My first prediction for the 2019 season: Freo home Derby will be marred by violence in the stands. It will go something like this:
i. Freo fans arrive early and, to a person, boo Gaff and yell things from the moment he enters the stadium.
ii. Intensity of game lifts because of atmosphere at the game.
iii. New Freo recruit Reece Conca in his first Derby and determined to win over his teammates and the fans, gets a bit excited cleans up Gaff late, which starts an all-in brawl.
iv. Umpire Jeff Dagleish awards 14 consecutive free kicks to West Coast ‘to settle the game down’.
v. Freo fans continue to boo Gaff, and now the umpires.
vi. West Coast fans, unaccustomed to sitting among opposing fans, get upset, and start berating Freo fans for the incessant booing. They respond by reminding Freo fans of 2018 Premiership.
vii. Freo fans laugh at the irony of Eagles fans complaining about booing, decide to take it up a notch by wondering aloud how many West Coast players will be in prison on the 10th anniversary of the 2018 flag and whether they can break the record from 2006 (spoiler: no-one will break that record).
viii. West Coast fans first to throw a punches, but are outnumbered by Freo fans in the ground. Game is stopped as violence breaks out in parts of the ground. Undermanned West Coast fans receive the lion’s share of the injuries.
ix. The West Australian runs a campaign berating Freo fans for their acts of thuggery, and the WAFC strips Fremantle of its home Derby for two years, and Freo are limited to day games for 12 months.
If Gaff wants to do the right thing, he should offer to sit out the next Freo home Derby.
