After the Game With Snaps Truly - Rd 24 2026 V Carlton

Look, I may as well apologise in advance. I didn’t see it. Not live.

Because I knew it didn’t matter. And given the choice of watching Bailey Banfield get out marked by Harry McKay or Mitch Starc bowling out Bangladesh in Mackay, I think I made a good decision.

That’s not a knock on ‘Remember the Name’ – he seems like a very nice young fella, but tellingly he has not been able to force his way into Freo’s best 22 this season for good reason. Others have gone past him.

He was only out there today because Freo decided to rest Jye Amis, Sam Switkowski and Heath Chapman. No Murphy Reid either, whose gonads, I am reliably informed, still look as if they’ve been put through the mangle.

And when Brennan Cox lasted only a quarter before going off with a calf injury, Freo’s defensive structure was in tatters; Alex Pearce looking like a stricken parent trying to do a head count at a nine-year-old’s birthday party.

Oh, did I tell you Oscar McDonald started up forward? And yes, he did kick the opening goal, but I think what I am getting at is – this was a makeshift Freo outfit, completing its contractual obligation to play Carlton in the last game of the season.

Am I being a bit defensive? Well, more so than Freo today, granted.

Carlton makes me edgy. And every time we play them, I have a recurrence of my MTSD – otherwise known as Matt Taberner Stress Disorder resulting from that after the siren defeat six years ago.

And then there was Gather Round in 2024 where Freo led by two points with 90 seconds to play only for Carlton to kick a goal from a touched ball and then Jordy Clark was cited for showing dissent towards the umpires and another free kick and goal resulted and the game was lost.

And the umpire later admitted he didn’t hear what was said but reacted to the way it was said.

And yes, I can hear some of you say, ‘Snaps, leave it be. That was years ago.’

But I can’t and I won’t. I do not like Carlton and the fact they and Collingwood will perhaps be playing in a ‘Friday Night Wildcard Blockbuster’ next week having finished the home and away rounds in ninth and eight place seems like a sneaky AFL designed contrivance. A bit like the Lying Orange Grifter being declared club champion at golf when everyone saw him throw a ball out of the bunker.

Anyway, if you do watch a replay.

Freo had some moments of slick transition footy. But clearly not enough.

And the run-down tackle of Ollie Hollands on The Prancing Pony was admittedly quite a sight.

Carlton 37-point winners.

In his post-match presser JL sounded calm enough.

‘I don’t think there’s necessarily a need to flip the switch. You look back at last week. We played a team that was fighting for top four, not far off full strength, and I thought we played really good footy.

‘If you looked across the course of the season, there’s probably been no more consistent team than us.

‘Our footy stacks up …’

Freo now has a fortnight to reset. Spare a thought for the injured Coxy though, he looked a little bereft at the end.

And just some uncomfortable closing words.

I know I am in a splenetic frame of mind, but the game I love has shamed itself in recent days. The privilege of being highly paid male athletes seems to have been abused again, and, once again, women have been left degraded and humiliated by that sense of entitlement.

Sydney’s off field leaders stuttered initially in their response but were right to take that privilege away.

Frankly, I don’t care if I never see those players out on the park, ever again.

I’m taking the dog for a walk.

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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