbles, I can’t share.

Can’t say I’m happy. But at least it means Snaps will have the readies to cough up my share on the Dockers big win over the Eagles last weekend.

Premonitions. Never happen to me. The best I can do is hope. I hoped Freo would topple Port on the basis that we can beat any team if we play our best on the day. But we didn’t yesterday.

After a good first quarter, Jacko realised how much he was missing Darc. But as usual, he stuck at it.

As did the on-ballers. Caleb Serong and Andy Brayshaw saw a lot of it.

Captain Pearce was strong in defence.

Luke Ryan looked like he meant business.

And Liam Henry was busy.

Shooter and Switter seemed to be everywhere. As did Freddy on and off.

And, truth be told, we put in a good first quarter, but not good enough to lead by the 2 or 3 goals we should have at the first break. You just knew that after having so many ‘looks’ but not ‘executing’ was going to cost us dearly, and it did.

And you always knew there’d be one quarter – this time the third – where we’d slow to a standstill.

Port were impressive, all around the ground. Not sure they can win a flag, though, if they have to wear that washed out looking white strip of theirs.

Fortunately, there’s always something to get excited about, even during a losing game, and yesterday it was the ‘mature age recruit’ – he’s just 21 fgs! – Tom Emmett. For such an old guy, he played as though he actually knew one end of the footy from the other. We’ll be seeing more of him, for sure.

Our talls up forward were in and out, but mostly out. Imagine, if you will – Snaps’ll eventually have a premonition about it and make another motza – the Saturday arvo at Optus v Collingwood when Silk and Granite – Never Amiss and Cyclone Treacy – hold 10 marks each and convert them all. It’ll happen, mark my words. Snaps won’t share that one either, mark my words.

It’s been an odd season, hasn’t it. We lost a bunch of players who foolishly left Freo looking for glory, or money, or fresh starts, or all those things, as well as the grand old man David Mundy, and for a while there thought we could march on as though nothing had happened and their loss wouldn’t and didn’t diminish us. But it did.

For all that though, I can’t wait for next season.

The only remaining question is: Quo vadis Nat Fyfe?

My suspicion – just short of a premonition – is that Nat’ll join the other recent big names who have decided to hang up their boots at the end of this season. What a player he’s been.

Snaps will be back for the final game of the Home and Away season next week. Flush with success – and the readies, hopefully.

* By Grumbles standing in for our regular 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’ and his fill-in Grumbles’ other match reports, here they are.

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