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Dockers’ 2009 wrap-up

By Mr Dandalooa

It’s fair to say, this hasn’t exactly been the best season for the Fremantle Football Club.

However, while there are lows to reflect on, I reckon there’s a few good things to look back on too.

But first, let’s reflect on some aspects to the season we’d all like to forget.

Unless you have been living under a rock, the worst of the worst was the Dockers lowest score in the AFL against Adelaide in round 15.

It was the club’s worst opening half of football in history where they scored just one point in the first half; the lowest half time score since Fitzroy’s 0.0 against Essendon in Round 1, 1995.

Ryan Murphy kicked Fremantle’s only goal at the 11-minute mark of the third quarter, and their final score of 1.7 (13) was the lowest since the introduction of the national competition in 1987.

It was Adelaide’s biggest win over Fremantle and the lowest score ever kicked against them.

The 117-point demolishing was one of the worst days in Fremantle’s playing history, and the embarrassment for the players ran deep-.

Adding to the Dockers’s lows in a season to forget, was Rhys Palmer injuring his knee.

That left a gap in the team’s defence and a growing divide between the top eight and Fremantle this season.

All season too, Fremantle has suffered badly on the road.

Despite a win against Carlton on the Gold Coast, Fremantle’s form away from Subiaco Oval has a lot to be desired, with senior Mark Harvey reprimanding players who suffer fatigue after the arduous plane ride and seemingly can’t kick.

There are more lows to list like Byron Schammer’s season, Matthew Pavlich having a series of off games where he couldn’t kick a goal and then got injured, but with all the lows came some glimpses of greatness.

Port Adelaide looked far from a side with claims to the AFL’s top eight in a lifeless display that handed Fremantle an emphatic 42-point win at Subiaco Oval on Sunday evening.
Yet the eighth-placed outfit slipped back into familiar losing habits, as the Dockers went to a 17.14 (116) to 11.8 (74) victory.

It was their fifth victory of a disappointing 2009 season.

The result meant little to Fremantle but did give the boys further insight to the potential of the club.

And the potential lies with the youngsters.

Once renowned for nabbing other team’s “cast-offs” to short-cut their route to a premiership, Fremantle have entered extensive rebuilding phase with the likes of Stephen Hill, Matt de Boer, Hayden Ballantyne, Greg Broughton, Nick Suban, Zac Clarke and Clancee Pearce.

Michael Walters and Jay van Berlo have also received a run with a bevy of young blood promising solid AFL careers.

Hill has really shown maturity over the course of the season and seemingly gets better with each game.

Once he puts on a little muscle and maybe refines his basic skills to suit the elite level, he will be a champion among champions.

Hill’s exuberance kept Fremantle in the 30th western derby contest and eventually allowed them to win it.

He bagged 10 kicks, 11 handballs, six marks and two goals, which brought the youngster a Rising Star nomination and a massive level of attention.

I’ve really grown to like Ballantyne this season too. I think once he got rid of the nerves and intimidation, he has really shown great spirit.

He’s not afraid to go for the ball and when he gets it more often than not he has delivered for Fremantle.

Same goes for de Boer, I do reckon that the more AFL games he plays the more his confidence will rise and he seems to be very much a confident player.

These three are the future of the Fremantle Football Club.

Then there is Chris Tarrant, who after a disappointing season last year, turned into one of the success stories of this year.

Known as a forward to missing as many as he makes, the Tarrant trade was transformed into a dominant figure this year, and he soon became a forceful defender, proving to Harvey he could do the job.

But as always success lies with the best and Aaron Sandilands now matches his physical size with his presence across the AFL.

Named in the All-Australian selection and poised for the club’s best-and-fairest award, Sandilands is the benchmark to lead Fremantle to finals success in the next few years.

With Pav, Fremantle can build around him.

But I guess for a season to forget, the best things were defeating West Coast, twice.

These were two wins against a team more experienced team, which has played finals football before.

There are other positive stories out of season 2009 too like Paul Hasleby’s fourth Ross Glendinning medal, and Sandilands’ first, so without a doubt there is a future for this club.

As a supporter though, it will take a whole lot of patience!