After The Game v Melbourne Rd 12, 2024 - With Snaps Truly

May I not be haunted by the words. But early last week, two of them were whispered to me from a voice within the Freo High Command, after that great come from behind draw with Collingwood.

“We’re good,” said the man who should know. He does not say them lightly.
“We’re good.”

(Actually, he didn’t repeat it. I have done so for effect.)

At Tio Traeger Park in Alice, Freo would take on Melbourne who have played at this great ground for a decade.

And in the opening five minutes we deferred to that home deck advantage by applying no pressure at all, or even getting a kick.

The Dees rattled on a couple while the Dockers blinked in the bright NT sun.

But my oh my, when they decided to play too, what followed was the most exhilarating opening quarter of 2024.

Treacy marked and goaled after some good work from Sturt Desert Pea, clearly glad to be back in his natural environment. And then a confidence building tackle from Amiss on May, turned over the ball for Walters to swoop and collect and goal.

Sonny has found that combination of movement difficult of late. This was really encouraging.
A Remember The Name masterclass of miskick, weird kick but good follow up, enabled Amiss to snap his first of the afternoon and Freo was in front.

We were dominating clearances and applying intense pressure to a Melbourne side overusing the ball and coughing it up all too easily.

A huge snap from Galivanting Jordie Clark was followed by an hilarious salute of delight and Freo had kicked four in a row.

Which became five, moments later, after Sharp delivered to Treacy who produced his second.
At the quarter, Freo lead by 17 points.

“We’re good.” I whispered again and again.

And in the second we just got better.

It began with Amiss who took a huge clunk and then went back and produced the kind of set shot we so admired in 2023. His relief was palpable and his confidence soared.

Oliver grubbered a response, but this would be Melbourne’s only goal of the term.

Jackson kicked another and then a brilliant transition that began with a superb pass from Young, to Treacy to Sturt to Walters stretched the lead to 30 points.

Freo’s footy was exhilarating. Calm at the back, dominant in the middle with Fyfe, Serong, Young and Brayshaw winning it easily and then with a spread of options available to them up forward.

The next of which was Switkowski, who made no mistake.

A Treacy free kick and then a Hayden Young goal made it a six goal to one quarter.
At the half, Freo held a match-winning 50-point advantage.

And I write match-winning, now at half time, daring the Gods of Footy Heartbreak to dare wreak havoc on me.

But they don’t dare.

There is one Freo player deserving of the highest praise in the third quarter. And yes, you could name all those we know and love.

But it was Sam Switkowski who seemed to pop up again and again with goal assists.
He would deliver to Darcy for his first goal of the season.

He delivered to Amiss for his third of the afternoon.

And he delivered to Serong who lazily goaled from the tightest of angles. At that stage Switta had nine score involvements. It was brilliant.

With two exceptional Michael Frederick goals and with Sonny kicking his third, Freo waltzed away to an 81-point lead at the final break.

And they did not let up.

I won’t give you a goal by goal, blow by blow from here, because there are more important season shaping conclusions to draw.

The first is that Sean Darcy and Luke Jackson are going to be a formidable ruck combination from here on.

Secondly; the return to form of Nev Amiss and the incredible consistency and talent of Josh Treacy is going to give us the goalkicking potency required to go deep into finals.

And thirdly, well The Champ kicked a brilliant snap off his right foot in the last quarter, without his right foot falling off.

What a result. Freo winners by 91 points and with such a percentage boost, we sit comfortably in the eight while Melbourne tumbles out.

While one of the TV pundits declared this “A day that could change the course of the season,” I bolted outside into the blustery wet of a Sunday afternoon and shouted at the top of my lungs.

“We’re good!”

“We’re bloody good!”

By our 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. Don’t miss Snaps’ report after each Freo Dockers match here on the Shipping News throughout the 2024 season. Here are Snaps’ other 2024 season reports.

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