Fremantle headed to Melbourne for the first time for 2006 to take on Geelong and as a tribute to Scott Thornton, who was unable to be at the game due to his complete lack of skin pigment and a portion of the game being played in daylight, both clubs decided it would be a good idea to wear white jumpers. It made for some difficult viewing with the sun still setting, the lights on and Paul Chapman’s head reflecting the lot of it but nevertheless, we were buoyed by the fact that they’d be playing in what had been described as perfect conditions for football.
It didn’t take too long before it became apparent that perfect conditions for football in Melbourne are quite different from perfect conditions for football in Perth. We tend to go for a warm day, dry ground and a gentle breeze to help keep you cool. Over in Melbourne, it means anytime you don’t feel the need to start building an ark.
Like an Eagles coach talking about player behaviour, the Victorians like to look the other way when it comes to the surface of their favourite indoor stadium. Sure no one could get a foothold on the “grass” and sure the ball was bouncing like a golf ball on concrete cricket pitch but they’d painted the ground green and given the rich people their own tv screens so their was nothing to worry about.
As a result, the game was a bit slow to get going. Turning around was a luxury few could afford as they adjusted to the slippery conditions. Surprisingly, it was the visitors who got the hang of things first and, with Matthew Pavlich taking charge of the forward line like a kind of “Godfather’ figure and setting up Schofield for a goal, the Dockers took an early lead.
But Fremantle’s kicking lacked the precision into the tall forwards that they were trying for and the game started to be played between the half back lines. David Mundy was running riot in defence, with he and Matthew Carr cleaning up problems like a couple of “Godfather” figures. There was very little penetration by either side into attack with long kicks out of defence being picked off by the opposition. It came as no shock then that the first side to get a kick long to the goal square would break the stalemate. Is was a bit of a shock though that it was the Cats who did it. So with Mooney booting one from the goal square, scores were levelled late in the first quarter.
With the ice broken for both sides, the game didn’t open up any. Players struggled to get clean possession of the footy, with the ball looking slippery than the Eagles showers after a big game. Eventually the Dockers broke through, with Joshy Carr dobbing a goal after earning a free kick for being picked up and almost thrown into the crowd by Paul Chapman.
The Dockers went into the first break 4 points up but with both teams pretty buggered from a hard fought opening term.
Despite the slow scoring and hit and miss skills, the two coaches spoke to their players with the calmness of the ‘Godfather’ on his daughters wedding day. Both teams needed to concentrate on cleaner passing and better decision making in the pressure cooker environment.
The second quarter began in similar fashion to the first. The ball moved up and down the ground fairly freely but there weren’t many opportunities to score being created. In fact, all it would have taken was a few songs and a couple of the players going at it Heath Ledger style and it could have been a game of soccer.
Luckily Aussie Rules has a built in fail safe for games turning into soccer matches – Jeff Farmer. After failing to snap one over his head, off his left foot from deep in the pocket, he ran down Koulouriotis and buried him into the ground – like a ‘Godfather’ taking care of a stool pigeon. The umpire paid the free (he had no choice after Jeff made him an offer he couldn’t refuse) and Farmer split the middle for a handy 6 points.
Farmer’s goal broke the game open. Unfortunately it broke it open for Geelong. A bit of soft umpiring saw Chapman given fifty metres after Schofield tried to touch him and the resulting nine point goal levelled the score.
Despite Sandilands dominating the ruck to the point that the midfielders were starting to call him ‘The Pope’ because the conditions he was creating for the midfielders were turning the centre square into a ‘holy land’, Fremantle couldn’t find a forward who could kick in a straight line. Geelong made the most of Fremantle’s missed opportunities and put through a couple of quick ones to get out to a 12 point lead.
There were worrying signs. The famous efficiency of Fremantle’s forward line was nowhere to be seen, their young, small defence was under a lot of pressure and Jarrad Schofield was having such a bad run that crucifixes were being constructed all around Perth (people pulling down power poles for timber and causing massive power blackouts that Western Power were unable to fix for hours).
That’s when Jeff Farmer took control, almost like a “Godfather” figure. A loose ball bounced off the post and into his path. A normal player would have picked it up and tried to get around the opposition players, possibly even look for someone to pass off to – not Jeff. Disappointed at his failed scissor kick from last week, The Wiz threw he left boot out and curled the ball around the goal post for his second goal of the day. The siren saved the Cats from another Jeff Farmer miracle and the Dockers went into the half time break a goal behind.
The first half hadn’t gone exactly to plan. A shootout was expected with both teams kicking big scores to try and earn a home Grand Final but they’d only kicked 8 goals between them. It wasn’t so much that the game wasn’t a shootout, with 23 scoring shots and a few more out on the full, it was more that neither team could shoot. But with both teams going flat out it looked like it was going to come down to which ever team showed the most polish.
When the footy got started again it looked like Fremantle might just be that team. An 80 metre drop punt from Paul Medhurst took the Dockers deep into attack right from the first bounce. It headed the direction of Pavlich who was being held slightly but put on an acting performance that was up there with Marlon Brando’s in the ‘Godfather’. The umpire was taken with it as well and Pavlich had levelled the scores within the opening minute of the half.
Things were looking a treat for Fremantle in the centre. Sandilands had earned the nickname ‘The Pope’ because the conditions he was creating for the midfielders were turning the centre square into a ‘holy land’. Hasleby hadn’t seen service that good since he was in Wagin a few years back for Chopfest 2000. He sent the ball hurtling towards the Fremantle forward line where Pavlich was again held (this time his performance was more in the style of The Island of Dr. Moreau) but Peter Bell was their to capitalize and put the Dockers into the lead.
Like a power point pole top, Fremantle were on fire. They were running amok in the centre and there was very little Geelong could do about it short of sticky taping their two tallest players together and running them alongside Sandilands.
Another lazy centre clearance by Hasleby sent the ball in Freo’s direction once again, this time it was Longmuir getting held. He didn’t waste any time looking for help from the umpires and e quickly scooped the ball up and sent it in the Medhurst direction. Poise, strength, timing and courage were the tools at Medhurst’s disposal and he used them all, nudging Owen out of the way before diving at the ball to take a screamer. He landed forty nine and a half metres out from goals so even though he kicked it from 55 out and sent it 20 metres over the goal umpires head, he only picked up the 6 points. No one was complaining though, with Fremantle 12 points up and looking ready to roll the Cats by three quarter time.
Momentum’s a funny thing though. All it took were a couple of kicks over shooting the mark and Geelong’s rebound out of defence struck a cruel blow. First Chapman kicked one, then Gary Ablett’s second favourite kid, then Enright and then Prismall. All in similar fashion starting with mistakes in the Freo forward line. It was a 21 point turn around.
The Dockers were on shaking ground now. They needed to smarten up their skills and start capitalising on the good work of Sandilands (who had earned the nickname ‘The Pope’ because the conditions he was creating for the midfielders were turning the centre square into a ‘holy land’) and his little mates in the centre.
The class of Paul Medhurst set the standard. A strong mark in the pocket saw him bring back the famous left forward pocket snap that became his trademark a few years back. Making hooking the ball around his body for a goal look easier than being Shane Parker’s barber.
The Dockers were 5 points down, late in the third quarter. It was time for a raking left foot to put through a goal from outside fifty and give the Dockers the lead. But this time it wasn’t Heath Black doing the raking, Daniel Gilmore stepped up as a pinch raker and drilled a 9 pointer. Just as quickly as they’d gone away, Freo were back .
There was a bit of heat coming into the game now. Geelong looked like they might have missed their chance as Fremantle starting to regain control over all areas of the ground, like some sort of “Godfather” figure. The game was Freo’s for the taking and when Peter Bell, leading from the front once again, picked the ball up 75 metres out, sold a dummy, ducked under a tackle, sold another dummy and then drilled the ball straight into the goal umpires head it looked like they might have just done that.
They’d moved back out to a ten point lead and the only thing that could stop them running rampant for the rest of the quarter was the siren. It was a welcome sound to the Geelong players. They’d seen off what could have been a pre-season ending quarter but knew that have to lift a notch to hold off the Dockers in the final term.
A shocking bounce started the last quarter, robbing Sandilands of another easy tap to Paul Hasleby but the Dockers recovered and went long and quick into attack. Dessy Headland’s shot at goal fell short and as the ball hot the ground, the Fremantle players scrambled to try and produce something special. It was tough work though. The Geelong players were desperate, they weren’t giving an inch. Jeff Farmer was trying his Saturday night top shelf Derby material and still couldn’t find the goals.
When the Cats eventually cleared the ball, Freo went straight back in – only to be denied again. So, as always happens when a team struggles to get the ball through the big sticks, Geelong snatched one against the run of play at the 15 minute mark of the final quarter.
The Cats were within a goal of the lead and suddenly Fremantle’s victory wasn’t looking quite so sure. Sandilands had been creating conditions for the midfielders was turning the centre square into a ‘holy land’ and had been nicknamed ‘The Pope” as a result but it had taken it’s toll on the big fella and Jlo had to be swung into the middle. That gave Geelong a sniff and a 9 pointer to Corey had the Cats in front.
The Freo midfielders looked dead on their feet and space started opening up in Geelong’s forward half as they struggled to run backwards. Corey kicked another one for the Cats to take them out to a 10 point lead and warning bells were sounding.
The crowd were lifting, Geelong were finding a bit of spring in their step and the Dockers were struggling to get a clean kick away through the middle of the park. Luke McPharlin decided he’d leave the goal square and go and get it himself and when Dodd picked him out on the half forward flank, he wasted no time giving Justin Longmuir the treatment he’d been begging for himself all day. A big floater to the goal square gave Jlo a chance to show his goosifying skills. He couldn’t quite take the mark but had no trouble crumbing his own ball. He ran around two Cats before throwing the ball down and kicking it over his head. It went straight over the goal umpires head and Freo were a goal down.
But then the worst possible event happened. Cameron Ling had escaped the volcano squad, made his way to the ground, got out on his own and kicked a goal on the run to give Geelong a buffer and make Fremantle’s task very difficult. Another quick nine pointer from Milburn saw the task become impossible as the score blew out like an embattled railway project. The siren sounding shortly after to end Fremantle’s pre-season finals campaign, send Geelong to South Australia for the Grand Final and pose the question – who was the real loser in that deal?
