After The Game With Snaps Truly - Rd 5 2026 v Collingwood

Collingwood and Garry Lyon v Fremantle – Gather Round

I’ll admit, I was a little worried early. Freo had the form, but Collingwood had the Fox Footy commentary box. And you would have to travel to Washington to find a more obsequious collection of the simpering and sycophantic.

Frankly, it was creepy.

Middle-aged men, years past their best, fawning over Nick Daicos – salivating as the tanned, chiselled, lightly oiled, son of a Macedonian gun danced elegantly through the Adelaide Oval puddles, drenching the feckless sodden Freo defenders with his giddy brilliance and high shining cheekbones on the way to delivering Collingwood another extraordinary character filled victory.

Yet it didn’t happen.

Collingwood lost.

Just as they did the last time they played Fremantle.

Not that you’d know that.

It was Garry Lyon who was the most feverish of the forelock tugging toadies. It didn’t matter if you tuned in at the start or near the end.

Apparently ‘Collingwood are one smart kick inside 50 away from sealing this.’

Or when they couldn’t quite find that smart kick, their fans at home were reminded that ‘We know Collingwood live in this pressure zone.’

With nine minutes to go in a flooding last quarter and the Pies 9 points in front, Garry observed that ‘now the clock becomes an issue for Freo.’

Moments later when Freo led by 6 points, he was there to reassure all that ‘There’s still plenty of time for Collingwood to come back and win this …’

And to complete the insult, he called Murphy Reid, ‘Harley.’

Did it matter?

Probably not. But had Fremantle not won by six points, it would have appeared in about 50 thousand victim impact statements as a further sign that footy is a weighted game and always has been.

A Victorian audience will laugh at the size of the collective chips on West and South Australian shoulders, but it is a muscle rubbed red and raw with injustice.

And yes, envy.

So what really happened?

Well, the Pies had complete control of the first quarter – something like 15 of the first 20 inside 50’s but could only put one goal on the board and for that I invite you even now – to stand and applaud Luke Ryan and Alex Pearce who both played brilliant games in incredibly difficult conditions.

Collingwood led by a point at quarter time.

A Shai Bolton goal gave Freo the lead in the second term, but Sean Darcy went down with a match ending concussion. In the rooms after the game, while his teammates were roaring ‘We’re the rollers and the rockers, we’re the mighty Freo Dockers …’ Swag looked on, wondering why the song was being sung in Farsi.

Hope he’s OK.

Freo trailed by nine points at the half.

In the third there were five sweet minutes in which Dudley, the increasingly assured Amiss and Dudley again sent Freo into a lead.

Which they then lost, presumably much to the relief of the commentary box. Five goals apiece at three quarter time – the Pies four points in front.

In that pressure filled and frantic last hurrah – oh, remember Garry’s line about Collingwood being one smart kick away from ending this?

Well neither McStay, or Lachie Schultz – who I’m sorry to say looks increasingly like a fish caught with a hook in his mouth – or the golden thighed warrior Daicos could manage that smart kick.

Not one of them.

Three gettables. Three points.

So when it really mattered – when a team had to stand up and produce something special – well, it was Freo who did so.

In a splendid couple of minutes, Collingwood’s night ended when they were emphatically Johnson and Johnsoned. Firstly Matthew kicked brilliantly to find Jye, who kicked long and straight and then he had the poise to calmly pick up a ferociously spinning ball, break a tackle and surge into goal to effectively seal the issue.

Well played young man. That moment of triumph should be put in a frame and sent straight to the pool room.

And then, just because he likes to do it, Josh Treacy, wandered back into defence and swatted Jamie Elliott away to take a sensational – potentially – match saving mark – again.

So that’s what really happened. Freo won wet and ugly by six points.

And it was a bloody terrific effort.

Freo will again be the away side for the Derby next but should have little to fear from the Harley Reids.

And in closing, may I note the editor of the Fremantle Shipping News has recently received disturbing correspondence from a reader complaining that this service never comments on West Coast Eagles games.

That, madam – is entirely as it should be.

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 2026 season.

~ You’ll find more Snaps Truly right here.

~ If you’d like to COMMENT on this or any of our stories, don’t hesitate to email our Editor.

~ WHILE YOU ARE HERE –