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Dockers bullish on season

By Mr Dandalooa

Dockers coach Mark Harvey reckons his youthful squad is a ready and competitive team this year and physically strong enough to take on the AFL’s more experienced players.

Speaking at the club’s season launch on Monday, Harvey said his developing players, which make up about half of the playing squad, would be better equipped to compete more physically and anticipated more intense performances this year.

He said the past two years’ intensive recruitment process would start to pay dividends this year because Freo finally had a good mix of young and experienced and players who would have to fight for selection this season.

“There’s this sense of unity and discipline coming along that’s going to evolve this year”, Harvey told punters at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre.

“I think they’ll really take it up to sides for the whole of the game.

“It’s going to be tough at selection, they’ve got to prove and earn selection - that probably hasn’t been the case over the last couple of years.

“The way they embrace the physicality of the game will be the ultimate test of where this team can go.”

Harvey said his young side was still growing physically but will enter this season “united, disciplined and ready to be a consistently competitive outfit”.

Fremantle president Steve Harris, who succeeded Rick Hart at the helm, said the club’s focus was on delivering a premiership to members, with a more long-term goal focus than previous years.

He said his role was to ensure the club maintains its focus on sustained success.

“That we avoid the pitfalls of short-term pressures and short-term decision making,” he said.

“It means having a focus on a premiership and not just making the finals.

“Let me assure you that every single player, coach, staff member and board member shares this goal and understands what they need to do to deliver it.”

After a successful NAB pre-season campaign, skipper Matthew Pavlich said the Dockers were ready to take on the Adelaide Crows at Subiaco Oval in round one.

Pav was bullish on his team’s prospects this year, saying he has really high expectations of the group.

“And ultimately if those guys individually don’t meet them, or as a group, then we’ll fail - we won’t have a good season,” he said.

“It’s about those high expectations and values. It’s those behaviours that we need to keep living day in, day out.

“If we do that long enough and consistently enough then we’ll be a force to reckon with. If not, then we’ll fail.

But I’m really confident that we’re positioned well enough that we can be successful this year.”