Right. I'm not about to sit here and pretend that last night's loss against Geelong was anything other than heartbreaking and devastating. To have the reigning premiers on toast not once, but twice, and still lose the game is a very bitter pill to swallow.
Fremantle let a golden opportunity to restore their season and gain some hard-won credibility with the footerati slip straight through their fingers. And I don't blame any of the players and coaching staff specifically. Indeed, what caused us to lose has been the most deep-seated problem confronting the FFC over the last few years, something which desperately needs fixing if we are ever to be a genuine threat.
Last night, we played around 100 minutes of sterling football, by far our best effort of the year. Centre clearances were won, tackling was fierce, the defence was solid, and the forwards proved that contested possessions could be won. It was suitably stirring stuff for our ANZAC commemoration game.
However. We lost the game thanks to 20 minutes - the last ten of the second quarter, and the first ten of the last. Why is it that the Dockers always fall asleep for these stretches, and allow our opponents to kick strings of unanswered goals? Almost all of our losses during the last few years stem from this fundamental flaw. And no other team in the last few years can exploit this more ruthlessly than Geelong.
The big secret of the Cats' recent success is their almost metronomic pace. They seldom let their intensity dip throughout a game, and if you give them an opening to score one goal, it will almost imperceptibly turn into seven in the blink of an eye. And this is how they were able to steal the 4 points despite being outplayed quite comprehensively for 85% of the game.
This MUST be addressed, by Harvey or anybody else willing to help. As soon as the tempo football started just into time on in the second last night, I cringed. Freo are simply incompetent at tempo football. We always turn the ball over, seemingly willing to cling on rather than putting the foot down. It certainly came back to bite us last night. And again at the start of the last - everyone could see the Cats would produce a withering opening barrage, yet we seemed powerless to stop it.
Still, if what I saw last night is a symbol of the more stable team that the coaching staff is seeking to build, I'm all for it. Despite our season now hanging by a gossamer thread, the month of May will prove decisive (yes, even that silly self-indulgence by Victorians that Pav will undoubtedly be playing in). The next four Freo games are all eminently winnable on last night's form - it's definitely possible that we could be 5-5 after the first ten rounds and well in the mix.
Bouquets to the entire team for last night - yes, even an out-of-sorts Josh Carr and Daniel Gilmore. Special mention to Aaron Sandilands, the Docker who will always be closest to me in age, if not height. And can someone please configure some sort of lifetime contract for Rhys Palmer?
Our revival continues at the MCG on Sunday. I see absolutely no reason why we can't smash Melbourne - full throttle, no going to sleep, no mercy. A big win will restore our percentage, replenish our confidence, and make these little journeys of mine worthwhile. If you're a purple person, let's see if we can outnumber the Demons supporters. Go Freo.