Yes yes yes, I know it was another loss.  I'm not happy about that.  But I won't deny that I basically got the pulsating and entertaining game so cruelly denied to me by St Kilda last week, either.

If nothing else comes out of today's game, I hope the team use it to bury the final quarter horror stories for the rest of the year.  To be three goals behind, down to 19 fit players, with a gorilla on their backs, to almost snaffle an unlikely victory, reaffirms my faith in the playing group.  Perhaps had the services of Mssrs Dunn, Hayden and Crowley been available the story may have been different.

I shall not lavish more acres of blog space on the exploits of Pav The Magnificent.  Nor will I praise the virtues of Sandi The Giant - if he can get the set shot kicking sorted, he will be invincible for the next seven years.  Or even the redoutable Antoni Grover, the boy from Nollamara who has built himself into the most consistently reliable full back the club has ever had despite not being ideally suited to the position.  We all know how brilliant they are.

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If you think that you know football, tell me what's wrong with this scenario.

• A team performs well below expectations.
• A mid-season review is conducted.
• Assistant coaches are told that they will be moved on, including a nationally acclaimed, award-winning assistant.
• A new set of high-profile assistant coaches are sought.
• Credentialled, mature players are put on notice.
• The head coach, who has a contract that will expire at the end of the 2009 season, is to be offered a contract extension.

I wonder how this football club measures a head coach's performance?

By the way, if you don't know the definition for hubris, you'll find it here under the flying high logo.

With a degree of difficulty I can stomach the poor on field season because, let's face it; we're Dockers fans so what that partly means is we've had plenty of practice at dealing with disappointment.

But never before have I been in a position where extreme mixed feelings are the result at the end of a game. In previous years when we have had Barry Crocker seasons we've been smashed on a weekly basis copping big margin hidings. The facts were we weren't good enough to win games consistently.

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Well, I went to Melbourne over the weekend bright-eyed at the prospect of an exciting shootout between the mighty Freo and the enthusiastic young Saints.  What I got instead was one of the worst games of football I have ever seen, with a troubling result that poses questions to our reshaping list.

It wasn't really the umpires' fault, you know.  For every sequence of bewildering and frustrating decisions paid to St Kilda in their forward 50, there were indeed huge sequences of Freo frees that we simply failed to capitalise on (please practice your set shot kicking more, big fella!).  Nor was it the injuries to McPharlin and Johnson, both of whom showed enormous grit and determination to return - or try to.

No, it was straight back to the core problem that has beset the Fremantle Dockers ever since the other 15 teams formulated their plans for combating our 2006 game plan.  We simply cannot beat flooding, and our foot skills desert us under the slightest doubt or pressure.  Given that the Saints were obviously battling by the last 15 minutes, it was a game we really should have pinched.  Unfortunately we waited for far too long in the vain hope that a perfect opportunity would present itself, and then bombed to a very crowded goal square hoping Pav would take the mark of the century.

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After seeing all games a couple of weeks ago, I only saw a bit of 1 game this weekend.  That game happened to be only the second worst performance apparently.  Very courageous they were in being able to keep Geelong to under 200 points and fight all the way to prevent the margin from being 150.

Anyway, before my blood boils anymore we'll get on with business.  This week we take another small departure from normal programming.  I've decided to bunch the relevant teams in groups from the contenders to the courageously flogged every week.

Group A - Its Good To Be The King

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If won’t lie to you all...it's been a rough few weeks. I haven’t been able to write a blog for a while and more than a few of you will be relieved about that. The bad news is I’m back.

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I wonder if anything surprises you any more.

• Are you an embittered, rusted-on footy fan?
• Are those bananas in pyjamas who run around the footy field pretending to be umpires just a mild annoyance?
• Are you bemused when Jeff Farmer receives a free kick?
• Do you just nod your head knowingly when Eyebrows makes another dumb decision?

You've seen it all. You know football. Well... Maybe you haven't seen it all. Until now.

At the first game of the year, I took my customary seat on the Northern wing amongst the regulars who are my fortnightly winter friends. Young and old are there in my block. PYTs* sit next to us and our Premier is just a handshake away.

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I remember that feeling now.  Out of winning and losing, I choose winning.  Remarkable too when you think about it that I don't think anyone at the game was surprised we won, or by the margin.

Sandi continues to continue which is a danger sign for the AFL.  Pav was at his best with the boots this week, Luke continued an ultimately futile push for AA honors, and Taz was again the player we hoped for.

In the rankings this week I thought I'd try something a little different.  For the top 8 teams I have commented on them the way Hackdorn or the Worst might if that team were actually Freo. 

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At last, I feel like I am emerging from the nightmarish parallel dimension into which I had apparently fallen for the first 11 rounds of Season 2008.  Of course, we beat The Enemy there too - some things will never change!

I am being careful not to draw too many wild conclusions from yesterday's game.  After all, North Melbourne have been cruelled by injury over recent weeks and were well below strength.  It's not as though we pantsed the reigning premiers (although something tells me we kind of did in that parallel dimension).

But that was the Fremantle I know, that I recognise from the last few seasons, doing it in high style to the roars of an appreciative purple audience.  That said, for all the mighty cheer for TNT, it wasn't quite back to the Connolly Era.  Times have changed, and we are starting to change with them.  The baton is being passed.  Peter Bell and Josh Carr do not look like the formidable foes of old; both still give their all and win more times than not, but their ability is visibly diminshing.  It's alright, though - replacements are coming on stream. 

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Half way through and I for 1 was expecting a few more wins.

Anyway, this weekend I was crook as a kerr so I got to watch every second of every game.  You'd think that would make this weeks rankings more informed...well you'd be wrong.

1(1) Geelong - Nice little game from Gablett and Co.  Steady as she goes.

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