Fremantle's map to the Premiership cup has finally been revealed and, while a team as great as the Dockers won't find it difficult, it's certainly going to be a long road. They'll visit all the capital cities on the mainland except the national one and a few of them more than once. They've even got them going to exotic Geelong this year.

It's always concerned the AFL that the Dockers just don't get out and see enough of the country. Sure, last year they played in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Tasmania twice and Queensland, they even let them play a pre-season game in Fremantle of all places but they could fit in so much more.

This year they've decided to rectify that problem by sending the Dockers all the way up to Darwin to take on the Western Bulldogs in the most confusing fixture ever devised. It’s an impressive effort for the AFL to keep coming up with grounds that Fremantle have never been to but they’ll find themselves up at TIO stadium in Round 12.

But for all their travelling about this year, the Dockers will be pretty pleased with the way it's been spread out. Last year they'd done three laps of the country by Round 5 and were so dizzy the only just fell over the line against the Eagles.  

The Dockers kick the season off with a light hit out at Subiaco Oval against wooden spoon favourites Port Adelaide. From there it's off to Melbourne to take on the revised wooden spoon favourites, Essendon, back to Fremantle to given the West Coast Bunnies a touch up in the home Derby then back to Victoria to enjoy the benefits of the bottom end of Melbourne's annual form rotation.

Sitting on top of the ladder with a healthy percentage, Fremantle will then offer their facilities up to the Adelaide Retirement Village, still nursing their broken fingers after the window of opportunity slammed shut on them. Brisbane without Michael Voss will have changed their name back to the Bears by Round 6 and the trip up to the Gabba will be a picnic. Hawthorn, just having come into favouritism for the wooden spoon will be an even easier task in Round 7. By Round 8 Geelong will have Gary Hocking coaching them and Fremantle should dominate when he calls all his midfielders out of the centre for the bounce.

Still nursing the mental scares of St Kilda will fold in the second quarter and Fremantle will become the first team to get their percentage over 300%. Collingwood at the MCG will see Chris Tarrant break Modra’s 10 goal record and the water works will be flowing by the end of the night.

After that, most clubs are expected to forfeit or request de-registration and Fremantle will walk away with the cup by mid July. If something goes wrong with the plan – North Korea launch a nuclear strike on Matthew Pavlich for example – then Fremantle will return to Perth to sort out Richmond before making the trip to Darwin the following week.

Sydney were too scared to face the Fremantle supporters after they screwed them over with the Grand Final loss so the Dockers will have to play to the SCG once again.

Then it’s a quick percentage boosting match against the Kangaroos before it all starts again with return matches  against Adelaide and Port Adelaide in Adelaide, Essendon, Geelong, St Kilda, West Coast and Melbourne.

 

  View the full 2006 Fixtures