I don't think I'm alone in thinking that we were beaten before the game started by our perplexing team selection this week. I'm not saying we would have won if he played but we went in with two talls against their three and they kicked eight goals between them. Also Hamling was clearly are best and most consistent backman last year and we decided that Pearce who hasn't played a full game in two years and Johnson at 33 and probably in his last season would be better options.
Then the coach comes out and says how they were big men we were playing against so we did we pick such a small side? Mind boggling piffle from the king of spin.
To say that Hamling was underdone after missing a game due to his father's wedding and then see him come out and dominate in an admittedly one sided WAFL game proves that he wasn't. (see below).
For a start he plays as a key position backman and doesn't have to run all day. To then go and pick a guy renowned for his running in Brad Hill who was clearly underdone smacks of hypocrisy. Hughes who was an emergency was even more underdone and not even given a chance to get any match practice at Peel which will make his chances of a recall next week remote you would think. Well most would, but who knows with this selection panel.
And let's not even go into the selection of D. Pearce because the only reason anyone can come up with is that he is filling a spot until Stephen Hill comes back. Well that's likely to be a few weeks off so heaven help us if he is our best and only option.
Maybe I'm looking for things that aren't there but some might say that just maybe there was something dodgy behind all this, but whatever I still believe it cost us dearly.
The 24-year-old commanded the air in Peel's defensive 50 on Saturday, taking eight marks in a watertight backline, while Brennan Cox (seven) was also rock-solid.
"(Hamling) played well and I think he might have had 20 or so possessions, so he's had a pretty solid game," coach Cam Shepherd said.
"I don't get involved in Fremantle's selections but certainly he ticked that box today."
