Yes, Roger! You are absolutely spot on.
I was thinking today after (actually, during) the game that it was like the bad old days when we were dreadful and everyone else laughed at us. But I realised the bad old days were different. Then we were all united behind our club. We loved it and felt part of it. Anyone dared to gob off about us and we'd be right there, smacking them down.
Now, we've been excluded. We've been told by the powers that be that we're not really important, not welcome. Just shut up and pay our money - that's what they wanted. So now the footy side of things is looking bad, really bad, and I feel distant from it all. I support the players but I don't feel connected to the club. I'm sad with how things are going but I don't feel involved.
What connected me to my crazy, whacky, great to watch in a scary kind of way team has all been stripped away. In its place there's a new jumper, focus on the name Dockers rather than Fremantle, new home AWAY from Fremantle, and now there's even less connection with the club.
The bad old days were horrible, but I'm starting to feel quite nostalgic about them. Or maybe it's just late and I'm feeling sorry for myself