After The Game v Essendon, Rd 22 2024 - With Snaps Truly

If only.

If only Mitch McGovern, with the last kick of the game had managed to compose himself a little better.

If only the ball drop had been cleaner.

He and Carlton may have pinched a potential season saving win over Collingwood.

The memory of regret will no doubt stay with him forever.

Maybe you missed it. And Freos’ game with Essendon?

Footy has had to share space with the Olympics in recent days and as much as we obsess over it, it does rather get lost amid the sheer size, scope and almost bewildering sense of wonder attached to the fun and games of Paris.

Where swimmer Kaylee McKeown managed to make the seemingly impossible, entirely possible, by again winning back-to-back double gold medals in the 100 and 200 metres backstroke.

Where Ni Xia Lian from Luxembourg became the oldest competitor in history to win a table tennis match at the Olympics at the age of 61; and where two women boxers were booed in competition because some believed them, to be men.

As for the Opening ceremony?

There were angry Christians everywhere, but mainly in the United States who declared it a blasphemous mockery of The Last Supper when, had any of them been students of ancient history, or just a bit more relaxed, they might have realised it was actually the feast of Dionysius and couldn’t they just get over their righteous indignation for once and enjoy a glass of wine and a naked frolic?

Even Port Adelaide beating ladder leaders Sydney by a gobsmacking 112 points, again on Saturday night, may have been lost on you, as you marvelled instead at the speed of the windsurfers in Marseille or the thrilling news Australia had just snatched a 9-8 victory over Hungary at the water polo.

It would take something pretty bloody special to return our gaze to the footy.

A Freo win at the MCG and a place in the top four?

It didn’t quite go to plan early.

Essendon, with its season on a knife edge; – oh how I hate those scenarios – settled quickly. Winning clearances and laying big tackles.

Hayden Young began magnificently, kicking our first two goals, the second of which came from a clearance and two bounces.

Langford replied and a turnover from Serong handed Stringer his first and then he managed his second within a minute. Goals to Treacy and Jackson closed the margin before Sam Draper edged the Bombers nine points clear at the first break.

Freo were incredibly efficient in the second quarter. Jye Amiss kicked the first after a 50-metre free kick and then a fizzing pass from Switta hit Treacy who goaled and the lead was ours.

Another superb connecting kick, this time from Chappy found Freddy and Freo had three in a row.

For all that we had to defend hard too. Gresham was proving a handful up forward, and he soon had his second.

It was Luke Jackson who produced an inspiring ten minutes to finish the term. He fought and won the footy and then won it again it before hitting Sturt on the chest. He goaled.

And just on the siren Dogga took a strong mark after another dashing run and kick from Young.

Freo at the half 13 points in front. Desperate to shake Essendon off, but with much to do.

Jye Amiss, confidence restored it seems, kicked a beautiful opener before Jake Stringer bobbed up again with two further goals. That made it four for the match.

Freo were still not winning enough clearances, but Serong in his hundredth, started to motor. His beautifully weighted kick found Sturt, who extended the lead and when Amiss took another strong mark and found Treacy, his third goal gave Fremantle a 19-point advantage with one quarter to play.

And then Treacy went down with a knee injury.

And darkness descended on the world.

Essendon kicked the next five goals. It was torturous but it was irresistible too. And Freo was helpless to stop them.

And yet, with a minute to play Jye Amiss won a free kick.

He goaled.

The scores were level.

“I’ll take a draw,” I shouted at the TV.

But the Samsung just fizzed and popped with another Bomber clearance and they scored the point they needed.

The bastards.

(Sorry editor, please take that out.)

(Sorry editor, please don’t.)

Regrets? Worst things happen. And I didn’t despair for long.

Truth is, Nespoli from Italy was taking on Peters from Canada in the qualifying rounds of the archery and it loomed as a beauty.

I turned the Olympics back on.

I began this piece, musing about Mitch McGovern and his regrets, but really, no footy disappointment this weekend could quite compare to the “what might have been moment” of a truly great Australian Olympian.

His name was Dunc Gray.

Dunc was a cyclist who won Australia’s only gold medal in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.

I met him once, when he was an old fella in his 90’s.

Dunc was incredibly proud of his bike riding career, but one thing gnawed at him terribly.

He was also the flag bearer for Australia at the Berlin Games of 1936.

“I was this far away from him,” he told me, stretching out his arms.

“I coulda skewered him with me flag. PI was this close.”

The him he wanted to skewer, was Adolph Hitler.

And even if modern measuring technology might suggest Dunc probably wasn’t quite close enough to affect his intended javelin throw or fencing thrust, his sense of despair remained.

Imagine spending more than half a century, believing you might have averted a world war.

“I coulda skewered him.”

Mitch just munged a kick.

Freo got overwhelmed.

Bring on Geelong next week.

And the heats of the break dancing. Wonderful sport.

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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