After The Game With Snaps Truly – Rd 19 2026 V Port Adelaide

Firstly, congratulations to Brennan Cox on his 150^th game.  The forward turned defender. A man who can take a strong mark, thump a high ball clear of danger, deliver neatly and  only ocasionally get caught holding the footy when he falls into that strange dream like state.

An important player for Freo.  Luke Ryan’s great pal back there and one of three South Australians who’ve headed West to play for the Dockers.

And well played too, namesake Mason.  Highly theatrical, forever looming large and sometimes very nearly arriving.  To be fair, he did show up last week against Sydney.  Taking pack marks, kicking a goal, deftly tapping to a hungry midfield and even kindly reaching up to retrieve a footy from the shed roof.

A great character, living his best footy life late in a unique career that he knows could be over tomorrow.

Certain assumptions were made about the Port Adelaide game.  Particularly after the loss of Butters, Horne-Francis, Lukosius and Georgiades. I can only imagine Will Brodie fans – emerging from their darkened bedroom at Mum’s, and now proudly wearing new prison bar pyjamas, declaring ‘He’s gotta play this week doesn’t he?’ 

Alas no.  We will never know what happened to Will, even though his name will continue to be whispered on the breeze by the Brodie Bewildered.

Shai Bolton managed and Hayden Young returned.

The last time we played in Adelaide, Moose took another of those clutch marks up forward and kicked the goal to get Freo home by six points.  Surely he would not be required to perform such dramatics today.

No, but …

Port came out hard and goaled within 30 seconds. Jack Whitlock, who I have to admit I rather like, soon made it two before Cox B found Cox M who delivered to Jye Amiss who got Freo on the board.

Erasmus chipped to Freddy who squared it up and moments later some terrific transition footy delivered the ball to Treacy. Freo were on the move.

They then stopped to buy cigarettes. Truth was they were being clattered in the clearances and tackled ferociously whenever they tried to link their handball chains.

Moose had a couple of inglorious moments against Visentini, both of which resulted in goals. Only a late Voss goal and an even later ‘Was that the siren?’ scrubber from Hayden Young saved Freo from some embarassment.  Two points down at quarter time.

The free kick count already stood at 9-1.  Make of that what you will but I was making rather a lot of it.

With Mark Ricciuto yodelling incoherently from the commentary box, Joe Berry gave Port back the lead with a clever twist and turn. Freo can thank the hard working and occasionally sublime Dudley for delivering to Amiss and giving him his second.

Cox B found Cox M again, but he missed and would do so even more spectacularly in the final quarter.  Indeed just moments after I said ‘With a goalsquare mark like that, it will be hard for Sean to get a game.’

Cox M, nothing if not highly watchable and then unwatchable, missed the umissable and presumably his parents immediately flew home to Texas.

Freo were winning more of the footy, but frustratingly Port managed to add two quick goals in the dying minutes of the quarter.  The home side deservedly 12 points up at the break and Justin Longmuir, I sense, not best pleased.

Did it all turn around after that?  Well of course it did. At some point a patched up Port would have to concede to Freo’s depth of talent and that was evident right from the first ball up.

Jacko kicked his 20^th goal of the season and moments later Aliir Aliir turned the ball over to Dudley who found Treacy and it was all square.

Amiss kicked his third to give Freo the lead and they were never headed. Goals to Treacy and Freddy and the ladder leaders had once again turned it on.  Five goals in thirteen emphatic minutes. Clearance dominance exerted.

Port managed just one for the term and when Amiss kicked his fourth, the lead was 19 points at the final change.

Not much to report from here.  O’Meara went to the bench with an ankle injury and Freo cruised home 28 point winners. Amiss in great touch and Freddy and Treacy contributing three each.

One day Isaiah Dudley will kick a bag.  He deserves to.

And special mention as always to Brayshaw and Serong, who come to the fore, particularly when it matters most.

The Dockers are now closing in on the minor premiership – which frankly means diddly squat – but they are now three games clear and doing pretty much everything right.

What a fine season they have built.

Next week, the Derby against the Harley Reids. Might be interesting. After all it’s their Grand Final.

Poor buggers.

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.

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