After the Game V Eagles, Rd 20 2024 - with Snaps Truly

Only the fear of hubris prevents me going all out today.

Finals bound Freo taking on the once mighty, now a sad-shadow-of-their-former-sad-shadow, the West Coast Eagles.

Or, as they proudly became in a witness protection program earlier in the season, The Harley Reid’s.

Lots at stake of course; if Gold Coast were to beat Brisbane, Freo could take ownership of second place behind the Swans. For West Coast, well it’s a Grand Final of sorts isn’t it? Win this and get a free hamburger on Monday.

What a fall from grace.

The Eagles once proudly declared on a Derby Day banner “We own this town,” such was their preening sense of entitlement. Today they live in a tent in Justin Langer’s backyard.

You don’t even see Julie Bishop at their games anymore. Or Jack Darling, even though his ghost is believed to still roam that vast and empty forward line.

Fair play though to Tom Barrass in his 150th. I have always liked him. He should move to another club. Get on with his life.

But the Eagles came out and played the first half today with real dash.

Without Alex Pearce at the back Freo defensively was loose and loopy at the same time. Brayshaw managed to get us on the board first, but turnovers and fumbles gave goals to Ryan, Cripps, and Kelly.

Freo fans were booing Harley Reid, which was pointless and joyless, even if the kid is a whiny brat.

Freo responded with the next two but Culley and then Oscar Allen added to Freo’s woes. The Eagles up by 13 points and looking potent.

An awful turnover enabled Petruccelle, who is less of a footballer than a name of some 1970’s American legal drama – to extend the margin shortly after the resumption.

We hadn’t heard much from the usually fractious Emphysema Plough to this point. Mercifully, a human shield of families now protected us from her chicken strangling voice, but she was right on the money when she finally let fly with an exasperated “Come on Freo, where the hell are you?”

Good question. O’Meara and Young must have heard her because they began to bring some composure to our ball movement. When JOM goaled moments before the siren, Freo was within sight.

Outplayed so far, but close enough if good enough.

The Freo fans around us had a bad first half too. They were narky and ill disposed.

Things improved significantly in the second half. Clearance dominance emerged and Serong went forward and clutched a mark that belonged to a much taller forward.

Treacy had been quiet, but he roared into life and kicked the goal that put Freo in front. They would not be headed from here.

Freddy added another. Fyfe muscled the ball forward to find Treacy who goaled again and when the now rather grumpy and could probably do with a sleep, Harley Reid gave away a free kick, Switta converted to stretch the lead.

Jack Darling laid a big tackle on a plastic chair, but was well beaten by it for the rest of the evening and the Eagles could manage only a point for the quarter, while Freo kicked five for the term to lead by 21 at the final change.

The Eagles deserve some credit tonight. They really put in. They then fell to pieces, so it was tremendous seeing hope crushed quite mercilessly.

I’m like that.

So are you.

Remember The Name saw Treacy running past and he bombed it for his third and then Tom Emmett, really making the most of limited opportunities, kicked two for the term for a three goal from six disposal performance.

Sorry, stats make lousy sentences.

Serong again leapt skyward to pull down the mark and kick another goal and with the lead 31 points, now seemed as good a time as any to produce that popular refrain …

“Lock the gates, lock them in!”

But to their credit most Eagles fans stayed. These days they have nowhere to go on a Saturday night.

A Sam Sturt goal made it a five goal to two final term and Freo ran out comfortable 35-point winners.

Serong won the Allen Glendinning Medal for being just bloody brilliant and a record home crowd of 56, 536 saw Freo climb into third position, just percentage behind Brisbane.

Onto the MCG next week and a match with Essendon, who have lost whatever edge they gave themselves as a silly nickname earlier in the season.

Never give yourself a nickname.

I don’t know what Justin Longmuir says to his players when we begin poorly, but he sure knows how to straighten us up when it matters.

Well played Freo.

Well played plastic chair.

Yours truly,

Snaps Truly.

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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