It turns out there was nothing wrong with Fremantle’s game plan, it just lacked a bit of rain. It poured down at the MCG and Fremantle took the water like ducks to methamphetamines, with the flashy, fleet footy Tigers left all at sea. The hard running, high pressure football that looked a bit silly in the hot conditions and big ground in Perth looked like a well thought out, perfectly executed exhibition of wet weather football in Melbourne and took Fremantle to a 2 goal win. Despite losing Sandilands to the red vest in the first quarter, Fremantle fought their way back from a couple of goals down to hit the front and hold a comfortable lead for most of the afternoon. A quick couple of goals from Pavlich, who looked very comfortable in his new role as a key forward, put the game away with Ballantyne making sure of it in the closing minutes.
You can always tell when a Richmond supporter is about to get bad news - they’re smiling. And boy had they been smiling in the week leading up to their game against the Dockers. They had surged back into relevance with big win over the Saints, an enthralling contest of tough, free flowing football that excited the football world. There was yellow and black everywhere, you couldn't walk down a Melbourne street without hearing someone humming the Tigerland song, people in Richmond were even naming their kids Jack for the first time since the sixties...they were headed for a fall.
Of course, there are some who would tell you that you know when a Fremantle supporter is about to get bad news - it's the weekend; and it had certainly been lean few weekends with wins hard to find and the Ross Lyon Project victim to some unflattering reviews. But when Ross rocked up at the MCG, he looked up at the pouring rain and stuck his tongue out to taste it - it tasted like victory.
Richmond's light framed midfielders and nimble forwards were going to have a big task ahead of them breaking through the big bodied Fremantle players, Ross's flood and a metre of glorious water. Nothing could possibly stop Fremantle...and then Aaron Sandilands grabbed at his knee. ...Read More